This is what I don‘t understand....

[AlphaCharlie]

I went to a foot place about 2 weeks ago, and he said the main reason that my feet hurt is that because I have high arches and 100% of my weight was on my heels and the ball of my foot.

So I bought some insoles, they don‘t have any padding but they are very stiff in the arch area, thus spreading weight more evenly. They are quite nice.

Oh, and 48Highlander, was it really necessary to bring rank into this?

 

[CI Dumaran]

Wow, medcorps, nice info!

Well, I‘ll keep "gell‘in."

Well, I‘ve heard good things about the Gortex boots but I haven‘t had the chance to wear them.

 

[Jeff Boomhouwer]

The gortex boots are good if you are sized properly. I have exchanged my boots three times now the last being a field exchange with the C.o. in the field. He asked me how it was going ,I bitshed about how small my new boots were and he bitched about how big his were. Clickety click the boots fit. The problem is the way the boots are sized. Its metric or something. I take a size eleven civiy pattern shoe but a size 12345X98765 or something like that. When issued put both on with the socks you are going to wear in the field and walk around for a few minutes. If the stores Cpl starts giving you static about wasting his/her time trying boots on ect just tell him/her that you will keep exchanging kit every week until they fit right creatihg more work for them thus cutting into coffee /smoke breaks.

 

[Armymedic]

MC,
I wear Vibram soles now after 14 yrs with the normal Mk 3‘s, doing Ironman/Jump Course/daily work on concrete floor all day....

So DCIEM (Defence and Civilian Institure for Environmental Medicine in Toronto did a study to see if the impact force on the knees was lower with the Vibatram sole. Turns out, Vibatram soles are worst then, or as good as the normal sole of the Mark III combat boots, with repsect to energy transfer to the knees while doing a bunch of activities.

My knees and back haven‘t hurt since, so I don‘t believe that. Send me the reference.

 

[combat_medic]

I find the gel insoles wear faster, and your feet slip around in your boot more. I like the Dr Schools sport insoles.

As for the Mark III boots, they need to be broken in properly. When I first joined, I was fortunate enough to have someone pull me aside and tell me how to do it properly, and I spent an entire weekend breaking both pairs in. Since then, more than 5 years have passed, my boots fit as well as slippers, and I‘ve never had as much as a single blister (touch wood).

And about the "perfect boot" I‘ve learned that no boot is perfect for everyone. Any boot will give someone shin splints or blisters, and everyone likes something different, or has some miracle cure. Make sure yours fit, get them broken in WELL and then just find what‘s comfortable.

Now, to the important part, how to break in Mark III combat boots:

1. Remove all insoles and laces from one pair of boots and place them in the bathtub with the plug in (or a really big pail).
2. Cover the boots completely in boiling hot water and let them sit for several hours, or overnight; until the leather is really soft.
3. Put on your two pairs of socks, remove your boots from the water, add the insoles and laces and lace them on to your feet, nice and tight.
4. Wear the boots until the leather is completely dry (usually takes all day). The leather will harden to the shape of your feet.
5. Apply a thin coat of vinegar to the boots once they‘re dry to prevent salt staining, and then polish them up.
6. Repeat with next pair of boots.

A little effort beforehand will save you a lot of pain in the long run.

 

[MedCorps]

The reference I am told (although I have not read the document, yet) is:

REPORT NUMBER: DCIEM-CR-2000-116
REPORT DATE: 31 Mar 2000
DRDKIM No: CA010898
CANDIS No: 515028

TITLE: (Unclassified) The effect of combat boot inserts on comfort, injury frequency and performance.

ABSTRACT: (Unclassified) Army personnel are often required to spend significant amounts of time executing their tasks while wearing the same footwear. The importance of appropriate footwear for this population is obvious. However, what is considered appropriate footwear for one individual may not be appropriate for another individual. The fact that the majority of the military population is issued identical footwear would suggest that at least some individuals do not have appropriate footwear. Unfortunately, the guidelines for determining an appropriate boot for an individual are not well determined. Ultimely, these guidelines should be used to prescribe appropriate footwear to specific individuals. As a first step in understanding these guidelines, an initial study was performed to determine the anthropometric and sensory factors which may predict the short term reaction of the foot to a set of selected shoe-insert constructions. The study found that changes in insert properties elicited substantial changes in comfort ratings of a group of 106 university students. The comfort ratings depended on specific insert characteristics as well as lower extremity characteristics such as foot sensitivity and leg alignment.

From what I am told one of the variables (on top of varrious inserts) was Vibram soles. They then looked at the arthropometric impact they had in compairson to the Mark III alone and with the other inserts. Again, have not read the report first hand. Will try and get a copy, and give it a read and let everyone know first hand (if I can find some spare time... going away for 2 weeks on TD). Does anyone have a copy or has read this report? I am sure (like most DCIEM reports) it is like reading the phone book. <smile>.

MC