While cycling is considered a low-impact exercise, your foot is the contact point with the pedals of your bicycle. As a result, foot problems are not uncommon for bicycle riders. Pushing yourself beyond your limits on your bicycle can lead to a variety of foot problems that ultimately can inhibit your ability to cycle. Always contact your doctor if you suspect you have sustained a foot problem due to bicycle riding.
Biomechanical Abnormalities
The makeup of your body can lead to foot pain while cycling. For individuals with leg-length discrepancies, cycling can become painful.This is because your feet are working at different rates. A shoe insole can help to alleviate the pain felt due to having a leg-length discrepancy. The major muscles that are used as you cycle are the gluteals, calves, hamstrings and quadriceps. If these muscles are tight or weak, you may be exerting extra force on your feet. Shoe inserts can be useful in taking this stress off of your feet.
Pedals
The pedals of your bicycle also may play a role in causing foot problems. Wider-platform pedals distribute the force of cycling across your feet better than smaller pedals. However, you can still experience pain with wider pedals if the bottom of your foot becomes worn as the result of pushing yourself beyond your cycling limits.
Injuries
Cyclists can endure a wide-variety of foot-related problems. Cyclists may experience Achilles tendinitis, which is an inflammation and irritation of the tendon that attaches your calf muscle to your heel bone. This can be caused by poor biking mechanics, over-training or failure to warm up prior to cycling. You also may experience sesamoiditis. This is a condition that affects the two small bones below your first metatarsal bone. These bones can become inflamed or even rupture as the result of excessive stress from cycling. Appropriately fitting shoes and orthotics can help relieve pressure on this portion of your foot. As a cyclist, you also may notice numbness, tingling, burning or sharp pains throughout your foot. This is caused by an impingement of the nerves surrounding your toes. Wearing a looser shoe or loosening your shoe laces can help alleviate this concern.
Considerations
A 2003 study conducted by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation indicates that shoes with soles made of carbon fiber place more stress on the feet. As a result, cyclists are more prone to foot burning and tingling. These sensations are often the result of pinched nerves or reduced fat padding on the bottoms of your feet. Shoes made of nylon soles help avoid compression on the forefoot.
