View Full Version : padding a foot
SalParadise
03-02-2005, 18:22
I want to ask a question related to the stress fractures question recently posted. I get a pain in the ball of my right foot when I hike, as the ball of my foot hits the ground fairly hard due to an old medical thing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might be able to pad the ball of my foot so it's more comfortable walking? I've tried cutting out a foot pad from some hard foam, but that just raised my heel in my shoe and gave me a good blister, and I tried a small pad sort of under my big toe, but that shifted my weight to the other side and helped give me a stress fracture. Does anyone happen to have any other suggestions I could try? I'm going to be switching to SofSole insoles because they have more padding than Superfeet and have dropped 15 pounds from my packweight to try to alleviate my problem.
Thanks in advance,
Sal
Moose2001
03-02-2005, 18:26
Sal - I wonder if using the gel footpads would help you? I used the gel heel cups because I had similar problems with my heels. They worked wonders. I just had to replace them about every 700 miles.
Try ShockBlockers insoles. Super comfortable insoles, probably the most shock absorbing insoles available. I think shockblockers will eliminate the pain in the ball of your foot.
You can buy them at www.shockblockers.com
I want to ask a question related to the stress fractures question recently posted. I get a pain in the ball of my right foot when I hike, as the ball of my foot hits the ground fairly hard due to an old medical thing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might be able to pad the ball of my foot so it's more comfortable walking? I've tried cutting out a foot pad from some hard foam, but that just raised my heel in my shoe and gave me a good blister, and I tried a small pad sort of under my big toe, but that shifted my weight to the other side and helped give me a stress fracture. Does anyone happen to have any other suggestions I could try? I'm going to be switching to SofSole insoles because they have more padding than Superfeet and have dropped 15 pounds from my packweight to try to alleviate my problem.
Thanks in advance,
Sal
You can find metatarsal (ball of foot) pads in most big chain drugstores, and places like Walmart - they are designed exactly to support the ball of the foot, aka the transverse arch, and middle arch of the foot. They come in felt or gel-type material, and I like the felt ones for hiking because they have a sticky tape underneath so you can put them into correct place. I prescribe them for patients all the time, and use them myself. Try www. pedifix.com. They make everything foot-related. If they don't let you "in", let me know and I will find out where you can buy them retail. I get them wholesale for my office...:o Sue
Blissful
01-14-2006, 14:12
I tried those gel pads - no go. It doesn't alleviate the pressure in the area. You need some kind of metatarsal support to shift the weight off the ball of your foot. Many brands of insoles now have metatarsal padding that do this.
Blissful
01-14-2006, 14:16
Whoops, didn't realize there was an MD in the house!! Sorry about that. I know the gel pads didn't work for me. Then again I have a posterior tibialis injury also from 2 yrs ago, so insoles and gels have been the death of me.
Whoops, didn't realize there was an MD in the house!! Sorry about that. I know the gel pads didn't work for me. Then again I have a posterior tibialis injury also from 2 yrs ago, so insoles and gels have been the death of me.
No worries! Most of the over-the-counter ones are not that great. And I agree, the gell ones are not as good for the metatrasals (ball fo foot. They do much better for heel cup or pronation/supincation problems.
Not an MD - a sports chiropractor! I have a lot of runners, cyclists, and soccer players. I know the feet quite well... :) Sue
Rather than pad the ball of the foot, pad the rest of the foot. I broke the sesmoids (spelling? ) in the balls of both my feet playing judo years ago, and I cut holes in a pair of insoles so that everything but the balls of my feet were padded - sort of like the principle of that "donut" cushion that some unfortunate hemorrhoid sufferers use.
I still had to mince along pretty carefully, and was not backpacking then. And no more judo.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-15-2006, 06:21
I've had excellent results with Superfeet insoles topped with Dr. Scoll's gel pads. I cracked / misaligned my right foot in a serious auto accident. The trauma docs weren't real specific about exactly what the foot injuries were as other injuries were far more serious. They said the 'cure' was no weight on the foot for 2 months and I was already in a wheelchair thanks to a broken hip and femur.