Foot Arch Pain

[step2it]

I've been walking LOTS more thanks to my competitive nature and challenges.  I average about 15,000 steps per day but sometimes go up to 25,000.  

I've noticed that I'm experiencing pain in the bottom soles/arch in the mornings.  It's moderate and goes away almost immediately, but I don't want it to develop into anything serious.

When I walk on the treadmill, I'm wearing Nike Free shoes which are super flexible.  I walk for an hour and a half usually.

When I'm walking outside, I'm wearing Vans or other shoes (sometimes heels).  I walk for multiple hours outside.

Question:

1. Is this the beginning of plantar fasciatis?
2. How do I stop this from progressing without reducing the amount of walking?
3. What kind/brand of shoes should I be wearing?

Thanks!

[WendyB]

Go to a good running shoe store and get fitted. Its worth it. Your feet will love you as well

[Stinkyfish97]

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/replace-shoes.html

The average walking/running shoe is designed to last for about 500 miles. 

I started having pain as well. Shoes are meant to last only so long unfortunatly. While you may feel you just bought a pair of shoes in all likelihood you need new shoes. I was averging about 40 miles per week, about 10-12k steps a day. That means after 12 weeks, or about 3 months I would have been wearing my shoes out. For me the pain was not in my feet but in my knees. 

Some tips would be try to walk on grass more. If you are walking paved trails, but there is grass to the side, walk on the grass. It is less wear on your shoes and your body. Another option would be to buy some insoles, keep in mind these wont last forever either. If you do decide to get new shoes still consider buying insoles for them, they will help your shoe last longer. Anything that lessens the repetitive impact and cushions your feet will help to make your shoes last longer. Walking in the grass, having insoles are just two examples. 

[Niki.]

I have Nike FreeRuns also - but my pain is not in the arch it's on the outside right edge... I only get this pain when I am wearing my Nike FreeRuns - and only when I am on the treadmill... I don't get this pain in non-athletic shoes (flip-flops, Toms, ChuckTaylors etc...) even if I am out walking a lot - I only get the pain when I work out... I am wondering if anyone knows what this is?  I can't imagine it's due to ill-fitting runners - as I seem to only get it when I am wearing runners - I do better with un-athletic shoes... It's so strange!

[Stinkyfish97]

For you 15k(~7.5 miles)  * 7 days. That is ~52.5 miles a week. So the avg shoe for you will last about 9-10 weeks. Probably a lot shorter than you think they should last. You really cannot tell unless you go try a new pair on, if they feel significantlly more comfortable than your shoes, you probably need to buy new shoes. Its not to say that you might have other issues. However, I know for me once I changed my shoes the pain in my knees was gone. I bought some cross trainers 1 month ago and they still feel good on my feet. I can tell they have warn a little bit though. I hope to get through the next 2 months with them. 

I realize that for many people buying shoes every 3 months seems outrageous and too costly. For me I do not consider it that costly. I figure it like this. I can either pay now or pay later. By that I mean I can just wait and put off buying the shoes, suffer through the pain and then perhaps deal with the problem 10 years from now when my knees start giving out. I can pay then when I have to have surgery or a procedure to fix the damage I was causing. Or I can just buy new shoes every couple of months, be comfortable and enjoy walking, building a good relationship with working out instead of feeling like working out is a pain. If you are working out and feel pain, especially after a repetitive task like walking, overtime you can cause damage. 

Everyone has to make their own decisions in life. If you cannot afford to buy shoes every few months you have to get creative on how to make your shoes last longer. Having multiple pairs of shoes is the best option for those who want their workout shoes to last the longest. A pair, or 2 if you can afford them, dedicated to working out in, a pair you wear around the house, a pair you wear at work, this will make sure your workout shoes last the longest possible. Wearing the right kind of socks, having insoles, general care for your shoes (taking them on and off properly and not sliding in and out of them, lacing them up properly). Choosing the correct size is very important, to big or to wide, to narrow or too small all lead to the shoe wearing out more quickly. Sometimes we cannot avoid having to buy new shoes but we can also take steps to insure we are not having to buy new ones every couple months. Whenever you start feeling pain, especially in the knees or feet, the first question to ask yourself is when was the last time I changed out my shoes. 

If you only own 1 pair of shoes, they will wear out fairly quick. 

[Stinkyfish97]

@Niki. It is hard to speculate what it is. I know for me it is more difficult finding a center of balance on a treadmill than on the paths and roads where things are more open. I feel a bit more boxed in on a treadmill, it takes some getting used to, to find that same stride I can take running on a path or road. Try to imagine a stride on the a path and see if that helps. In all honesty it takes awhile to find it. As I mentioned a treadmill feels more boxed in, the treadmills I use also have an absorbtion to them which make them even more awkward, and still yet I always have in the back of my mind I have to take a shorter stride because I might slip off the treadmill. While it is probably better on your knees to have the absorbtion on the treadmill, I know my body is used to a sudden jarring impact of the road under me and compensates for this, when there is even a little give my body is not completely ready for it and this can throw me a little out of balance. To compensate my body favors whichever my dominate side is while running on a treadmill. Your body may be compensating by putting the strain on the more dominate side, which for you may be your right side. Again it is only speculation. As for you feeling more comfortable with non-athletic shoes, it may be that they have more give in them. You are able to feel your feet better and because of this you can naturally adjust to the awkwardness of running on a treadmill, you can make those minor precision movements easier because you are not fighting the rigidness of a shoe with more support. A shoe with good support is more rigid and supportive. What you lose with this more rigid and supportive shoe is some flexibility to make minor adjustments, the kind needed for precision balance. If you are doing something that requires high precision balance your feet can become strained if you are wearing a more rigid shoe because it has to fight the rigidness in the shoe to make small adjustments to help with balance. So what happens is to compensate you favor your dominate side more, and when this happens it puts more strain on that single part of your foot instead of sharing the strain over all the muscles in both feet. At least that would be my theory. But I have never been a runner.

Again, to sum it up, it can be difficult to find the same stride you run outdoors with vs the stride while running on the treadmill. You likely feel more comfortable in non running shoes on a treadmill because they have more give and allow your feet to make better precision adjustments that aid in balancing you on a treadmill while running. Finally, though you have good running shoes, good running shoes though they have good flexibility they also have more rigid support meaning if your body is out of balance, it will compensate by favoring your dominate side while running. This favoring of the dominate side leads to you putting more strain on specific body parts on that side, for you it is likely the right outside edge because this is where you are finding your balancing point on a treadmill. Again I am not an expert on this by any stretch. I cannot answer how you will go about fixing this problem. For me I think it self corrected through time and practice. 

Also for me it is not the treadmill that is the problem, it is the elliptical. I know its supposed to be low impact but whenever I have used one my knees always hurt. I think its because I could never feel comfortable with the kind of striding required on a elliptical. I feel boxed in to one movement. I put undo pressure on my knees because I was fighting the striding motion. I was fighting to find a balancing point, to compensate for the awkwardness I likely was using my knees more. I still do not use a elliptical and prefer the treadmill. I guess it was easier for me to find my stride on the treadmill than on an elliptical. 

[SunsetRunner]

you should go get fitted for new shoes, my mother had foot pain until she went to the Walking Company and bought new shoes specially fitted for her feet.

[step2it]

I didn't even THINK about shoes having such a short life span.  Thanks for that!

[step2it]

Grass - good call.  But do you think walking on a treadmill should give shoes a longer lifespan given that there's less impact?

[Niki.]

Thanks @Stinkyfish97 - that is something to consider... I am at the point I'm almost ready to wear non-athletic shoes to the gym, the pain is so excruciating!  If I rest for 2 days - it goes away, but I have some pretty serious goals I'd like to get to the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours a day; but at this point the pain is really getting in the way.

I do prefer the treadmill to outside (I get rather bad shin-splints when I try to walk outside on the concrete etc...) and now I am getting pain at the gym too...

I'm not going to let the pain stop me from getting in shape but it is discouraging sometimes.

[emili]

@step2it the shoes you mention you walk in outside have no support or cushion, its no wonder you have pain. vans, heels are good from the car to the door and a seat. if you are going to rack up miles, keep sneakers with you and change your shoes. I wear heels to work and all I do is the 250 steps per hour. If I feel like a longer walk, I get my sneakers out of my bottom drawer.. please don't mess with your arches.

[step2it]

Sigh...I know...I just sometimes pick style over comfort and now I'm paying for it.

[HelenaFitbit]

Hey @step2it I've been there! Like you, I wore flats, vans, converse and nike freeruns. I can't wear heels because I walk like Bambi on ice. 

Being stubborn me, I ignored the sympthoms for plantar fasciitis (walking from 8k to 13k steps daily) and ended up ripping my fasciia a couple months ago, so I feel your pain. (literally!)

The best suggestion I can give is to rest your foot; try different exercises that won't impact your arch but will provide the same caloric equivalent. How about pilates? Check if your gym has those available. Or some Fitstar routines? They do not require equipment and there are different levels of intensity. 

If you really must walk, step from the heel to the toe to protect the fasciia. If your step intensity remains the same, insoles and high arched shoes will be your allies. Avoid flats, vans and converse shoes. I am currently wearing a compression ankle cuff, 2 doctor scholl's inserts and doing physical therapy. Pinterest has plenty of exercises, types of shoes and stretching techniques. 

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions

[step2it]

Thank you for all the help everyone.  Bought a new pair of gel Asiics yesterday. It was like night and day compared to my Nike Free Run and casual Vans. I walked in them for 2.5 hours yesterday (outside and on the treadmill), and voila - zero pain in my feet this morning.  Wow.

@Niki. - I went to a running shoe store/clinic and they said Nike Free Runs aren't really designed for long walks/runs.  They're more designed for short bursts.  The sales person said Free Runs are actually designed for looks and as a casual shoe more than anything.  Zero support.  The sales person also assessed my stance and said I am prone to roll on one side of my foot and was able to recommend a shoe with more stability.  I highly reocmmend you go into a shoe store where someone can assess your body mechanics.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

[shipo]

Many folks seem to think, or even make claims, shoes don't make a difference.  Yeah, about that...

Good job getting your personal foot shape and gait assessed and finding a properly supportive pair of shoes. 

[step2it]

@HelenaFitbit You know what's weird?  I have less pain when I wear heels.  I don't know why.  But all my life, I get more foot pain from flats than heels.  As for other exercises that burn equivalent calories, I've been using my fitbit since January and walking is the most bang for my buck.   I've tried bike riding, but it burns half the calories in the same amount of time.  Heavy cardio workouts like PX90 burn a lot of calories but I can't do it for very long...

[Niki.]

Thanks @step2it - You think they would have mentioned that to me at the Nike store when I told them what I was looking for shoes for!  They let me believe they were the best choice for going to the gym with!  Well, perhaps a shopping trip this weekend for me!  Maybe at New Balance or somewhere else! 

[WendyB]

@step2it So glad you got fitted. Its so important! Your feet are so worth it

[WendyB]

@Niki. Nike just wants to sell you thier shoes. Going to these types of stores is worthless IMHO. You need to be fitted

[edwards142]

Dear step2it, here is the answer of your entire question:

1. Is this the beginning of plantar fasciitis?

Yes generally it is seen that longer and untreated foot arch pain leads to create problems like plantar fasciitis. So cure it immediately.

2.How do I stop this from progressing without reducing the amount of walking?

Well you can treat it will some home remedies and for that you need not to reduce your amount of walking. So here is the link from which you can get ideas of those home remedies.

https://www.bestfootcares.com/plantar-fasciitis/home-remedies-to-cure-foot-arch-pain/

3. What kind/brand of shoes should I be wearing?

Pain and problem associated with foot arch pain is cured upto much extent by wearing right shoes and insoles. so take a look over what footwear you should wear.

https://www.bestfootcares.com/plantar-fasciitis/do-night-splints-work-for-plantar-fasciitis/