After driving my new Prius for several weeks now I have found that the light pedal touch of my foot and frequent let-ups on the gas have caused soreness in my big toe. I know it sounds ridiculous, but has anybody else had this problem? I had a pre-existing injury from about a year ago but the Prius driving has definitely inflamed it. Any suggestions? The heel / toe technique might help, but I never really mastered that and the pedal spacing doesn't seem good for it anyway. I'm thinking of just driving it like any other car, but I'm afraid my mpg will take a hit!
hmm. haven't noticed that. i pivot with my heel and drive with the ball of my foot. don't flex my toes at all when driving. must be related to that injury you had. i've broken my little toes before and that was bad enough, but screwing up your big toe messes you up more.
im a physical therapist, and a prius driver ! If your toe is feeling it like that, even with a pre-existing problem, you are most likely keeping your foot and muscles tendons that control the toe too tense. Try using the area across the ball of your foot, keep your toes relaxed !! When inflamed, ice it, wear nice loose fitting shoes and some anti inflammatories to calm things down if problem persists, go see a Dr, you may have some continuing tendon strain or micro fracture. This can be determined by further scans If it is discovered to be tendinous, a physical therapist can help you with that, with some ultrasound therapy and specific work to strengthen/mobilise the tendons and related structures.
I noticed that the front of my right shin would be sore from trying too hard to keep my foot up. So then I started diverting the pressure to my left foot and would push on the foot rest while my right foot was more relaxed. That caused my left thigh to tense up. Finally, I just let it all go and relaxed. Ahhh. Much better.
Hum.. I just drive pretty much like my normal car..... haven't noticed strain... maybe shift your foot down the pedal more toward the floorboard and then you can put more pressure up top on the ball of your foot without it pressing the pedal.... In other words, it may not be balanced right... it should pivot with ease either way.
exactly !! I think when ppl first get in the prius theyre a bit excited anbout maximising their mpgs and over exert the leg/foot muscles trying to achieve perfect control of the ICE. Relax, at the end of the day, if you drive sensibly, the prius does all work for you
I think it's the "Hermance Lift" that's killing me (as defined by Patrick Bedard in C&D recently, and named after Dave Hermance of Toyota - this is the lift of the foot to shut off ICE then depressing the pedal afterward to continue on in electic mode).
I think my avitar says it all about how I drive since I'm barefoot 99% of the time, both in and out of my car. I agree with Tony, the act of intense concentration in my feathering technique causes lots of tension in my shin and thighs, but only during long trips. I find sliding my big toe along the left side of the pedal while giving pressure with the ball of the foot gives me great grip and control without any discomfort.
I had quite a bit of discomfort in my right knee for a while, until I got my wedge cushion to give more thigh support. I would lay my leg all the way to the center console then twist my lower leg to better align to the accelerator and that twist caused pain after a while.
I had the same experience since getting my car three days ago. But having experienced something similar when we bought my wife's car (Forester) a couple years ago, I knew how to compensate and relax to avoid the torsional strain on the knee. Problem was gone today.
Try changing your seat position (forward/backward) so you end up using a different part of your foot (ball area or middle) for most of your cruise driving. You can also rotate your right foot to the left/right to change your contact point.
Another barefoot driver here...while I have chronic foot problems (barefoot is helpful for them), driving the Prius hasn't seemed to have any effect one way or the other. But since I have problems, I consciously relax, which is helpful for feet and backs. -Roger
crazy but you can actually be fined for driving barefoot if caught. :mellow: i lived in Rhode Island and in Georgia and heard the same thing. Its considered dangerous driving conditions. go figure... :huh: :blink:
lolz....barefoot driving.... its a a prius, not a Flintstones car ! ah well, whatever flotas your boat
The pedals in the Prius are more sensitive than any other car I've owned. A little goes a long way, as I learned first time I stopped! By keeping more of my foot on the pedal my foot feels better, especially in traffic!
