Cleat Position

Here is a great description of how to find the "ball" of your foot and adjust the cleat according to shoe size. I guess what I called a neutral position ends up being forward. If I am understanding this article correctly, you don't measure from that big hump ("ball") on your foot, you measure from the joint which is forward of that big ole hump. Felix is the team doctor, is this correct?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Dialing-in-Cleat-Position-For-More-Power-and-Less-Pain&id=3257264

Comment by Felix:

Well this is a little more complicated. The joint in question is called the First Metatarso-Phalageal Joint. There is a big variability in the shapes and sizes of it. Sometimes the joint space falls right at what is felt like the "ball of the foot", sometimes it can be in-front of it. Usually the "ball of the foot" starts "moving" backwards from the joint when there is a bunion formation. Then the "ball of the foot" is mostly represented by "hypertrophied" (enlarged) distal end of the first metatarsal bone instead of both the distal end of the metatarsal and the proximal end of the first phalanx. You can kind of figure out where you fall by looking where the motion is in relation to where the ball of the foot is. Or you can always get an X-ray and place a radio opaque marker on the skin at the ball of the foot and see the relation to the joint space. I will try to attach soome pics to the original post that might explain it better

Here are some pitures that can help you understand my comment above.

This one shows a foot with a bunion and in that case the "ball of the foot" will be behind the real joint.

The next one shows a more normal foot where the "ball of the foot" and the joint are pretty much aligned.