Medical advice (bike related)

Over the past year I've been suffering stabbing pains and a burning sensation in my right foot when riding, it comes on after around an hour or so, starts as a tingle in my toes, then painful stabbing, then burning, it passes after a minute or so but as the day goes on it becomes more frequent and takes longer to go away. It only ever happens on the bike. I can't feel any vibration through the peg but that's not to say its not there. I'm 49 and generally fit, do the gym, don't smoke, not the biggest drinker and not diabetic. I wear Forma Adventure boots that are comfortable and not tight.

Anyone else suffer or heard or anyone suffering something like this?

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yoyo said:

Over the past year I've been suffering stabbing pains and a burning sensation in my right foot when riding, it comes on after around an hour or so, starts as a tingle in my toes, then painful stabbing, then burning, it passes after a minute or so but as the day goes on it becomes more frequent and takes longer to go away. It only ever happens on the bike. I can't feel any vibration through the peg but that's not to say its not there. I'm 49 and generally fit, do the gym, don't smoke, not the biggest drinker and not diabetic. I wear Forma Adventure boots that are comfortable and not tight.

Anyone else suffer or heard or anyone suffering something like this?

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Sound like the symptoms of planter fasciitis or similar. I have it but dont get problems on the bike. Runners get it and sportspeople .

My wife and I both run and I've suffered in the past and this isn't the same, planta is painful when you put your foot on the floor due to the ligament being torn, thanks for the thought though.

Someone suggested cramp but I cant think what would bring it on.

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I am going to suggest, yoyo, try riding once in sneakers just to eliminate the possibility of your boots being part of the problem.
If that doesn't work, and I have my doubts, the problem will most likely be in your seat, seating position.
Which means trying another ride for a bit.
Happens more often than you'd think, especially as we get older.....

That's a good shout on trying different footware, my wife has a 600 Fazer I could try a couple of hours on that too I guess.

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Those, "tingle, burning, stabbing" symptoms are commonly associated with some kind of nerve impingement. If the symptoms move up your leg, try to track them and see what, if anything, you can do to clear/improve them. I suffer with low-back issues that, among other things, cause tingling, burning and stabbing sensations in my feet, particularly if I remain in a seated position for longer periods of time. I mitigate by frequently changing my seating position and standing. You might investigate saddle height, saddle mods (like an Airhawk) or different saddles. You might also have your low-back checked just to be sure nothing's out of whack. I've had good success with the right chiropractor and always incorporate stretching and core strength into my fitness routine.

Edit: I'm no medical expert, everyone is different and this is just food for thought.

I think Planter is more in the heel. My problem is under the arch of my foot ans similar to what you describe.

@yoyo - Do you typically ride with the arch of your foot on the peg, or the ball of your foot?

I agree with STenitus, it sounds like nerve impingement. Moving around will also help keep circulation going in the extremities which should help. Highway pegs to give yourself a second position for your feet/legs may also help.

Plantar usually presents with sharp foot pain when first rising in the morning, (among other symptoms). I suspect the issue is farther north.

fac191 said:

Sound like the symptoms of planter fasciitis or similar. I have it but dont get problems on the bike. Runners get it and sportspeople .

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I have it and that's not how it manifests.

Plantar fasciitis usually is very painful when you get out of bed in the morning, and is especially painful when walking barefoot. Do you ride with a wallet in your back pocket?

Seems like all the suggestions are good possibilities, if you have a friend that uses a different seat I recommend swapping seats to see if that changes anything.

Agree with what people are saying on the nerve impingement. Try sitting differently on the bike if you can. Have someone ride behind you, and see if you are sitting properly. I know I ride a little more on the left side of the seat, causing some issues on my right side. If I don't stand up, since I don't have highway pegs, I usually will put one foot on the top of the Alt Rider bars for awhile. Usually helps me. This could hopefully just be a seat issue.

Crazy thought: You could see a doctor and get checked out

Getting medical advice over the internet is sketchy at best

If I don't move around I get muscle cramps in either the arch or coming up the front of the ankle. I'll stand every 20 minutes and stretch a leg up onto the crash bar. Sitting up on the back seat helps too.

jeckyll said:

Crazy thought: You could see a doctor and get checked out

Getting medical advice over the internet is sketchy at best

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You are quite quite right, I was going to post a pic of an intimate rash but thought better of it ;-)

I've been suffering a bit of back pain recently, could be related but I wasn't suffering it when the foot problem started. I'll get a chiropractor to check me out.

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being men , we ask all our buddies, neighbors, casual friends, even strangers about things before just going to a dr....

Good comments here all around.

I'm something of a poster child when it comes to muskulo-skeletal pain, and while no one can say if they have had the exact same problem as yours, whenever I've felt the sort of pain you've had, it's usually been related to sciatica. You're the right age to start having herniated discs bulging posteriorally enough to impinge on some nerves, producing pain down the leg, tingling, the feeling of a hot poker "branding" your foot, etc. And since you workout and do resistance training, it's easier than you think to have that sort of thing happen.

I'm personally not a big fan of chiropractors. They've screwed me up more than they have helped me out in the past, and one nearly sent me into surgery. Caveat emptor!

Time for me to insert the usual disclaimers about not being a medical professional...

I just had another idea/brain fart. If you're like most guys who go to the gym (myself included), you probably are good at focusing on cardio and resistance training. Do you also stretch on a daily basis? I didn't, and that was a big contributor to the pains that I now have. I'm taking steps to address that now, though at the expense of the resistance training. Hopefully, if I ever retire, I'll exercise on all three fronts like we humans are supposed to do.

fac191 said:

Sound like the symptoms of planter fasciitis or similar. I have it but dont get problems on the bike. Runners get it and sportspeople .

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This is exactly what I would have said. You might be able to get an insert for your boot to help with the discomfort, or you can premedicate by taking an over the counter NSAID that is tolerable for your stomach.


The other thought was a stress fracture that is beginning on one of your metatarsal bones. If you can feel your bare foot and identify a single bone or two (I had stress fractures on my 3rd and 4th metatarsal ages ago, and it’s very hard to confirm using a bone scan), but treatment is essentially the same if the pain comes and goes.

Best of luck.


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Champagne InHand said:

This is exactly what I would have said. You might be able to get an insert for your boot to help with the discomfort, or you can premedicate by taking an over the counter NSAID that is tolerable for your stomach.


The other thought was a stress fracture that is beginning on one of your metatarsal bones. If you can feel your bare foot and identify a single bone or two (I had stress fractures on my 3rd and 4th metatarsal ages ago, and it’s very hard to confirm using a bone scan), but treatment is essentially the same if the pain comes and goes.

Best of luck.


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I have planter fasciitis, one foot is chronic as I tore 1/2 of my ligament off my heel in a mountain bike crash. It's nothing like the symptoms described.