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Foot cramping / discomfort need help
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Hey everyone, I had a question. I've noticed when climbing primarily outdoors, my feet tends to cramp up quite a bit. Below I have attached a photo of a bottom of a foot and circled in red is where the cramping primarily happens. Typically happens on the sides of the feet, not so much up the middle. This is for both for my left and right feet. My question being, does anyone eles have this same problem? How do I resolve it? Should I be taking supplements? If so which ones? Also worth noting, my climbing shoes are perfectly fine they aren't small or anything. If anyone has this same problem and knows the solution, please let me know, I'd greatly appreciate it.  |
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Do you use electrolytes? I have found when I get cramps like this, I'm usually dehydrated and water with electrolytes (or salt tabs or a banana) really helps mitigate the cramps. |
Kate Sedrowski wrote: I do take electrolyte tablets, but I feel like they don't really work |
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Hi Sean, do you notice this cramping on all types of climbing? I get similar cramps at the beginning of the season when edging on slab a lot and wearing really stiff shoes (new TC pros). I think it might have something to do with me having high arches though. I haven't really found a solution other than avoiding certain types of shoes, I wear Katanas now and I don't get cramps anymore. |
Hangdog Hank wrote: Hey, thanks for the reply. You know, it's hard to say, I don't really notice it getting worse on any type of climb. It's just kinda cramping in general. I have the tc pros, and I do cramp in then. Maybe I need to break them in more? Iduno, maybe I should see a foot Dr. |
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I probably would try a different broken in pair of shoes first before heading to the doctor, Goodluck though! |
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I get this problem really bad, primarily on trad climbs where I spend too long on placements with small footholds. Often, my calves will also cramp up along with the feet, but the foot cramps tend to be worse. Once my feet cramp up, it takes a really long time for them to "cool off" and start feeling normal again, so I've had to prioritize stopping the cramping before it gets too bad. I've been trying to work on climbing faster and not spending too long in any one stance, particularly stances with small footholds. I try to avoid placing gear in spots like that when I can, and when I have to, I try to focus on doing it as quickly and efficiently as I can. I think in my case it's sometimes (but not always) related to fear, which is part of why it affects me more on trad routes than sport routes. Sometimes when I'm working on a gear placement, I realize I'm flexing my feet and pushing through my toes more than I need to. I think it's kind of like overgripping with the feet, and pushing harder or flexing the foot more can feel more secure or just more natural when you're stressed, even if it's not necessary and not really helping. I've been trying to focus more on staying relaxed and dropping my heels. Another trick is just shifting your stance around a bit. Shifting weight back and forth between my feet helps a lot; sometimes I'll even take a foot off and shake it out a bit if I'm starting to cramp. Varying the foot position between inside edge and outside edge, and resting on the inside of the foot or the sides can also help when I'm in a good position to do that. I'm convinced these aren't the sole causes of the problem, but they are definitely triggers for it, so they're the parts I'm focusing on in lieu of a better solution. Hanks idea about high arches and flat shoes makes a lot of sense. I'll have to test that out for myself, since I also have high arches and use TC Pros outside. I've also heard that some people try to train up their foot strength by using really soft shoes in the gym. Has anyone had success with this? Or tried standing on edges/nubs for prolonged periods as an exercise to strengthen the foot muscles? |
