Foot injury...and recovery.

[flatfeet]

Last year my thru hike was cut short about 200 miles in with nerve pain in the ankles.
Which was due in large part to poor choice of non-supportive footwear and a lack of
insoles.

Back home the doctor gave me a cortisone shot and a pair of orthotics.
What followed was more than 5 months of nagging ankle pain. I couldn't walk more than
5 miles without stinging pain. I probably went through probably 5 pairs of different
"support shoes" with "excellent arch support". And still I wasn't getting any better.

It was at that point that a friend suggested that I switch to flats, barefoot shoes, thin slippers,
or just go barefoot.

I wore thin slippers all day at work. And did foot exercises everyday.

I wasn't easy. And it took about about 3 months to build up strength. But the pain now is
virtually gone. And I now have an actual arch in my feet when before they were quite flat.

The only time I ever have foot pain is when I have to wear my old support sneakers.

Has anyone had a similar experience? And if so, what footwear did you wear for your hike after
your recovery? I am reluctant to go hike again in non-supportive shoes. I'll have to figure that one out
later I suppose.

Thanks for reading. I hope it helps for people with similar foot problems.

-Chris.

[Montana AT05]

Feet are very different between people, so footwear is very person-specific thing. Personally I went to sandals (Teva Toachi 2's in my case) to avoid blisters.

But consider more than your footwear when you try to avoid foot and ankle issues. Consider also you packweight, how your packweight is carried (hips, shoulders, close to your back, etc) and consider HOW you walk.

Due to a heavy pack and poor gait (not to mention poor physical conditioning and a years long habit of sitting with right knee hyper-extended at a right angle with foot tucked under left thigh) I was nearly knocked off a thru-hike just 30 miles in. I developed an inflamed IT band that hurt BAD (took me a week to figure that out during which I thought I was a failed thru hiker just 30 miles in...a Neel's Gap drop-out).

After whittling down my pack weight, I also paid close attention to how I walked...I realized I had a habit of swinging my leg outwards around objects...thereby coming down hard on my foot with all of my weight...that = stress. After a few hundred miles I had corrected my swinging habit and now my gait is better without thinking about it.

So now I carry a light pack, (under 20 lbs even in late winter/early srping) coupled with Teva's+sealskin socks. That works for me but may not for you...the foot and ankle are a complex clutter of bones, ligaments, muscles and mysterious pains, aches, and hot spots.

[Blissful]

Well, glad you got better.

Really surprised the dr hit you with a cortisone injection like that without other treatment first (it's usually last resort). Orthotics can also aggravate conditions. Probably made it all worse. When I got nerve pain I went to PT for ultrasound, massage and exercises. And used Superfeet. I did my SOBO that year.
Anyway, have you tried the Vibram five fingers? The only way you're gonna know if hiking in them will work is to go out and try some miles. Gradually build up with a backpack.

[Montana AT05]

Also, forgot to mention, for anyone interested, a shoe company based in England, Inov8, follows a "no-to-low-support" model for their shoe designs. The OP mentioned issues with his support shoes (meaning lot's of cushioning, etc).

In sum, most shoes today are full support--no design was spared to create an ideal comfortable, pillow like environment for your feet...you just move your legs and you feet rest snugly within rubber, padding, snug materials...like a swaddled baby.

Well, problem is, in that environment, your feet (and maybe ankles) never develop the strength and flexibility needed...they atrophy in a way.

So Inov8 shoes have minimal support--which is why when people first try them, they usually feel funny--it's your feet saying, "WHAT? I HAVE TO DO ACTUAL WORK? BRING MY LAZY BOY NIKES RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

They don't sell as well in the US, largely because sellers have no idea about the shoe (this was the case when I talked to several thru-hikers coming out of Hot Springs who were sold the shoe but not informed of how different they were from shoes normally worn here. The hikers didn't like the shoe because they felt funny---well...you have to get used to them and understand what is going on to realize why.