I have had plantar fascitis--a tearing of the tendon that runs from your heel to the base of your toes--and found that the footplates were very helpful for eliminating the pain from that ailment (along with stretching, orthotics in all of my footwear, and no running for a year).
Tom and Butch are right--the footplates restrict the horizontal movement of your foot. It's sort of like walking around with brand new, very stiff boots. Or like walking on ice skates. But, if you have footpain from standing on spikes all day the footplates do help. I work in Georgia and started wearing the footplates during a year when there was a widespread pine beetle infestation. We were doing bunches of big, tall pines and there was little chance to get off of the spikes. The footplates took some getting used to, but they definitely eased the pain in my feet. You just have to use your feet a little differently than when using standard stirrups.
The pair that Butch showed are not the B'hams. I have tried the ones in his attachment (Talons)and they are longer and more restrictive than what I currently use. The extra length reduces boot/tree contact even more than the B'ham footplates. They are also thicker and made me feel like I was on a pair of platform shoes.
If you are just thinking of getting the footplates because you might like them, try to get a pair to demo before you buy them. But, if you are having footpain, and can't find a pair to demo, then buy them and just plan that there will be some adjustment in how you limbwalk with spikes.
Mahk
