Running Hurts the Arches of My Feet

July 29, 2015 9:29 PM

Whenever I run more than half a mile, the bottom of my arches feel like hot needles are getting poked in them. What is wrong with my feet? How can I fix this?

My usual running circuit is about 3 miles (5 Km). However, I haven't been able to run that whole circuit in almost a month, because my arches start hurting only a few minutes into the run, and I have to walk the rest of the way. (My arches don't hurt while walking). I miss running! Please get me back to it again.

Relevant Information:

I work a very physically demanding job, take a weekly yoga class, and do some other exercise at home, so I'm pretty fit. I'm at a healthy weight and have no other injuries (knock on wood).

I run on sidewalks and asphalt bike trails. I don't have the option to run on another surface.

I currently wear kung fu training shoes -- which I have loved so far and which have helped me get rid of knee pain/runner's knee. They're basically minimalist shoes. Previously, I wore regular Nike running shoes. I switched about six months ago because of the knee pain I was getting in the Nikes, and have been very happy with that change. Since the training shoes' soles are so thin, though, maybe they wore out very quickly? Is there some kind of Dr. Scholl's sort of pad that I can put into them to help with my arch problem?

TL;DR: What is going wrong with my feet and how can I fix it?

posted by rue72 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total)

Could be Plantar fasciitis. For me, limbering up the plantar fascia by "rotating" my ankles before getting out of bed in the morning helped. Also, wear something with some support in the morning, like Crocs, instead of bare feet. Get some shoes with arches. It may take a few months for your feet to heal. Not re-tearing the healed scar tissue first thing in the morning is your primary goal.
posted by jabah at 9:48 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Could be Plantar fasciitis.

Won't threadsit, but since this is such a common foot problem related to running, it's probably worth addressing: I don't have any of the other symptoms of Plantar fasciitis. My arches don't hurt unless I'm running, and I have to be running for at least few minutes before they start to hurt. I feel great when I wake up in the morning. It never hurts to push my foot toward or away from my ankle (we do a lot of this sort of thing in yoga and I never feel so much as a twinge). My heels don't hurt. Etc. Maybe I have a problem similar to PF, but it affects a different ligament? Well, to be honest, I don't know -- which is why I'm asking this question to everyone here!
posted by rue72 at 10:25 PM on July 29, 2015

Forgive me if I'm way off base, but my first thought is that your question about the soles of your kung fu training shoes possibly wearing out indicates that you may not be completely in tune with the mechanics of running in a minimalist-type shoe. That's a pretty radical shift, going from Nikes to kung fu shoes, and it requires a radical change in running form. You could be overstriding, heel striking, staying too much on your toes and not letting your heels drop at all, or any number of different things that would result in arch pain.

In a minimalist-type shoe, you rely on your mechanics, not the soles of your shoes, to cushion the impact of running. Here's a decent overview of good form. Also, minimalist shoes just aren't for everybody. I had to give up on them, and it took me way too long to admit that I need a cushioned shoe for most of my daily miles. Maybe you do need arch support. Maybe you would benefit from a more cushioned flat shoe like something from Altra or Hoka One One. Something that gives you the benefit of minimal heel lift without penalizing you severely for less-than-perfect form.

Have you tried running the three miles in your Nikes to see if you stil have the arch pain in them?

I wish you good luck and great health!
posted by mammoth at 10:37 PM on July 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

Get a pair of green Superfeet. They should help whether it's PF or not.
posted by persona au gratin at 1:17 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would see a physio about this-- preferably one with experience with running. What I find odd is that the normal running shoes gave you knee problems after only a 5km circuit, and I wonder a little bit if there's some kind of issue with pronation or arches which caused/is causing both sets of problems.

And I second the note about about minimalist shoes not being at all easy to run in (especially if you're used to the other type)-- I have a friend who does ultras in them, but he recommends against them for casual runners. He spent 6 months relearning how to run after making the transition himself.
posted by frumiousb at 1:35 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

Have you considered having your gait analysed? I know lots of running shops offer this service for free -- basically watching how your feet land in slow motion, and then picking out what sort of shoe you really need. Physios and podiatrists will do this too if you want to go for a more professional opinion.

I went a bit flat footed sometime around my mid-20s, without realising it, and had a similar thing -- I'd have to stop running after short distances because of pain in my lower legs and feet, and couldn't understand why as I was quite fit and healthy and was using the same kind of trainers I'd used comfortably for a few years.

But it turned out I had started to overpronate, which the gait analysis showed.

Anyway, hope you find the answer!
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 2:39 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]

Does it feel like something is poking the bottom of your foot from the inside? Your arches could be collapsing when you run
posted by missmagenta at 3:20 AM on July 30, 2015

I'm a minimalist shoe-wearer, though I don't run at the moment. A few thoughts - do the Kung Fu shoes fit very securely? I find some minimal shoes uncomfortable for some activities because I have to contort my foot a bit to make them sit where I want them to. If they're slip-ons, especially, they may have just stretched out. I would not expect most Kung fu shoes I've seen to last six months of running on hard surfaces.

I also had trouble with arch pain while running in really minimal shoes, even though I could wear the same shoes for a ten mile hike over rough ground. I was more
comfortable in a light/minimal runner, like the Saucony Kinvara or New Balance minimum, so I'd encourage you to look into something like that.
posted by mskyle at 4:38 AM on July 30, 2015

2nding a gait analysis (if you didn't get one when you got the Nike shoes.) When I started running I just wore a random pair of sneakers, and like you I wound up with knee pain. After taking a break for a couple of weeks, I went to a running store. They watched me walk back and forth a few times, and recommended a pair of running shoes based on my neutral pronation - I've had zero pain of any kind since.
posted by usonian at 4:55 AM on July 30, 2015

I can't tell you what it is, but I did have the same problem for over a year, and then it went away completely on its own quite abruptly and I've been running with no problems again for six months or longer since (and building up to much longer runs on much harder surfaces) I didn't even change shoes.

So while I don't recommend ignoring it like I did, don't despair either if you can't figure it out.
posted by lollusc at 5:03 AM on July 30, 2015

(Also, and again maybe don't do this without consulting a doctor first, I dealt with the pain by carrying a bottle of frozen water with me, stopping when the pain got too bad, taking off my shoes and rolling my arches on the bottle. Then after a couple of minutes of that followed by stretching and rewarming my feet, I could usually finish my 5km circuit. And bonus, there was some cold melted water to drink from a smelly foot bottle!)
posted by lollusc at 5:06 AM on July 30, 2015

So...one risk of minimalist shoes is overstressing the tarsal and/or metatarsal bones. They can even get overstressed to the point of fracturing or microfracturing. One of the symptoms of overstressing bones of the feet (as well as an early fracture) is arch pain while running that eventually worsens (if you don't back waaaaay off) to include walking.

I'd look into gait analysis (there are a couple of excellent running stores in your vicinity--I want to say Pacers* is the first one I'm thinking of) and seeing a doctor (although metatarsal fractures are often hard to pick up, especially in the early stages).

*my local store is one of the ones that is always in the national rankings with Pacers, and they offer free running form classes, as well as a free weekly drop-in sports medicine clinic (staffed by medical professionals) for runners and walkers. I mean, see your own doctor, too, but at the same time, you can't beat the price of "free," so you might see if any stores near you offer similar services.
posted by Naamah at 6:28 AM on July 30, 2015

I briefly experienced something a bit similar; instead of hot needles, it felt more like the fascia tissue was ripping in small sections. It was quite acute pain, but not severe enough to interfere with a run. It would start around 0.5-1.5 km and after about 1km more it would go away. I'm currently running 7-10 km for my non-long runs.

I did the foot and calf stretches (and ice water bottle rolling) recommended for plantar fascia issues (even though my heel seems fine, and it's not bad in the mornings, and a lot of the other strong plantar fascia issues, but it's exactly in the fascia tissues of the foot so I figured it couldn't hurt) and it minimized the pain to the point where on starting a run something felt a tiny bit off, but nothing that was pain or even minor discomfort. Then finally I got some new shoes (my current ones have 1,200 km on them) and my feet have felt great since then. However, it could be that the new shoes came just as my feet crossed a point of recovery from the stretches/exercises.

I'm a bit of an odd duck; one foot is neutral, the other pronates more than I'd like. The shoes that I've fallen in love with are Altra Torin (however I have the 1.0 and 1.5's, you can get them on a discount from the current 2.0's). They're 0 drop, (I.E. the heal isn't raised above the forefoot), so they might feel comfortable in the same way as the judo shoes (they also have a huge toe box), but they've got awesome cushioning. In retrospect, as they're recommended for 500miles/800km, and I started experiencing my issues around 900km, I'd say track your distance in them and actually replace them when they should be replaced. As kung fu shoes aren't designed for running, I wouldn't recommend them - barefoot would probably be better.
posted by nobeagle at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2015

I don't run anymore, but noticed the kind of pain you're talking about in my left foot especially (which is the foot that has a fallen arch), only while doing workouts without my orthotics; maybe you've developed flat feet? 2nd gait analysis, or even having a podiatrist check you out.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:02 AM on July 30, 2015

I think you might be a bit flat footed like me and need running shoes suitable for overpronators. There aren't a lot of minimalist shoes that bit the bill but I have a pair of Newton Distance Ss which do me very well. Even if I am wrong here I would bet my life that different footwear will help and that a gait analysis will tell you what shoes you should be in.
posted by intensitymultiply at 12:54 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Maybe go get fitted for a proper pair of running shoes, even minimalist ones, at a running store?
posted by hrj at 1:35 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Go to a cobbler or podiatrist and have custom insoles made. Custom ones may cost a few hundred dollars but they are worth it and will mitigate pain/damage in your entire body, not just in your arches.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:45 PM on July 31, 2015