Supination, anyone with experience of it.

I have a little bit of supination, but not enough to warrant orthotics or anything like that. I would recommend that if you do get orthotics, to make sure you break them in very well with whatever boots/hiking shoes/etc you are planning to use on the Camino. Also, bring a knee sleeve and an ankle sleeve with you. Yes, you can buy them on the Camino but I paid almost double for a knee sleeve, when I have a perfectly good one at home....just a thought. If you know you might have difficulties, bring them. They don't weigh much.

When I bought my current walking boots they were properly fitted, a process which took about 2 hours, and during this I was told I had a bunion and it was caused by pronation. Previously I had just put the foot pain down to too much climbing when I was younger. I had also suffered from old knee injuries and both knees gave me pain occasionaly. I had Superfeet orthotics put in my Meindl Burmas and since then no foot pain and no knee pain. The foot pain was gone in a few weeks and even though I don't wear the orthotics in other shoes the pain has stayed away. I do walk 20-30 miles each week with the orthotics in so I guess this is enough to keep my feet in shape. I never even told the boot shop about my knee problems as I didn't know it was relevant. I just happened to realise months later that I had had no knee pain for ages and it can only be the orthotics that made the difference. It took a couple of days to get used to them (it felt like a rolled up sock was under each arch!) and then I didn't notice them at all. They cost about £35 but they've done over a thousand miles in a year and don't look any the worse, being made of hard-ish plastic. My wife has supination and has been similarly helped with orthotics. If someone had told me beforehand that a small piece of plastic could make such a big difference I wouldn't have believed them.
Hope this helps,

Andrew.

After my first Camino I went to the podiatrist to check that by walking I wasn't going to damage my feet any more, as I still had bad tendonitis. He told me that I was flat footed and needed orthotics, which I decided to get. He then added a largish bubble into the orthotics (under the arch area) to help seperate my nerves which, unkowingly, had caused me to get numb toes by the end of my first Camino. He assured me that I should get neither numb toes nor blisters as the orthotics would "cradle" my heel. He was right - 1,600kms next time and no tendonitis, numb toes, or blisters - and the orthotics were still in reasonable shape. I got new ones made though for the next camino of 2,000kms and again had the same good result. They are very hard plastic and I found I did have to change one type of boot as the shoe last had changed and the heel part was not broad enough to take the orthotic, but still - no problems whatsoever! I only use these orthotics in my sneakers when I am out training and have no problems otherwise.

Cheers, Janet

Wow...once again the Camino provides! I don't supinate..but umpteen years ago, when the world was young and so was I, I had a job mucking out stalls. There was an adorable gelding that I loved. One day he accidentally stepped on my right foot and squished it pretty good. Thank God for deep straw and dirt floor in the stable! So now I've got issues in my right foot, slightly bent bones and a neuroma in between the second and third metatarsals. I've been getting a series of cortisone shots in between the bones (ouch!) and have orthotics now. They seem to be helping. As Camino nerves are beginning to really hit me again, I find it very very reassuring that others have done and are planning to do the Camino w/fairly serious foot issues too! SO many people I talk to (including family) basically just tell me they wouldn't do it if they had any of these issues.

Just nice to know your not alone with a problem, or alone in wanting to do something sorta crazy, inspite of it!

Wishing you all happy feet, Karin

I am not a podiatrist but as a physical therapist I see many foot problems.

With a supinated (stiff) foot your legs aren't able to absorb the repetitive shock of each foot hitting the ground as well as a supple foot can. That means your shoe needs to do a better job of absorbing the shock that your foot can't do or gradually that shock works it way up to your knee and hip as the kilometers accumulate.
The boot needs to have an adequate sole but not overly stiff and most hiking boots fall into this category, so you're left with what feels best on your foot.

An orthotic can add to the shock absorption when made correctly. It needs to be balanced between controlling foot motion and accommodating foot type. This translates to a firm but cushy orthotic. Too hard will hurt; too soft won't help.
There is not one correct solution but a combination of shoe and orthotic support that will work for your anticipated terrain and duration. Obviously, less weight is less shock and stress to a supinated foot.

I have custom orthopedic inserts that I wear in all of my shoes, including a set made for my hiking boots. You would want to start the process of getting inserts well before your Camino. Initially I was instructed to wear them only two hours a day and gradually increase the time that I wore them. I also needed to get rid of all of my pre-insert shoes so the previous wear pattern did not influence the adjustment to the inserts. After about ten weeks of wearing the inserts, I was required to go back to get them adjusted. Initially I had a badly swollen knee because my muscles were used to their former habits in coping with my foot problems. This is another reason to start figuring out what you need well in advance of your walk.

My feet are my weak link. Or, maybe my knees, but trekking poles took care of that; it was my feet that hurt. The inserts did not solve all of my foot problems but I know that my feet would have been far more problematic without the inserts. I bought my second pair of boots at a store that specializes in problem feet. That was a big mistake -- stick with backpacking stores.

Also, your feet change so you will need to redo your foot molds and replace your insoles. It is worth it!!
Nancy