Hiking Painfree – Orthotics and Hiking Boots

Hiking Related Foot Problems
Hiking is a unique activity – it involves extensive walks over uneven ground and on surfaces that are often slippery. Hiking puts feet under extreme pressure due to the uneven ground, going up and down hills, and the extra weight that you carry in a backpack. In particular the heel, arch and ball-of-the-foot are under extreme pressure. Without proper support to decrease this pressure, foot pain can quickly ruin a hike. Without adequate support some common commons we see in hikers include plantar fasciitis, neuroma, shin splints, ankle sprains, metatarsalgia, and achilles tendonitis.

Custom Orthotics for Hiking
We have put thousands of hikers in either prefabricated or custom orthotics for hiking. The orthotics provide enhanced support to the heel and back of the foot and decrease pressure under the ball of the foot. If symptoms are minor and there are few biomechanical problems present, then prefabricated orthotics often work well. For people with more involved problems we are specialists in the fabrication of custom orthotics.

If you don’t hike much, you can use your regular walking orthotics in your hiking boots. For more serious hikers, we often make specialized hiking orthotics - optimized for the forces found in hiking. With the right orthotic you will enjoy more comfortable and longer hikes, with far fewer of the injuries often found in hikers.

If you think you may be a candidate for custom orthotics it is critical that your orthotics be made correctly. Learn more here about why our orthotics often work better. We are experienced in producing hiking orthotics for all levels of hikers. To find out if you are a candidate for prefabricated or custom orthotic devices, contact us to make an appointment for an evaluation in our Seattle foot and ankle clinic.

Hiking Boots
Click here for General Guidelines for Fitting Hiking Boots to take with you when buying boots.

When it comes to a great hiking experience, it all starts with the boots. A poorly fit or made hiking boot made poorly can turn a great activity into a miserable one.

Below is a step-by-step guide to getting that perfect hiking boot.
Step 1: Start with the kind of hiking you will be doing.
Boots come in varying degrees of:
• Stiffness: Stiffer is better for hard-core backpackers.
• Support: Shoes that come up higher on the ankle are better for more serious hikers.
• Thickness of soles: Thicker soles are designed for harder terrain.
• Weight: You are likely to find lighter weights in shoes made for lighter day hiking.
• Breathability: It's especially important if you are in a warm climate or if your feet tend to sweat.
• Waterproof factors: You want your shoes to repel water if you are in wet climates or passing through streams.

Step 2: Take your orthotics with you when fitting boots. If you have foot pain, see us before buying your boots. We may recommend that you use a prefabricated or custom orthotic to treat your problem (see above). If so, that will affect your boot fit. If you want to try a prefabricated orthotic we have found that that the PowerStep works well in most hiking boots (available at www.FootAnkleStore.com). If you think you may be a candidate for custom orthotics, Make an appointment to see us before buying hiking boots.

Step 3 Consider any special needs for your own feet.
Do you sweat a lot? Do you feet tend to get cold? If one of these is true, we may recommend specific types of socks for you. Make sure you know what socks you will be wearing before you buy hiking boots. Socks can affect boot fit so it is important to wear the same socks when trying on boots as you will use when hiking. If you sweat a lot, see our page on sweaty feet.

Before sending you to get boots, we will closely examine your feet. We will look at calluses, which can tell the history of how you walk on your feet. We will look at corns, blisters, any injuries you may have had and whether you have any special condition such as bunions, plantar fasciitis or hammertoe. This can help us recommend not only how to best treat any problems, but also help us guide you in finding the best boots. One we are sure that your feet are taken care of, we will refer you to a quality store to have boots fit.

Step 4: Make sure you get a good fit.
Once we have evaluated your feet to determine any special needs, we will refer you to a store and a good fitter to be fit for your hiking boots. A proper fit is critical. A quality fitting process for hiking boots should include measuring your feet with no weight on them, and then with weight on them. And if you are going to be hiking with a 50-pound pack, they should put that on you to make sure your shoes will still fit once the extra weight spreads out your foot. We recommend being fit for boots toward the end of the day, when feet tend to be larger.

Step 5: Modify if necessary.
A good boot fitter will try to match the overall foot shape to the boot shape. If your toes are fairly square, they’ll look for a boot with a square toe box. If you need a wide boot, they can find that, too. But even then, sometimes the boot is not quite perfect. That's where modifications come in. It could just be a matter of using a custom-made insole or orthotic to make things right. Or, it could take something more. A good boot fitter can cook, dry and pinch your shoes to make them just right. Got a bunion or bulge on the first joint of the big toe? They should be able to stretch your boots to accommodate your bunion in just the right spot.

Step 6: Try on the boots.
This doesn't mean just stepping into them and seeing how they feel. Walk around the store. Stores like REI have a small incline board, where you can walk up and down to test how your shoe does on inclines and declines. And, remember, some shoes need a breaking-in period for you to get used to the feel of them.

Step 7: Learn proper care of your boots.
If you take care of them, good hiking boots can last for years (depending on how much you use them). You should always treat your boots with a waterproofing agent, but avoid silicon or wax-based agents, which can clog the leather and make it less breathable. After a muddy hike, wash down your boots with a hose and scrubs them (try a basic floor-scrubbing brush to get mud off). After that, he says, apply the waterproofing agent while the boots are still wet and let them air dry. You don't need to do it every time. Just when it looks like they need it. Dr. Hale and Dr. Huppin are experts at helping hikers hike comfortable with no foot problems. If you are having any foot or ankle trouble at all when hiking make an appointment to see us in our convenient Seattle office. Be sure to bring your boots with you.
 

All pages on this website © 2005-2010
Douglas Hale, DPM & Lawrence Huppin, DPM
Foot and Ankle Center of Washington, Seattle
The material provided on this web site is for informative purposes only.
If you need specific medical advice, please contact the office for an appointment.