[pct-l] foot and other pains questions

[christinpruett@xxxxxxxxxxx (christin pruett)]

Mike, question: do your feet still hurt a lot or did the pain subside after
stopping hiking?  Also have the tops of your feet swelled?  If so I would
get worried, it sounds like you might have a fracture of one of the bones in
the top of your foot.  I fractured my foot and could not bend my toes or in
fact get my foot into the boot without removing the insoles (because of
swelling).  This probably happened when I was wearing a pair of Vasque
sundowners (which everyone told me were fabulous) that hated my feet.

Anyway if the pain persists, I'd go see a doctor and have them x-rayed.  I
hope this isn't the case but sometimes the worst case scenario is correct.

Good luck, Christy






>From: "David Davis" <dave@livebythepark.com>
>To: "Michael Lissner" <Michael_Lissner@pitzer.edu>,<pct-l@backcountry.net>
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] foot and other pains questions
>Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 08:36:01 -0700
>
>I get what you call "mush butt" real bad.  In my experience, it's worse in
>hot (sweaty) weather.  Two things help me. First, fold a sheet of DURABLE
>soft paper and place between cheeks while walking (friction will hold it
>there pretty well).  TP or ordinary paper (likeguidebook pages) will not
>work, it just dissolves into gunky balls which makes the problem worse.
>Paper towel is OK but kind of coarse.  The best I've ever used is the
>military TP that comes in MRE packages.  Cloth works great too, but I don't
>like to use it when hiking because it gets really nasty and disposal is a
>problem.  Second, and even better is to give the area a good washing every
>few hours, preferably with a moist towelette.  I find that 2 towelettes a
>day will almost solve the problem and 3 definitely will.  I treat
>towelettes
>as part of my food ration and just as important.
>
>For the foot pain problem, check the insoles.  I find that some softer
>insoles will imprint with the pattern of my feet.  In other words, the
>toes,
>ball and heel create deep impressions causing ridges in other areas.  For
>me, one ridge is always right in front of the ball causing a pain like you
>describe.  I either pull out and throw away the insoles and just walk on
>the
>hard sole of the shoe, or if possible, I carve of the ridged portions.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Michael Lissner" <Michael_Lissner@pitzer.edu>
>To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
>Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2003 6:57 AM
>Subject: [pct-l] foot and other pains questions
>
>
>So, I convinced my mom that she should give me some boots for christmas,
>and
>indeed, she did. Vasque Zephyr GTX=B4s to be exact. I went and did some
>serious hiking (25 miles per day or so) through some of the camino de
>santiago in spain, and along the way I developed two kinds of pain. The
>first, was in both of my feet, and grew progressively worse during the
>development of every day. It was a pain in the ball of my feet upon pushing
>off with every step. It was as if somebody had rolled over the balls of my
>feet with their car, making them extremely sensitive to weight. After a
>full
>day of packing, and getting my boots off, bending my toes downwards was
>extremely freaking painful. I could barely do it (luckily that doesn=B4t n=
eed
>to be done to hike, but I was not too fond of the idea nonetheless).
>Finally, in the morning of each day they were progressively worse,
>exhibiting some immediate pain upon setting weight up on them. My theory is
>that the shoes were doing something weird to the natural movement of my
>bone
>structure, but I thought I would see if anybody out there had had similar
>experiences with boots.
>The second kind of pain was one that I believe we are all familiar with,
>but
>that we are all rather fearful to mention thanks to that splendid american
>culture that we have come to be raised in.  A friend of mine referred to it
>as "mush butt," and I have come to wonder just how many other people have
>come to experienced this, and if they are willing to share any solutions
>they may have found for it so that experimentation is not necessary. For
>the
>record, I am referring to that more than delightful rash that forms between
>the butt cheeks on an otherwise warm and comfortable day. While we are on
>the topic, has anybody read "how to shit in the woods," and if so, any
>thoughts on the book? Thanks. -mike
>_______________________________________________
>PCT-L mailing list
>PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
>http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>_______________________________________________
>PCT-L mailing list
>PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
>http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l


_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=3Dfeatures/virus