spectastic

I've tried adjusting my cleat several times. I even took the soles from my comfy running shoes and put them in my road shoes. The right foot is comfortable no matter what I do. The left foot always seems to be numb on the outer side. Right now, both my cleats are laterally adjusted toward the inside such that more pressure is put on the inner soles (no knee problems). I'm not sure it's working. Apparently, this is a common problem. Anyone have advice for this?

Nermal

The common solution for hot spots is to move the cleat somewhat to the rear, which will position your foot slightly forward. This worked for me. I would suggest you mark the original position, so you can see how much adjustment you have made. Notice that this only addresses the hot spot problem. I don't know about the numbness.

I'm pretty sure I would attempt to have both cleats in the same position when done, even though the problem is only with one foot.

spectastic

I layered the inner sole for some arch support using duct tape, and I think that did the trick. I also moved the cleat back like you said, except I've tried that before, and it kind of worked, but not really. but this time, I have more arch support, and my cleats are moved laterally away from that nerve that keeps bothering me.

fietsbob

Get Better insoles in the shoes ..

achoo

Left shoe too small because that foot is slightly wider?

Maybe try loosening the straps a bit on your left shoe.

Nightshade

Your foot numbness is called neuropathy and is a classic sign of diabetes. (That hot spot is a classic symptom of neuropathy!!!!)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001784/

Get tested for diabetes ASAP so you can get treatment to control it better. AGE matters not for diabetes.

danmitch

Had a similar problem when I started using clipless pedals - I solved it by changing for the stiffest soled (carbon) shoes I could find and getting "eSoles Supportives" inners.

spectastic

you're going to have to do better than that

Jeff Wills

Well... my foot issues predate my diagnosis with diabetes. I had a hot spot develop with my first set of SPD shoes. It turns out my shoes were one size too small and pinching my toes. Switching to a larger, wider, stiffer shoe prevented the problem from recurring for nearly 15 years.

A couple years ago I developed a "walking on a golf ball" sensation. My doctor diagnosed this as a Morton's neuroma , which was removed, and I had immediate relief. Moral: don't get shoes that pinch your toes. It's likely that it had its beginning with the first pair of undersize shoes. Make sure both shoes are big enough- many people have one foot slightly larger than the other, which can create havoc with shoe purchases.

My doctors have also been checking for signs of neuropathy. So far, nothing, which is good since I just passed 20 years as a Type 1 diabetic.

spectastic

Oh, I thought you were joking...

Nightshade

It's ok by me if you don't have the courage to face personal medical problems.

You must be young and very dumb not to at least go to a doctor with this issue to get it checked out.

deep_sky

Excellent trolling, although I am disappointed to see that you did not get hysterical about clipless.


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OP,
I would start with insoles that offer better arch support, and/or loosening the binding mechanisms of your shoes (velcro, ratchet, etc). If neither of those work, a stiffer soled shoe might help. I've had hot spots in the past, caused both by insufficient arch support and not stiff enough shoes. One of the many reasons I moved away from spd pedals; not enough surface area to spread the pressure which results in a hot spot if the sole isn't stiff enough.

achoo

You're calling someone dumb when you spout off about diabetes when all you know about the OP is he got a hot spot on one foot?

Good Lord, you don't just jump to conclusions. You find it on the map, pack up your entire household, move in, and set up residence.

Then it burns down, falls over, and sinks into the swamp.

rydabent

Achoo +1

I too had trouble with a feeling of "hot spot" when I ride with cleats on my trike. (recommended). I have a fairly wide foot. With street shoe I wear a EE.

My solution is to slip on my cycling shoes at the toe and the first cross over of the laces pull these loose to where I can place my index finger under the lace. Then pull the laces tight at the top. No more hot foot.

The problem remains with cycling shoe mfg is they still seem to make long narrow shoes like the ones that came from Italy 40 years ago. This is really dumb, as a lot of Americans seem to have wider feet.

Lightingguy

Before you start ringing a whole lot of alarm bells, note that there can be other reasons for foot numbness, including too tight a shoe (is it only when the OP is riding as example ?). I have toe and some foot numbness in both feet. I do not have diabetes. I have a bulged disc that causes the numbness.

Please don't play forum doctor. Simply caution the OP that diabetes is "one" of the symptoms, "especially" if it's 24/7.

As to the hot spot. Is it a hot spot, foot numbness or both ?. Hot Spot is more typically a pain under the metatarsal bone at the joint of the smallest toe. Also known as "metatarsalgia". Very common condition with some thoughts being that it's aggravated in some riders by using SPD mountain style pedals and cleats with shoes that have soft, or non-stiff soles. I have suffered from this for years and finally switched to SPD-L pedals and cleats that alleviated the pain to a large degree (wider cleat makes for a larger contact point). I switched mid-season so the nerve damage was already well along, but did notice an improvement. I will wait and see for next year, with all my hard and long rides now on the bike that has the SPD-L's.

chipcom 

Or he could just require a wedge to make a varus adjustment, which corrected my problem with cycling shoes and outer foot pain & numbness on my right foot.

To the OP, try some LeWedge cleat wedges or the insole wedges that you can get with the Specialized BG insoles. As mentioned by others, a shoe that is too tight (or just has too narrow a toe box) is also a potential cause...in my case it was both.

For me, finding cycling shoes that I like in a wide size can be a PIA, but sometimes just going a size or half size bigger also helps.

FYI, I had the same issue with platform pedals long before they ever dragged me kicking and screaming into clipless.

chipcom 

it's cuz we all got diabetes

spectastic

is there really a noticeable difference between cleat wedges and arch support insoles?

chipcom 

Arch support insoles do nothing to correct varus or valgus misalignments...unless they are custom made to do so. The Specialized BG footbeds allegedly do give you a bit more varus, but whether it is enough only you can determine. (pain on the outside of your foot usually indicates that you need more varus, but I'm not a doc or even a foot expert, just a guy on a bike who has been dealing with a similar problem to yours for decades and has done a lot of experimentation on myself...note the moobs in my avatar...that one went either very wrong or very right, depending on your point of view )