So now that I’m working again, I’m spending a lot of time on my feet. But after only a few hours, it hurts like hell! Just from standard standing and walking, my feet burn like fire. I have no idea if this is just normal for men of my stature (I weigh around 120kg and qualify quite firmly as a big fat guy) but I really, really hope not. Can I do something about it at the shoe department? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my feet per se…
Are you locking your knees when you stand? I can see the burning sensation coming from blood flowing back in after doing that for a while. I’m obviously not a doctor but I figured you deserved at least one response trying to help.
If you hadn’t been used to standing and walking for hours at a time prior to this, I could see that, given your weight, it could take some time for your body (including feet and legs) to adjust. I personally don’t think they do much good, but you could try foam or gel inserts for your shoes.
Get good shoes/boots with proper arch support. The foam inserts can help a bit, but the real danger is fallen arches, aka ‘flat feet’, which is a painful condition in its own right.
You already are aware of the relationship of your weight to your health. It very definitely includes wear and tear on the bones and joints.
Normal for me. I went from fine one day - in fact my recent at the time previous job involved 8 hours of standing and walking on concrete every day - to painful to stand for as little as 5-10 mins the next. I can walk about 6km before it becomes uncomfortable, been like that for 20 years.
If it was me I would talk to my primary care physician about it to rule out any muscle or bone related medical issues. My guess is that it will get easier and less painful over time as your body adjusts to standing for long periods of time… and get a good comfortable pair of shoes with gel inserts which will help in the short term.
If you mean your whole foot, that sounds like it could be circulatory and therefore worrisome. If you’re just talking the sole of your foot, you might need more padding. If you’re just talking the ball of your foot, you might need more padding and/or better shoes.
Welcome to my world.
Plantafacia (SP?) time for orthopedic shoes. You need to have support for your feet match your arches. My feet hurt all the time and that is part of my Doctor’s diagnostics. The other part is gout. It gets worse if I eat a lot of nuts, which I love.
I watch what I eat and never go bare footed or wear cheap shoes.; When I buy new shoes I make sure that they have a firm support and I also buy proper inserts. Not the cheat $5.00 ones but about $20 t0 $30 ones. When I was working that was the only way make it throught the day. SHOES AND SUPORTS the only way.
I would make an appointment with your doctor.
Are you doing this standing in one place, like behind a counter or cash register? What is the surface you are standing on – something hard like concrete or tiled floor? A lot of businesses are providing cushioned floor mats for employees in such situations (it keeps employees happier, so they treat customers nicer, and it’s cheaper than workers comp settlements). Ask your employer about this. Or buy one yourself – they’re not that expensive, and it’s worth it for your feet.
This.
I found them to help. YMMV.
Plantar Faciitis needs to be ruled out. If you have it, it won’t get better without the right shoes/inserts, and possibly specific exercises and treatments. Other than that, you need supportive shoes anyway, and either shoes or flooring with lots of cush. At your weight, if you buy nice squishy running shoes, even those are only going to last you 4-6 months before you need to replace them as the constant pressure while wearing makes them not-squishy fairly quickly.
All right, thanks for the advice. I’m working again later this week, let’s see if it gets worse. 
Did you do any sort of walking or light hiking before?
Also, how much of your day is standing as opposed to walking? It’s counterintuitive, but standing in one place is actually harder on your feet than walking.
If you were fairly inactive before, and if your day involves a lot of standing still, it could easily be a couple weeks before you start getting used to it. And if you are standing a lot, you DEFINITELY want an anti-fatigue mat.
Age? There could be some arthritic or diabetic pain involved. Wear shoes with good torsion resistance and appropriate arch support.
If it does turn out to be plantar fasciitis, try the Powerstep Pinnacle orthotic supports before you plunk down several hundred bucks for the custom-made dealies. There’s a very, very good chance that they’ll work, and if they don’t, you’ll only be out about $35.
Powersteps can be good. I bought mine at I think FootLocker–I think they told me there’s a 6-month guarantee, and they actually advised me to come back in 5 1/2 months, say they didn’t work, buy a new pair, repeat.
Stiffer soles can also help, somewhat counterintuitively, depending on what’s going on.
I’ve noticed the receipt-checkers at Costco stand on little rubber mats. If you can add that to your workspace at your employer’s expense or your own, that might help too.
I’m gonna second the people who have pointed out that weight could be a factor. Not to lecture, I’m no skinny minny, but it’s a concern.
I’ve had this problem ever since I was a small child. I assumed it was just the way things were.
Orthopedic inserts helped me a lot. However it takes a few weeks to get used to them. The first time I put them in and started walking, it felt like I had sharp jagged pieces of metal in my shoe. Now I use them literally all the time and haven’t had any serious foot pain since I started using them. You have to get them custom made by a podiatrist to exactly fit your foot; don’t buy generic inserts, which can make things worse.
–Mark
They help with Morton’s neuroma and metatarsalgia, too.