UKC

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this issue, thinks it's anything to bother about, or if there are any solutions?

So, did Beinn a'Ghlo at the weekend; about 13 miles, 9 hours walking, rucksack about 11kg at the start, wearing Scarpa SL's. I have to say that for whatever reason it was the most draining walk of my short career so far.

Anyway, towards the end of the walk I started to get generally aching feet, particularly the ball. I don't think this is unexpected, but in addition to this my big toes were numb. I mean completely dead, if you've ever had a local anaesthetic it's that sensation. I was tired, wanted to get home and sort of forgot about it. The last few days however, I have intermittently felt a numb tingling sensation on the balls of my feet and the big toes, very similar to pins and needles. I woke up with it this morning in fact, so I don't think it's cos I'm on my feet all day at work. It's also accompanied by a general redness over the toes.

I don't want to bother my GP because it's a really minor inconvenience, I just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this and/or has a potential explanation or solution? I'm considering trying some aftermarket insoles, as I do find the SL's don't cushion the foot much. Another thing I considered was wether it could be some sort of mild immersion foot, but I think that's unlikely after 9 hours or so. What do you think?

Cheers

In reply to Taurig:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frostbite

In reply to Taurig:
I've often had numbness from repeated impact of walking with boots (especially kicking on snow). Usually big toes in my case. The worst time it lasted for several months after a tough and snowy alps trip, but toes returned to normal in the end. Might be the same thing.

In reply to Taurig: Try different lacing techniques whilst not on the hill as it could be something to do with the lacing system you use. It may sound daft but i used to tie my laces too tight and completely mess my feet up, but with missing out one of the loops my feet are much better on long distance winter walks.

Also I have a really ballerina-esqe instep! Its ridiculous and with different insoles it really made a difference, although I went to a good running shop and paid for someone to check over my feet and recommend good insoles. They cost me £50 but they are probably one of the best items I've bought. They take a while to adjust too, but make the difference after a week or two of solid use.

Hope the above helps or at least gives you some options to consider.

Cheers for the replies so far.

lost1977: Confident it wasn't frostbite or nip. There was snow about but my feet were warm all day, in fact it was pretty moist in my socks by the end of the day with sweat, but still warm.

thomm: That sounds along the lines of what I was thinking, I really don't think the SL's have much in the way of padding for the foot and certainly a few miles along road/landrover track can have them aching. Perhaps it's blood been constantly squashed out of them?

Darksys: Cheers for the tip, I may be buying some decent running shoes in the near future and it would be good to see if my feet are abnormal. I do use some slightly unusal lacing to lock the heel in place, but I feel like my toes have a decent amount of space. Worth trying though.