Dr Peacroft adds: “If symptoms are confined to one foot, it’s very occasionally due to a ‘Morton’s neuroma’ – a benign swelling around one of the plantar nerves that gets painfully compressed between the metatarsal heads.”

Should your feet hurt solely when cycling and the pain subsides when you stop, your footwear is likely to blame, says doctor and cyclist Andy Ward.

“Symptoms that persist off the bike suggest a different condition,” Ward adds.

“Persistent numbness, heat or cold can be caused by systemic illnesses such as diabetes or circulatory problems and should be assessed by a doctor.”

Three types of cycling foot pain (and how to fix them)

The main kinds of foot pain from cycling are:

• Hot feet
• Arch pain (plantar fasciitis)
• Ball of the foot pain (metatarsalgia)

Hot feet

Hot feet – or its technical term, paraesthesia – describes a burning sensation or tingling/numbness over most of the foot.

The issue arises when the force from the pedal stroke overloads the area between the first and second toes, according to Phil Burt.

This builds pressure on the nerves between the tops of the metatarsal bones and causes the feet to swell.

Solutions: try an insole with a metatarsal button (more on this below), which takes load off the foot bones.

Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is pain felt in the arch of the foot. This common running ailment can bedevil cyclists too, especially if your saddle height is too high.

Andy Ward says: “Plantar fasciitis causes pain usually found 4cm in front of the heel and is classically worse in the morning.

“It’s caused by repeated small injuries to the ligament that runs along the sole.”

The giveaway is a “tender area on the sole in front of the heel,” he adds.

Solutions: both Ward and Burt say a more supportive insole (more on these later) can also help resolve plantar fasciitis from cycling.

Off the bike, Ward advises elevating the feet, stretching, and applying ice packs and painkillers.

But if the problem persists, a cortisone injection may be necessary, he says.

Metatarsalgia

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Metatarsalgia is pain in the ball of the foot. It’s felt around the metatarsal bones, which link the ankles to the toes.

Solutions: check your feet for lumps and irregularities

Ward says: “Metatarsalgia can be caused by bunions, foot deformities or Morton’s neuroma – a problem with one of the nerves.

“Bunions and foot deformities are usually obvious.

“A Morton’s neuroma is demonstrated by squeezing the foot while pressing between the affected metatarsals.

“This causes a click that may be felt or heard.”

How to prevent foot pain

Find shoes that fit

Paul Smith

Foot injuries often result from poorly fitting shoes. Putting your feet first by accurately measuring them can ensure you select the right size and fit.

Simply tracing the outline of your foot onto a piece of paper can reveal the shape of your arches.

If the tracing reveals you have high arches, for example, shoes that come with adjustable arch inserts to increase arch support may be a good idea.

The drawing could also show your feet are especially wide and you’d need a wide-fit option.

Bike fitter and physiotherapist Bianca Broadbent, who was lead practitioner for biomechanics at Boardman Performance Centre, believes cyclists regularly buy shoes that are too long in order to have enough width.

Instead, Broadbent advises seeking out wider-fitting shoes or adapting an existing pair with orthotics or wedges.

Orthotics and insoles

Simon Bromley / Immediate Media

The case for wedges and orthotics, such as arch supports, for cyclists is disputed.

Because cycling is a low-weight bearing activity, unlike running, experts often recommend strengthening and stretching exercises over orthotics.

But bike fitters such as Phil Burt recommend insoles for some riders, while cautioning against choosing corrective insoles without expert guidance.

Tim de Waele / Getty Images

“The condition of ‘hot foot’, which is caused by too much power being borne by the area between the first and second toes, can be very effectively relieved by an insole and a metatarsal button, which provides arch support,” says Burt.

Dr Peacroft also advocates insoles with metatarsal buttons for cyclists suffering from pain at the widest point of the feet.

He explains that the “small raised area just behind the ball of the foot spreads the metatarsal heads apart to give the nerves more breathing space as they pass through the gaps.”

Types of insoles

Warren Rossiter / Immediate Media

Phil Burt says the best kind of insoles for cycling are full-length insoles. These support the forefoot, which is where you deliver the power to the pedal.

While some cycling shoes enable you to customise the level of arch support, Burt believes that if you’re trying to address an injury, you’re better off enlisting professional advice.

The physio says the same about corrective insoles, which reposition the foot and alter how it functions.

Burt adds: “Corrective insoles should only really be made by a medical practitioner, such as a podiatrist or physiotherapist, who’s experienced dealing with foot issues.

“Corrective insoles can cause more problems than they solve when in the wrong hands.”

However, Burt says corrective insoles can prevent overpronation of the foot, which increases the amount of rotational force exerted on the knee – a common cause of cycling knee pain.

Stan Portus / Our Media

Often an off-the-shelf insole or simply the stiffness of a carbon-soled cycling will adequately support your foot, he says.

Humble cycling socks can also alleviate cycling foot pain, according to Dr Peacroft.

“Different feet will be better off in different types,” he says. “Thin, bony feet may need thicker socks for padding the ball of the foot, while bigger feet may benefit from thinner socks that leave more room inside the shoe.”

Saddle height

Dave Caudrey / Immediate Media

GP Andy Ward underlines the importance of knowing how to set your bike saddle height right.

An excessively high saddle places strain on the Achilles tendon, which can lead to plantar fasciitis and metatarsalgia, says the associate professor in Medical Education at Leicester Medical School.

Cleat placement

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

Dr Giles Peacroft and Bianca Broadbent agree that setting back your cleats can resolve foot pain from cycling if all else hasn’t.

Dr Peacroft adds: “Move the cleats back as far as they will go, gradually, on both sides, and with a couple of millimetres’ drop in saddle height.

“Some people even advocate drilling holes to move cleats back as far as 2cm.”

Strengthening and stretching

Adam Gasson / Immediate Media

Our guide to strength training for cycling has detailed tips on how to get stronger feet for cycling.

But here are a few exercises Phil Burt advocates as cost-free solutions to cycling foot pain.

Ankle raises with slow lowers aid forefoot loading and strength while reducing the likelihood of the ankle collapsing under load.

Burt adds: “Toe walking (literally tip-toeing) exercises force you to develop the intrinsic musculature of the foot, which will help overall foot strength.

“Dynamic lunging with high knee lifts works the foot and ankle through a full range of loaded positions, which helps to strengthen and improve pedalling power.”

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