Foot pain

[erinmcd]

I've been dealing with foot pain for about the last 6 weeks or so, and I finally seem to be getting ahead of it now, so I thought it was worth updating on here in case anyone else is dealing with something similar.
It started back in Feb. I'd had a rough winter for training due to hip flexor issues. Things finally were starting to look up, and I'd got a couple of good weeks of training in, and then all of a sudden the foot pain started. I'd done a 21K run on slushy roads and lumpy, snowing trails. I felt pretty good, and kept a decent pace- just over 5 mins/ km for most of it, then around 4:15/ km for the last few. Didn't feel anything when I was running that day, but the next day the outside of my foot, just behind my ankle bone, was sore. I tried running the day after that, and cut the run short. Did that a few more times, and then decided to go see my RMT. He said it seemed like it was strained tendons. He worked on my foot a bit and advised taking some time off. I took a week off, then did an easy run. It started out okay, but about 1/2 way through it started to get really sore, and I was limping for the rest of the day. After that I took 2 weeks off. During that time another local runner (Jutta Merilainen, who is a 2:45 marathoner) recommended that I see the Chiro that she goes to. I made an appt with him, and he said the trouble was where my achilles tendone attaches to the heel bone. He worked on it a bit, and the next day I was able to run pain free for the first time in a weeks. I kept it short, and slow, but still was much improved. The next day there was a bit of soreness, but it was on the other side of my foot. I had another appt with the Chiro, and he said that was to be expected. He said the symptoms might move around a bit as he works on them, but he should be able to get it all cleared up.
Foot injuries suck. They're really tough to deal with, especially if you're on your feet a lot due to the normal course of life. I think I'm on the mend now though. My advice- if you have foot pain- get it looked at, and be super careful about pushing through it.

[chunkymonkeymelonhed]

Sorry that you've had such a hard time with the injuries Erin.
I hope that the mending continues and you can get back to the run soon.

[La]

You know the saying, "The foot bone's connected to the ____ bone"?

Well, as soon as I read "foot pain" and then your first sentence said "hip flexor" I chuckled a little. I've had similar foot pain recently (not exactly the same, but in the same general location). The Chiro I saw said it was because of my HIP FLEXORS that I had to dorsiflex my foot more than usual to clear the ground, which caused the strain of the ligaments and/or aggravated some nerves in the back of my foot/heel.

So, if your chiro hasn't said anything, work on that hip flexor flexibility and strength, as it really does have implications in other parts of your body!

Good luck!

[erinmcd]

You know the saying, "The foot bone's connected to the ____ bone"?

Well, as soon as I read "foot pain" and then your first sentence said "hip flexor" I chuckled a little. I've had similar foot pain recently (not exactly the same, but in the same general location). The Chiro I saw said it was because of my HIP FLEXORS that I had to dorsiflex my foot more than usual to clear the ground, which caused the strain of the ligaments and/or aggravated some nerves in the back of my foot/heel.

So, if your chiro hasn't said anything, work on that hip flexor flexibility and strength, as it really does have implications in other parts of your body!

Good luck!

I've started to realize more how inter-connected all these things are- when you compensate for pain/ injury in one part of your body, it's going to affect somewhere else.
My Chiro did mention that there did still seem to be something going on with the Hip Flexor, so that's on his list of stuff to work on as well. I've noticed big improvements in that area though since I started having hip pain- I make sure to do hip & glute stretches after every run, and I've incorporated hip strengthening exercises into my daily core workout as well.
I think part of my problem might be due to "too much too fast." I've only been racing for a couple of years, and in that relatively short time I've pushed pretty hard. I think it's time for some balance. If I'm going to be in this for the long haul, I need to make sure that I train smart and allow for healing time.
So, plan for this year is to not push too hard for a while. The only race I have set in stone is the Philadelphia Marathon, which is 7 months away, so as long as I don't do anything stupid (which is a lot harder for me than one might think..... ) I should be good to go.

[HCcD]

As for me, hard to believe that this week would be 7 years this week, when I had my double partial achilles tears, which occured while prepping for the Run4Reach 1/2 Marathon ....

During the month or two afterwards, in my recovery, rest, visits to the chiro, ART / RMT, and regular appointments with the physio-therapist, as well as a gait assessment and custom orthotics, were the keys .... Since then, regular stretching and daily sessions with The Stick to loosen the calfs/gastrocs/soleus with schedule appointments with the chiro and rmt, have kept me running ....

I think, physically, I was recovered fully about 2-3 years ago, but, only last year did I finally get over it mentally, as I started to run and do speed workout, that were equal to or faster than prior to that incident in 2005 ... Even last month, my RMT commented that the adhesion and scar tissues along the achilles tendon, have all but disappeared ... knock, knock, knock on wood ...

[Jwolf]

Glad it's under control now, Erin. Foot injuries can be extra-problematic for the reasons you describe--we are always using our feet and sometimes it's hard to completely rest the injury. The key is to figure out how to modify your routine and/or daily footwear so that the injury can heal while you are rehabbing it.

You are fortunate it was only six weeks-- many foot issues last much longer. Back in 2009 I was out of running for ten weeks with a foot injury and had to take a leave of absence from my job (which had me on my feet all day, so I couldn't break the cycle of the injury while I had to work). I didn't have hip-flexor issues, but lower leg calf tightness would cause sometimes cause it to flare up (which also eliminated some cross-training activities). Even after it healed, I had to baby it for a long time and had a few relapses (even as late as December of last year). Unfortunately, like a scar from a bad laceration, the scar tissue often remains for a long time and you have to work around it to prevent reinjury. So be careful for any of the warning signs- that's where your bag of tricks, including therapy from trusted professionals and home therapy (self-massage, taping, etc.) can really help. I've gotten to the point where I can can self-treat when this thing comes back.