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metoliusmunchkin
Oct 26, 2002, 7:20 PM
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For the past while I have been slightly discouraged with my current "shoe situation." It seems as though whenever I will put my climbing shoes on, which usually is quite an undertaking on a good day, my feet seem to become cramped.
Near the inner forefoot, it's as if the muscle has formed a nice little painful ball for me to wrestle with before I climb. Getting your shoes to fit as comfortably as possible is a most important aspect of the many that climbing has, but this is getting annoying.
It's not really an injury, but I'm wondering if any of you have ever encountered such an annoyance before and if there is any way that it can be overcome. Just for some added information, I downsize my shoe one size on my right foot, and one-and-a-half sizes on my left foot (my left foot is a half size larger than my right).
Thanks.
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daisuke
Oct 26, 2002, 8:30 PM
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that could be the problem, my shoes don´t fit that tight but the other day when I put on some that were too small for me I got a little ball below the big toe of my left foot, do you twist your shoes after they´re on your feet? I do that and it usually helps, twist them from the inner edge towards your face a bit, makes em more comfy at first
D
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metoliusmunchkin
Oct 27, 2002, 4:18 AM
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Yeah, I twist my shoes to receive a maximum comfort, but that doesn't really seem to help much. Maybe the problem will just leave in time, or maybe this is something I might have to tough out for a while...
Damn.
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katydid
Oct 27, 2002, 10:00 AM
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I used to have this problem in ballet. This sounds dumb, but do you stretch your feet? Try these:
1. Point your toe, then rest your "toe knuckles" on the ground. Put a little weight on it. This stretches all the stuff where your ankle hooks on to your foot and your instep area.
2. Put the ball of your foot on the ground and push forward. You've just stretched your lower instep.
3. Stand on one foot and rotate the other foot clockwise, then counterclockwise. If this is problematic either because of balance or coordination (some people have trouble rotating in a particular direction), sit on the floor and "help" your foot with your hand.
4. Sit down cross-legged. Put your forefingers on the ball of your foot near your pinky toe and pull back. Push into your fingers a bit with your foot. Do same with your forefingers on the ball of your foot near the big toe. This stretches the underside of your foot, in the arch area. You may have to experiment with positioning a bit on this one depending on how flexible you are.
Try stretching before you put your shoes on, and see if it helps. If you feel the cramp still, do another set of stretches for the area that feels tight.
Since you still have quite a few years of growing to go, you may want to consider that your feet could be changing shape a bit as well as size. It may be time to go to a different shoe, rather than looking at shoe size as a catalyst.
Good luck, and happy stretching!
Kate
[edit: punctuation]
[ This Message was edited by: katydid on 2002-10-27 02:05 ]
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climbinganne
Oct 27, 2002, 11:15 AM
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i find that when it is really cold out my toes seem to cramp and then stay in a fixed postion...it isn't that painful...just really wierd...i have since been using an older pair of shoes that are stretched out enough to wear socks with, this seems to help when it is cold out.
Kate, i have tried the stretching thing too...seems to help!!
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astrocrag
Oct 27, 2002, 1:01 PM
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I don't know about the rest of you, but I get cramps when I'm dehydrated. A good way to tell is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand, it should spring back. If it stays folded or slowly flattens out, you need to drink some fluids. You might want to try to check if you are, it may not be the shoes.
The method works, but on very humid days when you sweat a lot, it is not as effective.
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meataxe
Oct 29, 2002, 12:12 AM
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I've had arch cramps occasionally, but not in climbing shoes. I can fix it in a few seconds with a stretch. Just grab your toes (together or individually) and pull!
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jules
Oct 29, 2002, 4:57 AM
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Happens to me all the time.
It hurts, but won't go away. I just have to deal until it does go away.
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climberchic
Oct 29, 2002, 5:43 AM
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Kate took the words right out of my mouth.
I used to get so discouraged in gymnastics when I was a youngun' because every time they told me to "point my toe" I'd get horrible cramps in the arch of my foot. Stretching seems to drastically reduce this now.
Munch~Let us know if this works for you?
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mugnyte
Oct 29, 2002, 6:54 PM
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My biggest problem is keeping my toenails so damn short they barely exist. Otherwise, my toes cram next to one another and get pinched from the sides of the nails.
I do get cramps in the thighs though, posterior side. Usually on a heel hook when trying to mantle a sketchy face climb. it's so common, its become part of my "timer" of movement schedule before I just pop off. MORE WATER...
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gravical
Nov 4, 2002, 11:23 AM
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have you tried larger shoes
jk
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