Footstraps messing up the bony knob on top of foot?

[d0uglass]

Hi,

After some intense days of windsurfing a few weeks ago I noticed that the knob of bone on top of my right foot (where the metatarsal for the big toe meets the tarsal) was sore and maybe sticking out more than usual. It felt creepy and irritated when I put it in the footstrap, maybe even like there were some floating bits of bone or cartilage squishing around it.

I haven't used that board since, and the foot isn't sore anymore, but that knob still seems bigger and more "sticky outy" on my right foot than my left. Maybe it was always like that and I just never noticed? I've changed to softer footstraps on that board, but before I get on it again I wanted to check if this could be something more than just an irritation that I would have to go to the doctor for. Anyone?

Thanks,
-James

[human_catapult]

James,

A few pro windsurfers I've met (I won't name names) have big bony or mushy balls of something that grow on top of the arch of their foot. Dunno if it's a real medical concern, but some people who windsurf a lot seem to get something like this...

Aaron

[swchandler]

I have to say that the top of my feet can tend to get sore the day following a long sailing session, particularly if I'm using one of my slalom boards after an extended period of not sailing, like during the winter months. I find that it's the front straps that cause the soreness because we all lift our foot while in the front straps to help drive our board to windward.

Regarding the growth of a bump in the area of contact with the straps, it just might be like the surf knots we got in the 60s due to knee paddling. The abrasion and stress on the bone tends to build localized calcium deposits. Although the bumps can reduce in size if you avoid the abrasion and stress over time, but they never really go away entirely. I still have my surf knots, even though I stopped knee paddling in the late 60s when short boards came on the scene.

You might want to try softer straps with more padding, and the use of booties will give you a little more of a buffer too.

[jsmin]

I had something like this that would flare up something fierce. I went to a foot doctor and they drained it on the spot with a needle...about 4 ml.

JSm

[upwind]

I HAD THIS HAPPEN. SO PAINFUL I DID NOT WISH TO SAIL. IT TOOK WEEKS TO GO AWAY AND WOULD COME BACK AFTER A LONG SESSION. I LOOSENED UP THE STRAPS....YES, ANKLE DEEP AND NEVER LOOKED BACK EXCEPT TO PAY EXTREME ATTENTION TO HOW COMFORTABLE THE STRAPS ON DIFFERENT BOARDS WERE AND HOW MUCH GIVE WAS BELOW THEM (I FOUND IT REALLY DOES MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PADDING WAS UNDERFOOT). IF YOU HAVE CRAPPY STRAPS (CHECK NEAR THE EDGES WHERE THE COVER WRAPS AROUND THE PLASTIC/VELCRO CLOSURE TO SEE IF THE NEOPRENE IS WORN)GET RID OF THEM. I HAVE SEEN IT SO THAT PLASTIC WAS ONLY 1MM AWAY FROM SKIN) ADD 5-7 MM THICK 2"X7" NEOPRENE FROM A DIVING WETSUIT ETC, IN BETWEEN THE NEPORENE COVER AND THE PLASTIC/VELCRO STRAP. I HAVE A FEW STRIPS IN THE CAR IF YOU NEED. GOOD LUCK.

[d0uglass]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess if I can't sail like a pro, I can at least have professional looking foot deformities.

I rode the offending board today but with softer straps and it wasn't so bad.

Some other folks I talked to on the beach mentioned "surf knots" from knee paddling. My gut feeling is that this is the same sort of thing. Repetitive stress on the bone causing it to grow weird. Ick.

[sailingjoe]

It wouldn't hurt to have your foot xrayed. I have enlarged navicular bones from skates and ski boots which look rather like my feet are deformed. I played varsity hockey in high school and skied downhill seriously in college. When I took up downhill skiing again when I turned 30, the navicular continued to swell. The foot doc noticed it, named it, but wasn't alarmed by it. The protruding bones will get tender if I haven't skated or skied in a while and put in a hard session. Often I use moleskin to prevent blistering below the bone when wearing skates. I have windsurfed in the straps on a 3 days a week basis and found that calcium deposites were forming on the top of the foot. Repeated use of any sporting good will have it's effect on the athelete's body.

[acctx]

[pueno]

[insh8bl]

Hey Gang,

The condition described above is called a Ganglion Cyst, it’s not bone. These occurs when micro tears caused by repeated trauma, weight forward and pressing hard into the strap while jibing, allows fluid surrounding the tendon (predominately the tendon for EHL, Extensor hallucis longus but can also involve the tendon for EDL, Extensor digitorum longus) within the tendon sheath to escape. The escaped fluid is confined with a compartment and isn’t readily resorbed by the body, producing the bump on the top of the foot. As previously mentioned it can be drained with a needle, however, they often return. I would suggest trying a different type of footstrap, or, if it isn’t painful consider yourself lucky, you are sailing too much.