Has anyone had a problem with superfeet causing their feet to start hurting(very tender on the bottom). At first they were but but after a few weeks my feet became very sore, I have gone back to spencos and that seems to be getting better but they still hurt on and off. How long will it take to get back to normal? Thanks
Frank
Superfeet or any other insert is realigning your feet, so you’ll feel some pain and discomfort during this process. It’s best to only wear the new inserts for a hour or two a day, and gradually increase the length of time worn each day over a period of a couple of weeks.
Phreak
Despite many hiker’s success with these insoles, they’re not for everyone, so if they’re making your feet hurt for weeks on end, it’s time to try something else, which you did. As did I. I don’t think anyone here can tell you when your feet will be ‘back to normal’ - are you currently thru-hiking? You didn’t say what kind of wear or mileage you’re doing.
I only use Spencos or Dr Scholls gel insoles now, Superfeet were not for my feet. But be glad it didn’t take you over 1600 miles, like it did me, to figure that out! :oh
Bluebearee
I have used them for about 8 years. Never bothered me until last year when I did the GA to Damascus section. Longest hike to that point was about 10 days. After about 300 miles, my big toes began to go numb. Had to use some padded moleskin on my toes and ball to cushion them. Not sure how much was causd by the pack load or the lack of cushioning in the Superfeet. Took me about two months to get all the feeling back to the big toes. That would suggest some nerve damage due to the pounding they took. The boots fit great so it has to be the insoles. As above, don’t wait to change if you start feeling pain or numbness.
Rockdawg60
I tried Superfeet from Neel’s Gap to Dick’s Creek Gap. My feet were in awful pain and my insteps became swollen by the time we got there. I went to a podiatrist and got custom made inserts - - zero pain. Turned out I had a tendon collapsing in each foot and the Superfeet were doing nothing for that.
Mrs Baggins
There’s a big difference in the various types of superfeet… Also, pain in the insteps is a different problem than having pain under your toes/ ball of foot.
If you’re having pain in your instep, you might be using a version with too big of an arch support (i.e. the green ones). Try the blue or orange. (or, I think purple for women are equivalent to orange… but not sure).
If you’re having pain under your toes or the ball of your feet, this can be due to the lack of padding in the ball area of some superfeet varieties. The newer orange superfeet have padding in the toe area, and for me are the perfect choice. If you already have some other ones, you can try to put a thin liner under the superfeet - sometimes even the shoe’s original insole can work… just keep in mind that it might reduce the overall space available in your shoe, which can cause other problems.
If you’ve tried a couple varieties and had no luck, you might try something else.
jonathan
If you are doing more miles than you might regularly do, I suspect that is the cause of your foot problems. I suffered the same pains during the first few hundred miles of a thru and also blamed it on the insoles. But the real problem was just unconditioned feet, too heavy a load, and too many miles. If that’s not the case for you, the only time I had any problems with Superfeet is when I put them in shoes that already had substantial arch support built in. When the Superfeet and their additional arch support went on top, it was just too much. Ouch! Perhaps you already have all the support you need.
Matt