No More Barefoot Walking!

My foot pain started twenty years ago with a bunion on my right foot. I wore custom orthotics for several years, then had surgery. I had to wear an obnoxious boot for several weeks but was soon able to resume my normal activities without pain, including running. At the time, my one regret was that I let the doctor operate on both my big toe and my small toe. After the surgery, my little piggy was much shorter. It was stiff and practically immovable and made me self-conscious when wearing sandals. 

Several years after my bunionectomy, I started having pain in the ball of my foot. I went to a different podiatrist. He explained the mechanical issues that were causing the pain. My big toe is now shorter than the second toe which causes the middle toes to bear too much of my weight. He prescribed orthotics. I soon found them too impractical to wear with my every day shoes, though they fit well in my athletic shoes. So I ordered a second pair of orthotics for dress shoes.

I later returned to the podiatrist because I was having a burning pain at the base of my toes. I remember how painful it was to walk even in flat shoes. It was excruciating! He gave me a cortisone shot that did not provide any relief. He also suggested that I use foam toe separators to keep my toes from pushing against each other. The toe separators did seem to help and I still use them. A friend recommended using yoga toes to stretch my foot so I tried those too.

I was good about wearing my orthotics for several years, then I convinced myself that they weren't doing any good. I still had the pain in my toes. I was convinced that I had a Morton's neuroma. I also disliked running with rigid orthotics in my shoes. I run on trails in the spring and summer and wanted to feel the ground with my feet. To keep the pain manageable, I stopped attending an outdoor exercise class that included hill runs because that hurt my toes. And running on uneven grass jars my foot too much and makes it feel like my toes are being ripped apart.

Then this year, I did something impulsive when I visited our new Road Runner Sports store. I bought a pair of Brooks True Grit trail running shoes, a lighter shoe with a lower heel-to-toe drop than my normal stability shoe. Walking in them in the store, I liked the way the shoe seemed to propel me forward and the way the upper part of the shoes wrapped around my foot. I was also tempted by the minimalist shoe movement, which suggests that a lower drop will keep a runner from heel striking. The True Grit shoes were not as rugged as the Asics I usually wear, so I was concerned about how well the shoes would grip on rocks and gravel. I avoided wearing them on certain trails.

Although I didn't have any mishaps with the minimal shoes, they weren't a good idea for me. I had pain in my toes all summer and even in the fall, long after I stopped trail running. I went on vacation in November and walked a lot. It hurt to walk, even when I slipped my old orthotics back in my shoes. So I decided to make an appointment with a highly recommended podiatrist, John McGarry, who also happens to be an ultra runner. He understands the desire to get better so you can run.

Dr. McGarry took X-rays of my foot and came back with the same diagnosis I heard years before from my old podiatrist: I have a mechanical problem caused by the length of my toes. The only way to treat this non-surgically is with orthotics. The doctor said the pain will not go away completely but supporting my foot will help. My old orthotics still have a couple of years of use in them but I ordered a new pair.

20 years of orthotics

When I picked up the new orthotics, the doctor reiterated what he had told me before but threw in something else that took me by surprise - avoid going barefoot. I always go barefoot at home or at least in my socks or bedroom slippers. I am now doing my best to wear slip-on shoes with orthotics when I walk around the house.

Twenty years of battling foot problems has taught me a few things. Comfort is certainly more important than fashion. Surgery may make bunions feel better temporarily but it can lead to other problems years later. You can learn a lot about medical conditions by doing your own research, but self-diagnose at your own risk. And don't be tempted by the latest fad in running shoes.