Category Archives: Sport Specific Shoes

A Cycling Shoe for Wide Feet

Posted on August 24, 2017 | Leave a comment

Cycling shoes are notoriously narrow, which is why cyclist with wide feet can have such a hard time finding cycling shoes that fit. TC came in today wearing a new pair of fi’zi:k cycling shoes whose fit he wanted me to approve, to which I immediately did. His model, R5B Uomo Boa, was a perfect fit for his wide feet.

Wide-Cycling-Shoe-1

Surprisingly, I had never heard of the fi’zi:k brand before, but their description impressed me as much as their shoes did. I found the following information on their website:

Fizik
Fizik: Born in 1996 as a brand made for high performance fi’zi:k was designed in the USA, and handmade in Italy by the world’s largest saddle manufacturer, Selle Royal. Fi’zi:k is the phonetic spelling of the word physique, referring to the form or state of the human body.
Fizik_Cycling_Shoe_2

If you have wide feet and are at a loss for a well-designed, well-made cycling shoe, check out fi’zi:k. Several specialty cycling stores carry this brand as does Amazon.com.Fizik R5B Uomo Boa, Black/Dark Grey Although this model is sized medium, it runs wide.

With an MSRP of approximately $150, this is definitely one shoe you will want to try on if you have wide feet.

Stay tuned for my next cycling post where I’ll be discussing the top 5 most common cycling foot injuries I treat. In the meantime here’s a link to some of my previous cycling posts:

Cycling Shoes And Sesamoid Pain

Spin Class and Forefoot (Sesamoid) Pain

Cycling Shoes and Bunions

Cycling Shoe Brand Review – DZR

Life happens. Don’t wait.

Leave a comment

Posted in Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes, Wide Feet

Cycling Shoes And Sesamoid Pain

Posted on March 18, 2014 | Leave a comment

Sesamoiditis is inflammation of the bones beneath the big toe joint.

Cycling can exacerbate sesamoiditis, especially when using clipless pedals (this is because your forefoot is locked in). This system provides a more efficient stroke for bikers, but if the cleat is in the wrong place or the last (shape) of the cycling shoe is different than the riders foot, then repetitive injury can occur

Sesamoiditis

This was the case with Lisa. She had been happily riding in the same version of a particular cycling shoe for years, and a change in shoe brought about symptoms of sesamoiditis.

Evaluation of her new shoe revealed that the cleat was positioned too medial (toward the midline). Note the difference between her old shoe (on the left), and her new shoe (on the right).

Image

I also discovered that the shape of her new cycling shoe was curve-lasted, whereas the shape of her old cycling shoe was straight-lasted. (And the straight-lasted design was far more compatible with her foot shape.)

Image

This combination of medial cleat placement and change in shoe last from straight to curved contributed to her painful symptoms of sesamoiditis.

If you are a cyclist who has recently experienced injury, it would be beneficial for you to evaluate your cycling shoes and cleat placement. This is especially true if new symptoms arise soon after wearing new cycling shoes, or after increasing your training frequency, duration, or intensity.

Sesamoiditis can be a challenging problem to resolve, so it’s important to seek immediate medical attention at the first sign of injury or symptoms.

The physicians and surgeons at San Francisco’s Financial District Foot & Ankle Center are experts in treating sesamoiditis, and in treating lower extremity cycling injuries in general. If you have cycling pain, give us a call today at (415) 956-2884.

Leave a comment

Posted in Foot Pain, Shoe Fit, Sport Specific Shoes

Tagged , ,

Cycling Shoes and Bunions

Posted on November 27, 2013 | 6 comments

Clipless cycling shoes are notoriously tight. This is great for fit, and not so great if you have a wide forefoot or bunions. If you are a cyclist and suffer from bunions or have a wide forefoot, the following shoe-fitting recommendations should help.

Cycling_Bunion

  1. If possible, try and find shoes that don’t have a strap that tightens over the bump as seen above. Ideally, you will want to wear shoes that have either 3 straps or an offset strap away from the bump as this image shows.

Cycling_3_Straps

  1. If you already have a shoe that secures and tightens directly over the bump, simply undo the strap and avoid using it entirely as the following image shows.

Cycling_Bunions_Unsecured_Strap

6 Comments

Posted in Foot Pain, Shoe Fit, Sport Specific Shoes

Hiking Boots & Bunions

Posted on November 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

Hiking boots are designed to resist side-to-side motion. This is typically accomplished by using a stiff upper and reinforcing the shoe both laterally and medially. Although this is great for support, it can make the shoe feel like a vice grip for those hikers having bunions or needing extra forefoot width. If you have bunions, then you will want to make sure your shoe doesn’t have additional trim over the bony prominence.

Hiker with Tailor's Bunion with hiking boot trim removed over painful area.

Hiker with Tailor’s Bunion with hiking boot trim removed over painful area.

If it does, then removing the trim can mean the difference between comfort and pain. The following image is a hiker having a Tailor’s bunion. As the image above shows, it was easy to remove the trim, making the boot more forgiving in those otherwise tight areas.

You can also modify the lacing as the last tutorial in the following video shows.

Leave a comment

Posted in Foot Pain, Sport Specific Shoes, Wide Feet

When Zero Drop Doesn’t Work

Posted on June 4, 2013 | 4 comments

Zero drop minimalist shoes are all the rage right now. Unfortunately, just because a shoe has zero height differential — between the ball of the foot and heel — doesn’t mean it will work for you.

Case in point: One patient I saw today is an ultrarunner who switched from a structured shoe to a zero drop minimalist style two years ago to reduce unilateral infrapatellar pain. Fortunately, the pain resolved, but within the last several months he started to experience increasingly painful peroneal (outer foot) pain and medial (inner) meniscal knee pain. He did not have either pain prior to training in the zero drop shoes.

A quick evaluation of his zero drop shoes, identified an hourglass-shaped midsole/outsole.

Minimalist_Medial

The arrow shows the narrow midsole width and the rectangle shows how much of his midfoot was only being supported by the upper (25%). This significant lack of support mid-arch caused his arch to negatively drop below the plane of the heel and forefoot, altering his knee and foot mechanics enough to produce compensatory pain in other areas.

The following image shows the top view of his foot in the shoe. As you can see the grey midsole disappears from the entire arch — and this is where support is needed the most.

Minimalist_Hourglass_Medial

If you’re running in minimalist or zero drop shoes, you will still want to match the shoe to your foot type — otherwise new injuries can occur.

4 Comments

Posted in Foot Pain, Shoe Fit, Sport Specific Shoes, Wide Feet

Tagged , ,

Basketball Shoe Review – Ektio Breakaway

Posted on April 2, 2013 | 1 comment

If you’re a basketball player, then you know how difficult it is to find supportive, well-designed basketball shoes.  The Nike Kobe VII has been a favorite of mine — and now I have  Ektio to add to the list.

Ektio is a unique new brand of basketball shoe that offers unparalleled ankle support. Ektio was kind enough to send me a pair to evaluate — and FDFAC staff member (and former WNBA and professional basketball player) Brooke Smith gave the shoes a rigorous court workout. The Result: Ektio passed with flying colors.

FDFAC Brooke Smith

This shoe is designed to support the ankle and prevent inversion sprains, which it accomplishes by utilizing the following features.

  • High Top Design — Supports and stabilizes excessive ankle motion

Ektio_Medial

  • Two Strap System — Secures and cinches to the ankle to provide leverage against lateral inversion motion

Ektio_Ankle_Straps

  • Lateral Forefoot Flare and Graphite Outsole — Makes the shoe torsionally stable and less prone to twist

Ektio_Top

Overall, this is a terrific shoe — especially if you have a history of ankle sprains, or if you routinely wear an ankle brace for added support. You can also wear orthotics with this shoe, making this shoe my new favorite. Best of all, this shoe is reasonably priced at $129.95.

If you play basketball and haven’t tried Ektio, you will want to check them out!

1 Comment

Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Cycling Shoe Brand Review – DZR

Posted on January 15, 2013 | 6 comments

JC came in with a pair of DZR shoes today to be worn with his new custom orthotics, and I’ve got to say I’m impressed. Designed as an Urban Cycling Shoe, DZR is hip enough to wear even if you don’t cycle.

DZR_Top

DZR has the style of a skater shoe, without added forefoot flexibility — which is great for hallux limitus, sesamoiditis and metatarsalgia. For cycling, the outsole can be modified to accept Shimano SPD cleats for a clipless pedal ride, as the following video shows. Ingenious.

DZR_Bottom

6 Comments

Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Fit, Sport Specific Shoes, Uncategorized

Tennis and Bunions — Nike Zoom Vapor 9

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 1 comment

Finding a tennis/court shoe to accommodate a wide foot with a bunion, is no easy task. Fortunately, Nike Zoom Vapor 9, is just that shoe. Although sized for the male foot, it will work for women, size 7 and beyond.  If you are a woman with a size 7 foot, order size 6 men’s which is the equivalent size. Now, on to the features that make this such an outstanding shoe.

  • Mesh near the bump — Most tennis-specific shoes have an entirely leather upper with reinforced trim and/or stitching over the bunion area. Zoom Vapor 9 has mesh, which allows for a wide forefoot and expansion over the bunion area.

Vapor_Tennis_Medial

  • Not only does this feature help to decrease pressure along the bunion, it also helps for those players having hammertoes. Beyond that, mesh makes this shoe lightweight and more responsive for being on your toes.

Vapor_Tennis_Dorsal2

  • Wide waist — Tennis players with a wide forefoot, arch collapse and excessive pronation need support, especially mid-arch. Zoom Vapor 9 doesn’t hourglass in at the waist — and that provides stability and maximum support.

Vapor_Tennis_Plantar

  • Torsional stability — Tennis is a sport with lots of side-to-side motion, primarily on the forefoot. Because of this, the shoe needs to be stable lengthwise, which Zoom Vapor 9 is.

All in all, this is a terrific shoe. If you have a wide foot — with or without a bunion and/or hammertoes — then you will want to check this model out.

1 Comment

Posted in Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes, Uncategorized, Wide Feet

Shoe Review – Capezio Canvas Dance Sneaker

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

I recently helped a modern dancer who was experiencing bunion pain whenever she danced barefoot — which was all the time. Although her bunions were significantly enlarged, she was pain free as long as she wore shoes.

The solution was to find her an appropriate shoe to dance in — finding dance shoes which can accommodate a wide foot with a bunion can be challenging, but Capezio’s Canvas Dance Sneaker does just that.

The upper is canvas, which — in addition to being lightweight and breathable — expands in the area of the bunion allowing for better fit. Lacing to the forefoot also allows for adjustments, an important feature for the wide forefoot.

This shoe also provides structure, which helps with alignment and promotes better function and less pain at the bunion site. Lastly, the thick, cushioned, forefoot and heel provide excellent shock absorption for not only the feet but the lower extremities in general.

Leave a comment

Posted in Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes, Wide Feet

Tagged , , , ,

Altra ZeroDrop Responds to Instinct Shoe Review

Posted on October 4, 2012 | 4 comments

I previously posted a review on Altra Instinct and was contacted by AltraZeroDrop as follows:

“Interesting review. A couple of things as I consider what is being said here. First, The Instinct is a neutral shoe and is sold as such. The Brooks Adrenaline is a motion control shoe. To compare the two with a pronator is not a fair comparison. To look at an Altra shoe that offers some pronation support please check out The Provision. This runner obviously needs some medial support and thus The Instinct may not be the best option right off the bat. As they strengthen their feet over time maybe.”

My reviews are based on the shoes that runners wear in, and the Instinct is the only shoe I’ve seen from Altra. In this runner’s case, he purchased the Instinct based on it’s “wider,” more supportive appearance, only to develop forefoot pain.

Altra’s website promotes Altra zero-drop footwear as “reducing forefoot pain, excessive pronation, IT Band pain, runners knee and shin-splints.” These claims are made independent of Altra model or style, but are instead specific to the zero-drop platform. So, based on these general design claims, this particular shoe should have worked for this particular runner.

My primary goal for doing shoe reviews is to reduce injury by educating runners about their foot type and alignment, and teaching them how to apply this to their shoe purchases. I agree that runners need to match their foot type (pronated, wide, etc.) to their shoes and I’m pleased that Altra offers a stability model.

I have asked Altra to send me a pair for review. I’ll keep you posted.

 

4 Comments

Posted in Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes, Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Shoe Review – Asics Gel Trabuco Trail 14

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 1 comment

One of my favorite trail running shoes for the high volume foot as the following field review video shows.

Although the Gel Trabuco is only available in a medium width, it runs wider and deeper than many other brands of trail shoes. In addition to more volume, Gel Trabuco 14 also provides a lot of support, which is important for running on irregular trail terrain.

1 Comment

Posted in Field Review, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Tagged , , , ,

Shoe Review – Solomon XR Mission

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

A trail running shoe I like a lot. Features include a wide forefoot, firm heel counter, and torsional stability. Many running shoes that are wider in the forefoot are correspondingly wide in the midfoot and heel, but the Solomon XR Mission is not.

This XR Mission also has a firm, thick midsole,  which helps with shock absorption, as the following field review video shows.

Leave a comment

Posted in Field Review, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Shoe Review – Brooks Adrenaline GTX Trail Running Shoe

Posted on August 29, 2012 | 1 comment

Brooks has done it again, with the introduction  of the Adrenaline GTX, all terrain, trail shoe.

Adrenaline GTX is more rugged than Adrenaline ASR due to the Gore-Tex, waterproof, upper membrane. This shoe is also extremely stable, which is especially helpful during muddy or wet running conditions.

Additional features are highlighted in the following video.

1 Comment

Posted in Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Tagged , , ,

Shoe Review – Asics Gel-3030

Posted on May 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Asics Gel-3030 fills a much needed void left by Asics GT-2160. Torsionally stable, with a firm heel counter and an inflexible forefoot, Asics Gel-3030 is  an ideal shoe for those runners wanting serious support or pronation control. The only downside — it’s only available in medium width. Apart from that, it’s one of my favorite Asics shoes this season.

Leave a comment

Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Tagged

Sizing Soccer Cleats

Posted on March 26, 2012 | 4 comments

Soccer cleats do not come in widths, which can make it difficult to obtain a good fit. Since many medium width cleats will run either wide or narrow, you can use a side-by-side comparison to identify volume differences between different pairs of shoes.

The two pairs of cleats below illustrate a narrow lasted cleat on the left, Adidas Predator Absolion TRX , and a wide lasted cleat, Nike Mecurial Victory II, on the right. The differences in width are highlighted.

Comparing the uppers, notice how the throatline (opening) of the Nike is so much wider than the Adidas. Also notice the difference in toebox shape and width. The Adidas is more tapered around the toes and the Nike is more rounded, accommodating a wider forefoot.

In evaluating the lower, you can see how much wider the forefoot and waist are in the Nike than the Adidas as well. If you have been having difficulty finding the perfect fit, using this method should help. These principles also apply to other shoes (tennis, basketball, football, etc.) that only come in medium widths.

4 Comments

Posted in Shoe Fit, Sport Specific Shoes

Shoe Review – Nike® Zoom Structure Triax+ 15

Posted on March 11, 2012 | 3 comments

Nike® Zoom Structure Triax has been a favorite of mine for several years, and version 15 is my favorite yet. Cushioned, yet stable, this shoe works for the runner who is looking for pronation control in a lightweight shoe.

3 Comments

Posted in Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Tagged ,

Modified Shoe Lacing Soccer Cleats

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Just because a shoe is laced a certain way when you buy it, that doesn’t mean you have to continue lacing that way. This Adidas F50 Adizero TRZ FG soccer cleat was laced using an over-under method which limits the degree of forefoot snugness you can attain, potentially causing excessive forefoot movement, calluses or blisters.

A better option is criss-cross lacing which not only makes the shoe easier to lace but also improves fit. The following images show the differences between the two lacing methods.

For even more lacing modifications, see my related posts:

https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/ians-shoelace-site/

https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/lacing-for-heel-slippage-top-of-the-foot-bump-and-bunions/

Leave a comment

Posted in Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Blood Blisters Under Toenails

Posted on January 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

DG came in today with subungual hematoma, or blood blisters, underneath the toenails from playing soccer in shoes that were too short.

Soccer cleats are designed to be worn snugly, but if they are too short, pressure will build up against the nail, causing a subungual hematoma to form. In this case DG had been wearing size 10 1/2, but measured size 12 1/2 heel to ball and 11 1/2 heel to toe. Additionally, his current soccer cleats were too shallow in the toe box, as well as too short as this image shows.

If you routinely lose toenails from playing sports, you will probably need to go into a bigger size shoe. The best place to have your foot professionally measured is at a specialty running shoe store and then use that information to size your cleats accordingly.

If you experience a subungual hematoma, you will want to visit a podiatrist and have your nails trimmed and thinned down.

Here’s an additional post on runners thickened toenails https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/runners-toenails/

Leave a comment

Posted in Foot Pain, Sport Specific Shoes

Shoe Review – Asics GT-2160

Posted on December 5, 2011 | 3 comments

Asics GT-2160 is the perfect shoe for a narrow, shallow foot https://drshoe.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/narrow-vs-wide-feet/. It also works for the medium foot, easily accepts an orthotic and provides lots of support. Here’s my video review on this great shoe.

3 Comments

Posted in Narrow Feet, Orthotic Friendly Shoes, Shoe Fit, Shoe Review, Sport Specific Shoes

Roller Derby – Custom Shoe Laces

Posted on November 8, 2011 | 1 comment

Many thanks to Admiral DeJenerate of Undead Bettys Roller Derby for sharing the information on where she got her groovy hand dyed, custom skate laces.

Admiral DeJenerate has scoured the internet to make sure her own unique brand of mayhem is on proud display for all to see, starting with these hip laces. She has graciously allowed me to provide the purveyors link on Etsy.com and they are a steal at less than $10. If you decide to have a pair made – tell them Admiral DeJenerate made it all possible.

1 Comment

Posted in Roller Derby, Sport Specific Shoes