Burning feet

When the feet are overtaxed, they react with pain when standing and walking. Women in particular often suffer from burning feet. Because of the complex interaction of bones, muscles, nerves and tendons, it is often difficult to determine a single cause.
A natural rollover of the foot is possible in the kybun shoe/on the kybun mat and the foot can recover from the burning sensation/pain. The muscles and tendons are gently stretched and strengthened, and the joints mobilised.

Definition

Burning feet in itself is not a disorder, but a sign of one – a symptom. The cause may be banal, but it may be the manifestation of a serious disorder.
Because of its architecture, the foot is very susceptible to many kinds of disorders that can lead to pain in this area. Any structural deviation or malfunctioning in even one area of the foot can lead to symptomatic pain and can induce complaints in other areas of the body (knees, hips and back).

Causes

There are many possible causes of burning feet. If the causes are not pathological (disease-related), a distinction should be made between burning feet in conventional shoes (a) and burning feet in the kybun shoe (b).

a) In conventional shoes, the common causes are:

 

  • Poor ventilation
  • Shoes that are too small or too narrow
  • The insufficient freedom of foot movement that results

b) In the kybun shoe, the following causes are the most frequent:

 

  • Intense activation of the foot musculature in the kybun shoe. This should improve after a few weeks, when the musculature has become accustomed to the increased workload (rollover) in the kybun shoe and the foot has become more mobile.
  • Socks that are too thick. Thick socks are unnecessary because the foot is more active in the kybun shoes than it is in ‘normal’ shoes. Thin cotton socks, such as kybun socks, are ideal.
  • The kybun shoe is fastened too tightly. This impairs air exchange, and the feet become warmer.
  • A long period of standing in one place. You should walk as often as possible in the kybun shoe so that the air in the shoe can be exchanged quickly. If you must stand, we recommend pacing (see micro-interval on site): https://www.kybun.com/advisor/kybun-exercises-for-heightened-effectiveness/kyboot.html.
  • ‘Expired’ kybun shoe: If the kybun shoe is used intensively, it should be replaced as necessary. The positive effect on the body decreases the longer and the more intensively the kybun shoe is worn. When a replacement is necessary varies from person to person and is dependent on various factors such as frequency of use, user gait and body weight.

It is best to try out a new kybun shoe at a kybun dealer of your choice. This allows you to immediately recognise the difference and know whether you should replace your kybun shoe.

Sudden burning feet in the kybun shoe after months of complaint-free wear:
The cause is usually unnoticed changes such as:

  • Different socks than previously (different material changes the ventilation in the kybun shoe)?
  • Different season of the year?
  • One-sided loading in the kybun shoe (increased pressure on the outside, for instance)?
  • Unconscious toe clenching/tense foot musculature in the kybun shoe?
  • kybun shoe has not been worn for a long time/lengthy kybun shoe break taken?
  • Unconscious standing in a relieving posture in the kybun  shoe?
  • Standing too long in the kybun shoe instead of regularly moving your feet or walking?
  • New circulatory problems/vein problems?
  • Have other health complaints developed?
  • Is the kybun shoe sole material fatigued?

c) Burning feet can also have a medical or pathological cause:

 

  • One common cause is a heel spur or shortened plantar fascia (more information under the symptoms of heel spur)
  • Excessive weight
  • Disorders such as rheumatism, gout, diabetes, Morton’s neuroma ...
  • Venous insufficiency/varicose veins

d) Customers who already had a tendency towards warm or sweaty feet often complain of hot feet in the kyBoot.

 

These customers find the initial additional warming caused by the activation of the musculature in the kybun shoe unpleasant.

Long-term consequences

Shoes that are too small or tight may cause foot malpositions or heel spurs.

Conventional therapy

For heel spur: Padding under the heel

The kybun principle of operation – being proactive

In the kybun shoe/on the kybun mat, the foot rests directly on soft, elastic material. This stretches the plantar fascia (an aponeurosis located on the sole of the foot that supports the longitudinal arch). This constant stretching can lead to a burning sensation, the same reaction evoked by intensive muscle stretching. It is important that you continue to stretch this tendon in the kybun shoe/ on the kybun mat so that problems such as heel spur (which often results in a shortened plantar fascia) do not arise later on. The burning should go away after a few weeks, after the aponeurosis is sufficiently stretched, eliminating the trigger of the complaint.
Gradually increase the duration of time you wear the kybun shoe/kybun mat so as to allow your foot to become accustomed to the increased activity.
If the burning feet become unpleasant, we recommend the kybun exercises (http://www.kybun.ch/ratgeber/kybun-uebungen.html) or removing the kybun shoe until the burning has subsided.

Initial reactions

Specific initial reactions with burning feet:

We are not aware of any symptom-specific initial reactions or pain increases in the area of the foot associated with burning feet. However, as the body adapts, some general initial reactions may arise.

 

Click here for the general initial reactions experienced by kybun mat and kybun shoe beginners: Initial reactions

kybun exercises

For information about the special kybun exercises , please click here: kybun exercises

The following adaptations to the standard implementation of interval walking are important for those suffering from burning feet:

  1. Put on non-slip socks before you begin
  2. If your feet begin to burn during interval walking, perform the slow exercises a little faster so that the foot musculature is somewhat less tense.

Application tips

We recommend that you wear thin cotton socks (such as kybun socks) in the kybun shoe and avoid lacing the shoes too tightly. Ensure that the lacing is even from bottom to top so that the fine blood vessels at the back of the foot are not pinched and there are no other pressure points.
Then, when walking, perform the rollover across the entire foot and push off with the big toe. This alternately stretches the aponeurosis in the sole of the foot and relaxes it in the swing phase.
If you feel the sole of your foot cramping, we recommend that you relax the affected foot in the air while standing (move the foot in a circular motion, wiggle the toes, move the foot in all possible directions; whatever feels good to you).

Media reports/studies

--in progress--

If you have questions, please send an e-mail to beratung@kybun.ch

Opinions/customer testimonials

My experiences with kybun shoes have been overwhelmingly positive. Shortly after my amputation, I met Jürgen Zeller at an appointment with my orthopaedic technician. It was through Jürgen that I received my first pair of kybun shoes. My right leg was also experiencing adverse effects from the accident, so I was thrilled with the kybun shoes from the very beginning. I have tried all sorts of expensive sports shoes, but none of them have come anywhere close to equalling the kybun shoes! kybun shoes soften the heel impact and make me feel secure. I can walk for a long time without my leg hurting and without the sole of my remaining foot getting sore. And with kybun shoe, I don’t need to worry about slipping when it’s damp or wet underfoot. With all other types of shoe, after a very short time my remaining foot starts hurting and the sole of my foot gets sore. With other shoes, I also feel much less secure when walking. I don’t find the kybun shoes to be unstable at all. These shoes help me in all kinds of situations and make me feel secure. Perhaps to begin with, it might feel slightly strange because you have to compensate a little. But I quickly noticed that these shoes help me to walk. I think that kybun shoes are the perfect footwear, especially for people who are starting to learn to walk with a prosthesis, because they help so much with walking.
Susanne Michel from Germany

Walking with pain used to be part of my daily lifestyle. I suffered heavily from lower back aches and sore heels, not to mention my feet would constantly feel extremely hot after long hours of standing. It was not until I saw a small advertisement which had three simple words, "Walk-on-air",kybun shoe. After that everything changed. That very night, the internet supplied me all I needed to know about kybun and before I knew it , I was ordering my first pair of kybun shoe. Only I ordered the wrong size! Images of horrific online shopping stories started swirling in my head, as I begun the dreadful customer service phone procedure, only to be greeted by a wonderful lady. She cheerily greeted me, and after I explained my terribly awkward mishap, promptly gave me perfect advise for shoe sizing and settled the ordering purchase immediately. Now I wont lie, I love walking on air. Experiencing the first moments of putting on my kybun shoes felt like relearning how to walk again. This time, pain free. It was enjoyably hysterical when I took my first few steps as my ankles had to read just to the softness of the floor bed. Once I got the hang of it, I noticed immediately that the pain on my lower back was alleviated. It occurred to me that a lot of pressure that was initially borne by my back was now transferred away and that my body was more relaxed during my normal walking form. The heat from my foot soles seemed to develop much more slowly, and generally walking has now become a pain free experience. Thank you kybun for giving me the gift of enjoyable walking, and for being a company that not only is proud of its shoes, but has a service family that sincere, heartfelt and seriously amazing. I cant begin to thank you guys enough!

Leeroy Lo, from Singapore