Hot spot on ball of foot. Thicker socks?

Thin polyester liner sock next to skin, another polyester/wool/etc sock over it. Take some leukotape with you just in case.

Ryan

Agree with Ryan, try a double sock and take tape on next trip.

With worn lightweight shoes I have experienced at times some sort of collapse in the midsole I guess–or somewhere else underfoot. New pair of shoes solved the issue.

Ryan, I wouldn’t overlook pads for pains in and around the ball of the foot. Think Dr. Scholls and the like.

While hiking I often get a burning sensation immediately next to the ball of my foot and to the inside. A 2-inch pad shaped like a guitar pick does the trick for me. There are pads of many shapes for that area of the foot. If you google “ball of foot pads” you’ll probably be able to pick one suited to your problem.

If the OP is feeling a true hotspot as in friction that could lead to a blister, then I agree with liner socks (gives the friction something else to rub against instead of your skin) and if needed leukotape (adds yet another friction barrier layer at the hotspot). If it’s a different kind of pain, something internal, then a pad or something else might be needed.

“It only bothers me in my hiking shoes and not my crocs I wear the rest of the day.”

Wild Ass Guess – after a day of hiking, walking barefoot on a hard surface in the house is also painful?

Give your insoles a pinch test. They may be compressed and providing no cushion.

If you don’t have a new pair laying around Walmart has cheap insoles that won’t last long but are good enough for evaluation.

I’d have a check with a podiatrist. That’s what happens with my neuromas – one in each foot. Can’t walk barefoot, feels like a hot spot when hiking, no matter what shoe I wear.

There are pads on amazon that fit over the forefoot – these days I have one for the bunion on each foot and a larger gel pad that cushions the entire forefoot to decrease the pain of the neuromas.

Have it checked out earlier rather than later. The right insoles can help slow down the progress of the problem, if it’s something other than a hot spot.

I get that pain regularly as the cushioning in my shoes wear out.  Replacing the insoles helps but not for very long.  It is typically the beginning of the end for a pair of shoes for me.  One of the problems is that high end insoles focus on cushioning near the heels.  Dr. Scholes type insoles seem to have a bit more cushioning in the balls but they don’t last very long.  I also think the structure of the shoe is breaking down and so fixing the worn out insole by itself doesn’t fix all of the problems.  At least that is what I have noticed.

“I’ve developed what feels like a hotspot [under] the ball of my left foot.”

If you are sure of the location (not Between #1 and #2), consider the sesamoid structures –

http://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/conditions/ailments-of-the-big-toe/Pages/Sesamoiditis.aspx

@rustyb:  What type of hiking shoes are you wearing?  What’s the age of of your shoes?  When you’re saying hot spot, are you referring to the potential for a blister or is it more of a soreness/tenderness that’s located deeper within the foot?  If you could provide clarification to these items it would be helpful.

I’m such a tenderfoot (left)  I get hotpots that will lead to a blister on the ball just behind my big and next toe. To resolve I have a couple layers of paper towel and hold that in place with a strip of duct tape. Works well even all day swampy wet conditions.

I’ve used multi-layer slippery socks, thick, thin, wool, synthetic, and 3 different style shoes, boots over the last few years the same problem. Guess I need to spend more time building up my feet.

Wow, thank you all for the replies!

I was tired last night when I posted this. Forgot to say that, besides my Crocs, I also wear Luna sandals which, are practically paper thin now due to wear. During the days I’m not hiking, all that I wear (I’m self-employed) are these Lunas and Crocs. When I hike for conditioning, I’ve been wearing an older Altra Superior 1.5 with the insole out… and they feel cushy. In addition to those, I also wear an old pair of Carson Iguana Racers, without an insole, which don’t feel very cushy. Just got a new pair of Carsons and I’m hiking in them with the insole in. Cushy!

I’m used to wearing unpadded shoes…except for the Crocs. I used to go barefoot a lot, including hiking. Evenn backpacked twice sans shoes… though that’s been ~6 yrs ago and my feet are not nearly as tough as they were then.

I haven’t pinpointed the exact location of discomfort since it’s only now become a concern. Best I can describe is that it’s in the center of my foot, ball region, slightly forward towards my toes. When I’m hiking, it reminds me of the feeling you get before you blister, hence my description of feeling hot.

Since I purchased the heat-moulded SOLE insoles from REI years ago I have NEVER had a bottom of the sole blister. Well worth the money.

Have you had any injuries to your left hip/knee/ankle that would cause you to favor that foot?  I messed up one of my ankles in a car accident and my opposite knee has an old growth plate injury. When I get tired my gait can become a bit sloppy and I’ll start getting a bit of pain in one side or the other.

I wear very thin, unpadded shoes as well.  Occasionally, I will hike in my Altra Superior 1.5, which, by comparison, are very padded.  I find that the extra cushion (because it minimizes the immediate feedback) often leads me to overstride and/or twist my foot unnaturally on the pushoff.  Eventually, this causes me either a hot spot on the ball of my foot or knee pain.

Yes, Nick. Have had injuries on that left side. Tore my meniscus ~12 yrs ago and had ~25% of it removed. 4-5 weeks ago, I smashed the top of that foot on a rock while MTBing. Outer two toes are still sore.

I’ve been thinking about this, mostly while hiking just a bit ago, and it could be bruised. It’s not unusual at all for me to step on something wearing my Luna sandals resulting in discomfort and a few choice words. Could have been a rock on that spot, I don’t know. I also wear my old Carsons MTBing and stand while pedaling uphill… all the weight/pressure going into that general area. Perhaps I bruised it a bit that way…

Bruising makes sense. If you smashed it bad enough that it’s still sore 5 weeks later perhaps you popped some of the little bones in your foot out of alignment. I’ve done that before. Didn’t even know that’s what I did until a good massage popped them back into place.