feet burn after walking all day, Why?
Elk
First, I have been a lurker for a few years and have enjoyed reading all the posts members of this forum have shared. I finally joined which has led me to my first post.
My question is on the 5 elk hunts I have been on I have worn boots all day on the mountain(just like everyone else) but at the end of the day the bottom of my feet feel like they are on fire. I train with these same boots for approx. an 1 hr. 4-5 times (55#'s on back, 3.5 miles round trip) a week for 5-6 weeks prior to leaving on elk hunts. I don't have the ability to wear these same boots all day nor would I want to as the scents that would be on the boots would not be welcome in the elk woods.
I have 3 pair of boots made by 3 different companies, Danner, Cabelas, and Irish Setter.
I have recently started wearing arch supports because my high arches have started giving me issues.
Disclaimer, I have only rifle hunted but this year was going to archery hunt but my dad ended up having health issues so I didn't go but because WY is kind enough to offer archery/gun hunt tags I will still be going in a few weeks. :)I do DIY hunts on public land.
You have to condition your feet with sandpaper. :) Seriously though I don't know much about this its never happened to me. Maybe try sock liners?
My feet do the same, Danners, Lowa's, meindles, Irish setters, new balance running shoes, don't matter, tried different socks, arch support, nothing works, it happens to me around the 6 mile mark, and its very painful, I will start walking on my heals to alleviate the burn
I might ask how much you on your feet throughout the day. When I got out of college and started my first job, I was on my feet 10 hours straight and it seams like my feet did this until I got used to it.
You guys with burning, tingling feet may be suffering from one of the several manifestations of sciatica.
I have had some feet trouble and I used to try and tough it out but now if I have any foot trouble I go to foot Dr. asap. Dr.Foot has helped me everytime I have a issue . Its worth it ! I had heel spurs 10 years ago 3 shots 3 weeks in a row and never felt them again ! That was the first time that started to make me just go to Dr. instead of being tough . I suffered for years with these and when I went to dr. gone in a few weeks .
If your arches also hurt when first getting up in the morning, I would suspect Plantar Faciaitis.
Plantar Faciaitis I had that to with heel spurs . Mine was caused from flat feet .
My Dr. took mold of my feet and had insoles made for me . This helps a lot also .
In my experience and opinion. Let me guess it mostly on your heel and balls of your feet?it is probably from your feet shifting ever so slightly back and forth in your boot. on most elk hunts you experience side hills and up and down feet shifting to every side of the boot and that little shift is causing it now eventually you will get a calus (SP?) as said some times a sock liner or something like that can make a huge difference since the slip happens between the two materials rather than your foot and the material. seems certain socks slide easier on your foot. just have to take the slip away from the skin.
I wear socks with liners, always, and have gone away from aftermarket footbeds like superfeet and sole. I found them too hard and too slick.
I dont think its any of that. I have a similar problem where on long days (10-15 miles) i get sore hot foot bottoms. the burning, however, is only under the balls of my toes and forefoot. I have no problems with my heels. I think maybe i will try a stiffer forefooted boot or some insoles with a gel forefoot. have been using hanwags and lowas with synergy insoles or superfeet type insoles.
canary in the well?
I think he live in the mine!
Could be many things such as blood sugar issues, peripheral neuropathy, circulation or many more.
I felt the bottom of my feet getting sore after a day of hunting this year. I didn't notice it last year so I thought it was due to the fact this year my exercise routine was rowing and stationary bike while last year it was stationary bike and the treadmill. So I think the bottoms were more conditioned from the miles of walking fast I'd done on the treadmill in 2013. I don't know but its my assumption.
Get new boots or at least plastic insoles!
Your feet are getting hot because they are shifting in your boots as you walk. Training in advance helps to reduce it and build calluses, but if training with them for an hour or two vs hunt with them for several days at 10 plus hours is much different.
Here a few suggestions:
1. Get some mole skin and cover the hot spots. The mole skin will absorb the friction from the shifting.
2. Look at your insoles. If they are old and worn out you might consider getting a new pair.
3. How old are your boots? New boots need broken in, but old boots can also be so loose that they never really tighten up.
4. Socks, socks, socks. I wear two pair and change them a couple times a day. If your socks get wet from sweat then replace them with dry ones and your feet will love you. Also, for the base sock, wear a silk or smooth sock to reduce the friction. Under Armour socks are nice for this. The outer sock should be slightly heavier material.
5. Another thing I found to help when my feet started getting hot was taking a break and pouring cool water on them.
6. Lastly try and keep your feet clean. Wash them every night when you are done and if possible sleep bare footed at night.
Good luck!
Is it the skin that is burning or the nerves underneath?
If you haven't trained with them on all day, then your feet won't be used to being in them all day. You're in them longer which equals more sweat and moisture on your feet, your socks, and your boots.
I would bet they are stretching out a little bit and your feet are rubbing. Mid-day: take your boots off, air out your feet, switch socks, and tie your boots a little tighter in the afternoon.
Best to see a professional, like a doctor that's board certified rather than a bunch of bow hunters, no offense guys. Obviously there is something going on, good Iuck.
Cant say for sure this was the cause but two seasons ago when I got back from the hunt I had to take pain meds cause my feet burned so bad at night... I stopped using foot powders. so far no problems.
2 pair of socks first pair thin dress socks second pair heavier wool socks. one if your feet slide in your boots the 1st pair will help protect your feet the heavy wool socks help cushion plus absorb all the sweat away from your feet and 1st pair.
Diabetes, wet feet (ammonia burn), poor circulation, friction, sciatica. Can be a myriad Of things that is causing it. see a doctor and then go from there.
See a doc, not Bowsite. We are a lot cheaper, but I am no C Everett Koop.
Do you by chance use the green super feet insoles? I got one pair in my turkey hunting boots and when I have a day of walking, my feet burn up. If I use my other orthotics in my boots no issue at all. Not sure if this is your issue too but might want to consider the advice above and see a podiatrist. I also have plantar fasciitis so the right insoles did make a huge difference for me.
Thanks all for your suggestions and comments. I greatly appreciate them.
The soles of my feet are hard and calloused, both the heels and balls of the feet. They have been this way for years. My wife gives me a hard time about how thick my skin is on my feet. One could take a orbital grinder to my feet and they wouldn't hit soft skin for a little bit. I am on my feet most of the day.
It seems that I can be wearing boots all day at the farm or around the house and I have no burning sensations but walk several miles and then the burning arrives. Somehow, it is the friction from the continual walking(more or less) that heats my soles up and I just have to figure out what the right combination is for my feet and boots.
I have tried 2 pair sock, liner socks then regular sock.
I believe it is the skin burning not nerves.
I may end up going to a podiatrist after the hunt but I don't have time to do that before I leave for my hunt coming up. I will just play through it and worry about it again when I get back home.
Today after my walk I kept the boots on for a couple more hours and by the end of that time I could feel the heat on the bottoms. When I took the boots off the soles of my feet felt very hot.
The walking part is why I brought up sciatica. It's possible the long distance walking is affecting the sciatic nerve in ways that standing and short term walking do not.
I have it ... diagnosed by three different doctors.
Sarge and Scoot are on the right track I believe. I experience the same sensation with the same diagnosis. I hope we are wrong and you find a simpler answer. Ron
THis could be serious go to doctor and have some blood work done, your looking for not enough vitamin D and possible blood sugar problems like type two diabetes. it wont go away without help do not be like me and ignore what I though was a small problem, well I had a stroke on june 15th and lost everything on my left hand side , cannot use my left hand an just beginning to walk little bit again, see a doctor!
You may want to ditch the inserts. I have extremely high arches. My condition is called cavus foot and it's about as high as an arch comes. It naturally puts the balance of your weight towards the outside edge of your foot instead of the heel and ball, which is more typical. Arch supports for high arched individuals typically push your feet farther to the outside compounding an already difficult problem. Try getting the flattest insole you can find. They even make one with a recessed spot on the forefoot. This is extremely helpful for high arches as it helps redistribute the load on your feet more naturally.
You might also try ditching the sock liners. I had some blister issues while using liners, and don't now that I just go with a thick wool sock by itself.
I recently did a scouting trip and both my father in law and I mentioned the same thing toward the end, our feet were burning a bit on the bottom. We did 9 miles that day with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, it was the first time this year covering so much ground.
peripheral neuropathy perhaps
According to my doctor I should be experiencing pain/tingling sensations in other parts of my legs and feet, not just the soles of my feet if it is a form of sciatica.
I drink lots of vit. d enriched milk and am in the sun a lot so Vit. d level should be okay. At my physical this summer I was given a clean bill of health.
We shall see how the feet react on my hunt in two weeks. A specialist may get a visit if the problems persist.
Again thanks
"should" being the operative word ...
My doc told me the same thing the first three or four times. lol
Are you diabetic? Peripheral neuropathy is completely unrelated to sciatica.
I have thick pads on the bottoms of my feet also and that is right where the hot spots come from. I lost the entire bottom of my heel one year just before the season opened. The balls of my feet were also blistered and eventually peeled off. I litterally crawled to the vehicle to get home and didn't go to work the next day because I couldn't walk. I always assumed that the thick pads were the cause of the hot spot separations because they slid as a whole unit against the softer parts under them and caused it to separate. My theory was created after my heels healed a little bit and I never got hot spots on them the rest of the season I beleive because the skin was softer and could move with the rest of the foot. I tried softening up my feet and removeing the caluses the next year with some results. But I still get hot spots every year.
Wow flybyjohn,
A.those heels looks like they hurt like hell
B. The rest of your foot looks like mine but with real thick yellow calloused heels and ball of the big toe.
C.Glad I haven't experience the blisters like you did. You are the man to walk with that pain.
D. thanks for sharing your story and pics.
Now to the experiment I tried last night. I took out all the inserts/arch supports in my 1st pair of boots on the hunt and what I've been walking in for most of my training miles. I did however leave the insert that I had pulled years ago out of a Rocky pair of boots I had and have been putting in whatever pair of boots I would wear at the time. I really pushed my 3.5 mile time and finished 8 min sooner than my normal pace. I could tell towards the end that my feet were starting to burn like I posted in the initial post. Once I got he boots off it took several hours for the burning to go away and I could still feel the spots where it had been this morning.
I truly believe it is the Rocky insert and will next walk without it tomorrow morning and push myself like I did last night. I believe that will tell me if it was the rocky boot insert that I have been using for all these years. (10 years) If it is those inserts I am an idiot.
To answer another question on diabetes. I am not diabetic.
I can't believe I ain't posted to this thread until know. Everyone laught at me when I was going barefoot and sandpaper my feet and packing a 70 pound load barefoot over tar and rock roads but HDYLMK. In all seriousness my heels got hot too and there is no dought I could have been in trouble if I had not prepped my feet. Oh it hurts to go barefoot to start with but after 3 weeks they start to get tough and thick and then you can really work them out. To test if they are ready you need to be able to step on a standard thumbtack and not feel any pain. You should be good to go after that.
