Agony of "Da Feet"

[Ukase]

I learned in the military that you have to take care of your feet if you expect to be mobile at a moments notice. 

A lot of you are probably not going to be impacted because you're not walking over 15k steps at a time. But, I am curious - if you do, are you taking multiple pairs of socks with you? My guess is no - who'd want to change socks and carry the wet, sweaty socks back to the house? Not me! 

So, with the new "technology" coming out with wicking socks and such - what kind of socks are you folks wearing? 

If you're on this site, odds are you could lose a few pounds. So, extra weight would suggest some pain in the hips, knees, ankles and/or feet. How are you dealing with it? 

Recently, my left foot has been only very mildly annoying. Right at the edge of the meaty part of my foot - where my toes begin to extend outward. I noticed that if I lean back just a bit, it doesn't bother me as much, and I press on. 

I thought about purchasing some thicker socks - some of those fancy Thorlo socks - but I'm too frugal to spend the money. Not sure if it would help anyway, despite the glowing reviews I've read. 

What are you using for your socks? 

[shipo]

I never used to pay much attention to socks; "A sock is a sock" was my attitude.  Then a couple of years ago I competed in a 6-person 205-mile relay where my portion of the mileage was ~33 and with roughly 2,500' of climbing.

During my first leg (just shy of 8-miles) I developed a blister between my third and forth toes on my right side.  I had the blister tended to, but during my second leg (about 7-miles) five hours later the blister got a bit worse.  Prior to my third leg I stopped at a booth put by a chain of running shops and partial sponsor of the relay; they introduced me to "toe socks".  I instantly bought a pair and have since purchased numerous pairs since.

Have a look see at my favorite brand of socks:

• http://www.injinji.com/shop.html

[Mukluk4]

Man, things hugging my toes would drive me bonkers!

Back to the OP.

For basketball (full count 1-2 hours a session)

I used to wear two pairs of socks to prevent blisters and foot pain.  I upgraded to a thicker sock and just wear one pair now.  I don't know how I feel about wicking socks.  My skin and a wicking shirt usually causes irritation (I sweat buckets and always have), so I end up wearing an undershirt anyway.

For knees, I wear standard compression knee brace with minimal support.  Helps a ton the next day getting out of bed and sitting in cubicle land.

For ankle, I occassionally wear a compression wrap with some support.  I tend to only use this when I've gotten to a point where it's uncomfortable to be without it.  Depending on it more than needed has the potential to never allow them to properly strengthen.

[JohnRi]

I wear, too expensive, Balega Hidden Comfort socks.  When I first got them they litterlly allowed me to walk another 2000 steps a day.  They are designed for running, walking, etc.  They are thicker on the bottom, and thinner on top, and are wickable. I love them, and I have like 10 pairs of them. 

As long as I'm walking 4-6 miles a day I'll keep wearing these!  I haven't wore a pair out yet, and I've been using them for about six months now.

My only injuries while wearing these socks, I got a blister on my left heel about 2 weeks ago.  That's never happened before.  I do have a problem with runner's toe on the second toe, next to my big toe on both feet.  But this is a mechanical issue with my toes.  These two toes are long enough that when I'm really walking hard, IE 4 - 4.5 mph powerwalking, the toe nails hit something over and over and I get blisters under the toe nails, and the nail dies.  I think they are hitting the bottom of the shoe with my toe. This happens when I'm walking really hard and my toes curl trying to grip the ground.  Unfortunately by the time I feel pain, it's too late, the nails are dead.

But the socks aren't responsible for this issue, my genetics are!  I love these socks, and they really did help me walk faster and longer.  Except for the injuries above, I've never had any issues, and my feet never hurt.  Even the time I walked 12 miles over the course of a Saturday.  My feet were pain free, and dry.

[shipo]

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@Mukluk4 wrote:

Man, things hugging my toes would drive me bonkers!

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I would have said the same exact thing prior to being desperate enough during the relay to try them.  Now they are pretty much all I wear if my run is going to be anything beyond say 8 miles.  🙂

[WendyB]

@shipo No thanks those would drive me nuts as well

I wear Zulu or Balega. Search amazon for them. But I get them at my local running shoe store

[GershonSurge]

I wear wool socks. Right now, I have some from Red Wing. I've also had Smartwool (stinks badly). Rawlings, and Thorlo. The Thorlo socks were synthetic, but a good choice.

The best book I've ever read about fitting shoes and problems with the feet is "The Soldier's Foot and the Military Shoe."

[FitBeforeFifty]

I have 10 pairs of these and will never buy anything different. I've run a full Marathon in 80 degree heat in them with no blisters.

https://www.amazon.com/Thorlo-Experia-CoolMax-Micro-Medium/dp/B0023TXC8I/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1468...

[USAF-Larry]

I learned years ago, while running marathons and participating in triathlons that the quality of the shoes and socks was one of the most important items of clothing, followed by proper support shorts.  Later, after I was diagnosed at diabetic, high quality socks become even more important - I started wearing Merino Wool socks, and still do today.

If you are interested in high quality socks and sport apparel, you may want to check out Icebreakers: Icebreaker.com

[x_Toots_x]

I swear by compression socks.

I'm a nurse and when I was training I used to ask the more experienced nurses what they wish they knew on their first day and 90% of them said compression socks. Yes they are advertised for sedentary moments like sitting in airplanes or bed ridden from surgery but when you're on your feet for several hours they help to keep the blood pumping where it should be.

I used to come home from on the job training days in tears from leg and foot pain and the second I started wearing these socks it stopped. With any product compression socks have different types for different needs and I would look closely at the fine print as far as your leg measurement goes and how much pressure you're wanting. I have three pairs I keep on rotation and keep them for three months before tossing them as per recommended guidelines.

What these socks don't do is 'wick' anything away but I have never experienced excess moisture from wearing them either. If you wash and dry your feet correctly, especially between your toes than you shouldn't have any major problems. On that note though I have heard of runners keeping multiple pairs of shoes and cycling through them much like you would a pair of socks and allowing them 24 hours to 'dry out' before being used again. 

[x_Toots_x]

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Recently, my left foot has been only very mildly annoying. Right at the edge of the meaty part of my foot - where my toes begin to extend outward. I noticed that if I lean back just a bit, it doesn't bother me as much, and I press on. 

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Sorry reading over your post again and caught this part. That's not a normal sock related issue. Might be worth getting your doctor to take a look.

[Ukase]

Figured I would give an update. I went to Big Lots and saw they had some Fila socks - 6 pair for 5 bucks. They were cushioned - and it's unbelievable the difference they make compared to my cheapo Hanes socks (which are also allegedly cushioned).