Cycling and Feet

SHOES
Besides the bicycle itself, proper cycling shoes are the most important piece of cycling equipment. Cycling shoes must be very stable in order to efficiently transfer power from your feet to the pedals. Running and other athletic shoes are not good for cycling as the lack of support allows the foot to collapse while pedaling. This commonly leads to arch pain, tendonitis, or burning and numbness under the bottom of the foot. To protect your feet from the stress of pedaling, make sure you wear a cycling shoe with a rigid shank. Our advice is to always invest in cycling-specific shoes for both outdoor cycling and indoor cycling, such as spinning classes.

BIOMECHANICS AND CYCLING ORTHOTICS
Biomechanics, the study of forces on the body, plays a crucial role in efficient, satisfying cycling. For example, when seated on a bike with hands on the handlebars, the hands, shoulders, and front axle should all be in line.

By enhancing the biomechanics of the foot, podiatric physicians specializing in orthotic therapy and biomechanics can improve the mechanical functions of related body parts. If, for example, a cyclist's knees ache after a ride, the problem may be a biomechanical imbalance. We can alleviate the pain by correcting that imbalance through prescription orthotic shoe inserts. Riding a bicycle has very specific biomechanical demands on the feet and our orthotic prescriptions often reflect that. Most orthoses control the arch and heel, and for cycling, usually require critical forefoot balancing. For an evaluation of how your feet might be affecting your cycling, make an appointment to see us in our Seattle office. Be sure to bring your bicycling shoes with you.

INJURIES AND TREATMENT
Every day, we treat cyclists who have sustained overuse injuries of the feet by pushing themselves beyond their limitations. Some of the most common foot cycling injuries and their causes are listed below. As with all athletic injuries, pain that is persistent indicates a need to seek treatment from a sports medicine specialist familiar with cycling injuries.

Achilles Tendinitis: Irritation and inflammation of the tendon that attaches to the back of the heel bone can be caused by improper pedaling, seat height, lack of a proper warmup, or overtraining. Details on Achilles Tendonitis is available here.

Numbness: Numbness or burning of the ball-of-the-foot is common in cyclists. We have been very successful in treating it. The problem is usually caused by entrapment of nerves between the second and third or third and fourth toes that results in tingling, numbness, burning or sharp shooting pains into the toes. Loosening toe straps or shoe laces or using wider shoes can alleviate the problem. Prefabricated or custom orthotics can be used to transfer force off of the ball of the foot. If custom orthotics are used, there are designed very specifically to transfer force off of the ball of the foot. Clipless pedal systems can also help alleviate this problem.

Sesamoiditis: The sesamoids are two small bones found beneath the first metatarsal bones; the sesamoids can inflame or rupture under the stress of cycling. Sesamoiditis can be relieved with proper shoe selection and cycling footbeds or cycling orthoses designed to decrease stress on the sesamoid bones.

Shin Splints: Pain of the leg bone, on either side, caused by tendon or muscle inflammation. This may be related to an imbalance between opposing muscle groups in the leg. It is commonly related to excessive foot pronation (collapsing arch). Proper stretching and corrective orthoses for pronation can help prevent shin splints.

All pages on this website © 2008
Douglas Hale, DPM & Lawrence Huppin, DPM
Foot and Ankle Center of Washington, Seattle
The material provided on this web site is for informative purposes only.
If you need specific medical advice, please contact the office for an appointment.