Mystery Foot Pain

Some interesting angles there from Terry and I think that illustrates that there are a variety of options. As a podiatrist who has lived and trained with a neuroma for years one thing I have realised is that what works for one may not work for another. Terry I thought that supernova control had some elements of pronation control?? Obviously your knowledge is greater but I have been advising patients to go for a cushioned neutral shoe if there was no need for pronation control. I find these very good in my case .

You are quite correct,Hutchy. The SUPERNOVA CONTROL does have midfoot support on the medial side. The support however extends to just behind the big ball joint and therefore seems to offer support in the same way that an orthotic device would for A FOREFOOT PRONATOR.
Incidently, over the last few years our customers buying shoes to house prescriptive orthotic devices are being told by your members of your profession to buy a support or even motion control shoe.
Previously we would have said this was akin to having contact lens fitted but still having to wear spectacles!
Naturally, because we are unqualified we go along with what the podiatrist says. I suppose it is a "double" insurance for the overpronator or would a "stiffish" neutral shoe be adequate? Final point for now, have you any experience of FOOTSCAN?

Terry re contact lens/spectacle theory Yes I would advise neutral every time when housing orthotics.However this only MY opinion.Latest developements in Biomechanics may suggest otherwise.I would have thought that the correction and support should be in the orthotic. FOOTSCAN I am not familiar with. Does it work on the same principle as the Musgrave/RS scanners?

I don't think you will go far wrong telling your patients to buy a neutral shoe for their orthotics given that the neutral shoes being offered today are mostly fairly rigid anyway. They do not make them with the flexibility of neutral shoes of the past. I think I can understand that whatever the classification of the shoe it should not "let down" the orthotic by being overly soft in the midsole and too flexible.

FOOTSCAN, in running shops in the U.K. has largely been provided by ADIDAS.It involves a pressure pad, the size of your front door mat, linked to a computer and colur monitor. The runner goes over the mat and the relative impact pressures when planting impact are relayed to the screen. This gait analysis helps the person dealing with them to hopefully make the correct suggestion as to the type of shoe the runner should be looking at. ADIDAS machines are actually by RS SCAN.LAB LTD who are based in Stowmarket. Not sure if any shop in your area has one to look at. Let you know if I learn of one.

Shame we haven't had any clues clues from WRINTY OR ZOE as to what contributed to their probable neuromas!

Dumb question- by the "fourth toe" do you mean the one next to the little toe? If so, I've always had discomfort in the left one at some point, particularly in cold weather, but when I go running I wrap a small piece of sellotape or plaster tightly around the joint in question, and everything is fine.

An update for you and a short piece of background: Back in the eighties when I considered myself to be a pretty good runner (34min 10K sort of times) I was plagued with shin splint problems. Eventually I was prescribed some orthotics to correct severe over-pronation which were made up by a podiatrist in Henley. These had some but not total success and eventually I underwent a bi-lateral tibial decompression operation. This did not fully solve things and so I gave up running at the ripe old age of 23.

When I got to my mid-thirties and piling on the pounds I decided to give running another shot and mindfull of my previous problems went to specialist running shop who put me on an Adidas Footscan machine. From the results they suggested three different shoe models and I went for the Saucony Grid Stabil - I am now on my fithteenth pair. The previously prescribed orthotics sentanced to a life in the attic (they cost me £75 which was a lot of money for a 21 year old in 1987).

My current foot pain is my first serious problem since I took running back up in 1998 (albeit a good minute a mile slower these days). At the weekend a podiatrist freind stayed the weekend to run in a race that I was organising and I recounted to him my problem.

He suggested that I get my orthotics back out of the loft and place in a pair of neutral shoes. The nearest that I have to neutral were my racing flats and not too accomodating for orthotics. So we tried them in my Stabils and there is a definate difference. My foot does not feel so "clicky" wearing them, though Mike has adivised breaking them in gently by walking around the house before running. I am now looking forward to the weekend and an opportunity to run in them.

Brilliant Wrinty!Terry My trust has just purchased an RS scanner so maybe we will eventually be able to provide our patients with a more effective service. Ta for tips.