So I'm off.
The only part of my body that is happy about this is my feet. The rest of me already wants to start training. I'm all fidgety.
My feet need to heal, though. As in heel and starting healing, heels!
Sorry.
I digress. My feet have been a little funky for the last several months. The ball of my right foot hurt very, very much during the run at LP, and then continued to hurt for several weeks after that. Luckily that little problem disappeared because of the forced rest after LP. Then, maybe a month ago, I started getting the same pain in my left foot. The pain is like a bruise. It hurts to the touch and it hurts to run/walk on it. However, I found a way to wrap it up, putting layers of gauze under my forefoot and taping, that made the pain bearable. It is also one of those injuries where when you begin running it kills, but five miles in it hurts less, and by 10 miles you can't feel it at all. For that reason I ruled out stress fracture. Stress fractures don not feel better 10 miles into the run. I think it might be a fascia problem?
I'm interested in your feedback as to what it might be. I COULD go to see a doc, I know. But do you know what a doc will tell me?
Rest it.
Ice it.
Take NSAIDS.
Get Orthotics.
Get surgery done on your out-of-control bunions.
Stop running so much after you heal.
In my experience, REST IT is the number one cure. I will also ice, but I won't do the rest of the list. I have my reasons, but I won't bore you with them.
Because I am resting I have an abundance of energy that seems to be firing everywhere willy nilly. I need to lasso it, channel it, and put it to use. That's hard. I made a list of about 50 things I'd like to do in the next month. I don't even know where to begin when I look at said list, and so I end up writing a blog post or surfing FB. It's not good.
Here are a few things I am supposedly working on:
- My writing. (Thanks, Liz. :) This is going very slowly, though. It doesn't help that I am pretty ADD right now.
- Organizing the house. This is painful and overwhelming. I should take pictures of our "office" (read repository for all the shit we don't know what to do with) and our basement (unbelievably scary--and not b/c of spiders and mice) to give you an idea of what I'm facing.
- Forming a Masters swim team at the pool and beginning to teach adult swimming lessons there. This has me taking 8 intensive days of Lifeguarding/WSI (water safety instructor) to get re-certified. ek!
- Coaching. I'm coaching three awesome women: two in running and one in triathlon. I'm glad they trust me. I'm not sure I trust me, of course.
- Reading as a writer. I read a lot, but not as a writer. I've realized that this is hard to do.
- Cooking. Okay, I'm not really working on that. But I should. I like the idea of cooking.... I just don't actually like doing it.
- Gardening. I need to clean up the brush and get in some bulbs.
Which, just maybe, is what I should be doing.
16 comments:
I'm glad you're anti-orthodics. I wore those things for years but never stopped being injured until I threw them out. Rest should do the trick for your foot. (As hard as that is to do!!!)
That's cool you're going to start a masters team! :)
I appreciate your approach to self-treatment of the foot and hope it feels better :> I didn't know that you coached and wondered if I could contact you about marathon race training coaching???
can i hire you to clean my apartment and bake me some treats? since you have all this free time ;)
It sounds like plantar fasciatis, it can be completely in the heel and a lot of times it feels better as the running goes on but worse when you start. How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Is it hard to walk sometimes in the morning? If so, most likely this is what it is and I found PT to be greatly helpful, along with rest of course but I did some nice stretches, ice, only wore proper shoes ( my running shoes) gave up my flip flops and in about a month it resolved. Keep me posted.
The first thing to do is find out what is causing the pain. Most of the time it's not caused by the fascia but rather something above the foot. Soleus, gastroc and extensor muscles. Dig your thumbs in to all of these and see if there is a sore 'lump' in the muscles. I would go out on a limb here and tell that you can resolve this with just self massage in the lower leg 5-6 times per week. Get a really good massage tool and start gently stripping the muscles. Basically scrape upwards and strip them. As you adapt over a week or two then start doing deeper and deeper massage. You'll be safer with this approach over a stretching routine. I've coached nearly 100 athletes in the last 8 years and this isn't uncommon. The solution I described works almost every time. You might also consider taping your arch to provide support while you resolve this. And your casual shoes are important to look at. You only spend maybe 4-5 hours a week running? So most likely you are stressed more by the shoes you wear casually- for what 60+ hours per week? If you choose the orthotic route then buy a pair of Superfeet Green orthotics with a strong arch support, but don't plan to wear them forever, just as long as it takes to heal your foot. Don't spend a lot of money on them in other words. Do not see an orthopedist with out a deep running background. Ice is probably useless. Cross tissue massage at the pain local could help but more often than not this makes it hurt worse. Only do this after it is nearly healed to break up scar tissue and don't be aggressive. Before getting out of bed, dorsi flex and hold it for ~20" several times before stepping down to help loosen the calf. Don't sleep on your stomach if you can help it, this points your toes and causes the achilles and calf to tighten. If it is planatar fascitis then there is very little risk in a severe injury- you should be able to exercise through it and still resolve it.
Lucho has some great advice there, and I agree 100%!
Self-massage of the gastroc could definitely do the trick...
(I learned this was the key only AFTER getting two stress fractures in a row and finding the root of the problem to be a supertight gastroc, resulting in a compromised gait.)
Hopefully finding this early can spare you the same fate!
Good luck!
Also, if you need a recommendation for a great orthopedic in the boston area, just send me an email... I didn't see yours listed here.
I agree with most of the posts. You likely have a problem farther up - that is why i don't like orthodics. I go to an ART chiro, and I have had great results. I also threw out the flip flops (sigh).
Good luck with the list!!!
Mary, I can't tell you how much I like your approach. I think we are such a medicalized society, so focused on surgery and medical treatments. If you have plantar fasciatis, this has little to do with running and a lot to do with age (sorry, but after age 35 the rates of tendon/fascia problems go through the roof, and than the rates drop after age 50). PT, in my opinion is useless, unless you go once, learn whatever exercises they prescribe, and do them at home (though I doubt there are many for PF). If you do decide to to see someone and want to take a hike to MGH, I can help out! Heal the heel!
I can't help with your foot, I haven't experienced that, but you seem to have some very sound advice here already.
I know what you mean about reading as a writer, not that I fancy myself one. However, I do fantasize about being one (how sad is my life when this is my fantasy) and this has changed how I read; rather than enjoying the "story" I'm constantly analyzing the content and how the author puts together his/her thoughts and on and on...it's kind of weird.
I like that you made this list and you have some great stuff on there. I should be half as motivated just to make a list. I am one lazy mutha.
Ok here goes:
doesn't present like pf ( plantar f usually is closer to the insertion of the tendon medially and under the arch not the ball or forefoot) but more like mortons neuroma ...does it burn?
or the obvious of your shoes are too tight in the toebox area. If you use speed laces this happens often.
If you find a GOOD PT they can be extremely helpful if one has the patience to remember that often a pain or problem has been going on for months before you go see a health
care professional and then the patient is frustrated that in one visit " it isn't better"
now is your time to figure it out not next spring.
Good luck and keep us posted!
The first thing you should do is have drinks with me. That will heal your pain. Or maybe just numb it for 90 minutes.
Hey,
Since your a coach and forming a master swim team you should be able to answer this for me, and If you could do up a post on it I think it would be great, and help alot of people..
Simple Question: What should I (or someone) look for in a triathlon coach, when looking for one, or if you can't get a coach whats the next best thign to do?
Thanks
kenny
Agree with GoBigGreen - sounds like Mortons Neuroma. I've been most helped with a yoga massage technigue I learned some years ago. Once a day, sit with one leg crossed on your lap, barefoot, and with the opposite hand, place your four fingers between your toes (so you are interlacing your toes and fingers tightly). Then rotate the whole of the ball of the foot, clockwise and counterclockwise (I do about 20 rotations each direction). This opens up space in the ball of the foot, which is the main problem with MN (the nerves in that area get compressed). Good luck!
You might also look into Trigger Point therapy (google, tptherapy.com site, amazon has books) which is nice b/c you can do it yourself with tools or stuff around the house, tho you can occasionally find a trained TP massage therapist. It's the only thing that's helped my posterior tibial tendonitis. I'm stuck w/orthotics and super stability shoes, and being unable to find almost any regular shoes that are ok for me....but TP has helped me keep running though I'm still not getting close to the mileage I need (I keep meaning to look into ART too.)
I'm curious - can you post more about what you mean by "read like a writer"? I love to read, and love to write, and always want to get better. I know when I'm reading I can be struck by how well or poorly a sentence or section is crafted, but that's more me noticing than looking for it.
Really enjoy the blog. Congrats on your marathon! Wish I lived close enough to get coached by you, but then again I'm wayyyyyy too slow for you. :)
It was my goal to clean the house (and I mean REALLY clean) while on break, but that's such a daunting task to start. Good luck on that!
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