help with swollen feet

[REB]

I can not figure out how to search the forum. I just finished Amicolola state park to Dicks Creek in 6 days. I fought off blisters and a bad one on the ball of my left foot. I ended up wearing Teva's two of the days and this really helped with the pain.

Now I'm off the trail with swollen feet and pain when I walk.
Any suggestions for treatment?? or give me directions on how to search. I know the information is somewhere on this site.

Thanks

[rocketsocks]

I google whiteblaze.net swollenfeet

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...-Feet-Swelling

[rocketsocks]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sear...archid=7932254

[Wyoming]

I can not figure out how to search the forum. I just finished Amicolola state park to Dicks Creek in 6 days. I fought off blisters and a bad one on the ball of my left foot. I ended up wearing Teva's two of the days and this really helped with the pain.

Now I'm off the trail with swollen feet and pain when I walk.
Any suggestions for treatment?? or give me directions on how to search. I know the information is somewhere on this site.

Thanks

Umm ...the answer can also turn on what 'kind' of foot pain you have and where it is. Forefoot? Midfoot? Achilles tendon (not your foot but just checking). Heel? etc. What type of shoe did you start with and how many training miles did you have in before you started? Sock type and configuration? Did the foot pain come before or after you spent 2 days wearing the Teva's?

People are so different that some will get sore aching feet wearing soft soled shoes more than hard soled (me for instance) and others seem to be the opposite (they are all weird of course). So figuring out the cause of your pain and fixing it often requires some level of experimentation to find the right answer for you.

[Walkintom]

Among other things, keep them elevated when you can. Cold Soaks also will probably help.

Do you have any other medical conditions such as diabetes?

With both blisters and swollen feet I also wonder if you're wearing the wrong size shoes.

[bigcranky]

My feet are swollen for a couple of days after a hike. They also have some general aches, same as my knees and hips. It goes away.

If there is a specific pain in one part of one foot, then that's something to keep an eye on. Ice it, take some anti-inflammatories, keep your feet elevated. If it keeps up for a few days, see a doc.

[Traveler]

By your recitation of your problem, it really sounds like your footgear needs some closer attention. Swollen feet are symptomatic, if you treat the feet but don't look at your footgear, how much weight you are carrying, how fast you are pushing yourself on broken terrain, what you are eating, and hydration, its not really possible to make any suggestions outside of what BC said, Ibuprofen, elevation, ice, and a decent Doctor.

[daddytwosticks]

No swollen feet here, but after a hike, they tend to ache. It doesn't matter what type of footwear I've used over the years, they just ache. This goes away after one or two days. I always thought it was a small price to pay to go on a hike.

[Spirit Walker]

While hiking, take your shoes off at breaks to let your feet breathe. Soak them in cold creeks when possible. At the end of the day, put your feet up on a tree for a while. Massage can help.

If the pain is extreme, you could have a stress fracture, so if it doesn't go away, get to a doctor.

[pnkwolfe]

As stated, it's important to understand the driver behind the swelling. However, not all swelling is symptomatic of a significant health issue.

I find that compression socks or stocking are very helpful, not just to reduce swelling, but generalized foot and ankle discomfort.

[Pedaling Fool]

Whenever I read threads like this one I can't help but wonder just how much hiking time the person with the problem (whether it be swollen feet, sore knees, or whatever...). That's a major factor in this, if the person has quite a bit of hiking time than it very possible that there's another issue of health involved and if that person is a novice, then pretty good chance it's just a case of breaking in one's body to the rigors of hiking in the mountains.

This could very easily be a case of some greater health issue, i.e. just a symptom. However, I'll come at it as just a case of needing to break in the body. There is a part of the body that is considered to be a 'second heart' and that's a muscle group in the calf, especially (but not entirely) the soleus http://www.quora.com/Which-part-of-t...e-second-heart

There are exercises in keeping this muscle group (second heart) working efficiently. I believe a lot of hikers think that just because they hike, then their health concerns are not an issue; I use to think that with my cycling, i.e. since I ride a bike everywhere I don't need to do other exercises, especially exercises that involve the legs. I could not have been more wrong.

There are basically two reasons why this is wrong: 1) Because, you probably don't hike as much as you think you do, meaning you're being inactive much longer than you realize, so maybe we all should add activity to our non-hiking time, such as lifting weights, running...(but not walking, since that really doesn't do much for you, unless you do tons of it and who has time for that). 2) Doing just one activity, such as hiking only works a certain portion of the body, leaving the others without being worked. Doing a lot of one activity is alright when we are young, but overtime you begin to feel the effects when you participate in other activities. Nature abhors a vacuum, so it only follows that nature abhors the specialist.

If you think you need new compression socks or different type shoes, I'd personally recommend first trying to build up the body, rarely are shoes and socks the panacea, they're just the icing, but remember, too much icing with get you fat and lazy.

[Pedaling Fool]

P.S. I use to live in Goose Creek, actually I was stationed there back in the 90's, while in the navy. Just had to say that, since I don't ever remember seeing someone from there.

[vamelungeon]

I have a problem with swollen feet, blood tests revealed it is a sodium imbalance. I watch my sodium intake and drink as much water as possible, and I have a diuretic to take if it gets too bad though if I do my part I don't need it. Perhaps you should see your physician in case it is a more serious underlying problem.

[ekeverette]

By the time I was 3/4 thru penn. my feet were so swollen that I looked abnormal..... it really scared me..... the doc put me on 40 mg of furosemide. Its used for blood pressure, but my feet got down enough to fit back into my shoes. It may work for you. It makes u tired because you pee so much.

[vamelungeon]

By the time I was 3/4 thru penn. my feet were so swollen that I looked abnormal..... it really scared me..... the doc put me on 40 mg of furosemide. Its used for blood pressure, but my feet got down enough to fit back into my shoes. It may work for you. It makes u tired because you pee so much.

Yeah, that's what they gave me, and it does work quite well.