Prevent Foot related Pain while Cycling

The role that feet play with mountain biking is often under appreciated. While you don't have the intense pounding of the lower extremities as seen in running, biomechanical control is still necessary. Most fee tend to be categorized as pronated or supinated, with bimechanical deformities commonly treated with orthotics.

Pronated

A pronated foot is typically associated with a flat foot, even though there are several other anatomical factors that must be present for a medical diagnosis. The actual term of pronation (or supination) is not pathological: All feet pronate and supinate during the normal walking cycle. It is the relative amount and timing of pronation and supination that makes the reference pathological. A pronated foot is sometimes referred to as a “loose bag of bones.” This expression refers to the “feel” you get when working with the flat foot: it is typically hyper-mobile.

Shoe wear presents as wearing out of the front of the shoe under the ball of the second toe. Because of the positioning of the foot when hyperpronation is persistent, the calf and hamstring muscles usually have a decrease in length, and the individual may be predisposed to ankle sprains. Also, over time the malalignment may lead to a narrowing of the outside of the knee joint, which is a form of degenerative joint disease.

The likelihood and extent to which these associated findings develop are dependent on each individual's genetic make-up, their activity level and the severity of the hyperpronation.

Supination

In contrast to the hypermobile pronated foot, the supinated foot presents with a high arch and feels like a rigid lever.

The supinated foot in its pathological condition lacks enough pronation, and the arch of the foot has nothing to push against during the foot-flat position of the gait (walking) cycle. Some findings commonly seen in conjunction with the high arched foot are calluses/blisters on the outer border of the foot, a high incidence of turf (hyperextension injury of the great toe), and medial joint line narrowing of the knee.

Orthotics

Orthotics are inserts designed to be placed in shoe-wear. They may be full or three-quarter length, hard, semi-rigid or soft in nature. Their intent is to help control lower extremity biomechanics (with a hard or semi-rigid orthotic) and/or proved pain relief (hard, semi-rigid or soft orthotic).

Soft orthotics are referred to as accommodating as they do not actually alter biomechanics, but rather are attempting to provide pain relief. Hard and semi-rigid orthotics are corrective orthotics, to some extent correcting lower limb and foot alignment.

Most commonly a hard or semi-rigid orthotics is recommended for a flat foot and a soft orthotic is recommended for a high-arched foot. There is some debate, though, for the supinated foot to have a soft versus hard orthotics.