Sore Feet

jettshawn

 Hi all, my long runs on thursday are now in the 20 miles range every week not to mention the other weekly scheduled runs. M y right foot in the middle where my arch is, is feeling really bruised and is really sore to even walk on.. Please tell me there is a fix other then stop running. My ironman is just 5 weeks away.

Al Truscott

First - Don't run until you can walk without discomfort! Second, if it takes more than 48 hours for the pain to go away, see a podiatrist or sports med doctor. Third (and this may or may not be relevant), there are many stories of IM athletes who have a running injury within 1-2 months of the race, take 1-2 weeks off, and still end up with a decent marathon. I was one of them last fall, when I developed _severe_ plantar fascia pain during and after a long run 5.5 weeks before IM AZ. I took about 7-8 days off of running, and then no hills or paces faster than EP until the race. On race day, I had no pain, and ran fairly well, enough for a respectable finish, although 10 minutes slower than I'd done 2 years earlier in the same conditions.

While I don't know what your injury is, the PF is the broad band of tissue under the arch of the foot, going to the heel from the ball of your foot. If it is injured, it hurts like the dickens to walk, much less run. No matter what you read, rest and easing back into running is the only solution. 

Ther hardest part, for me at least, of getting a pain like this at a time like this, was the mental trauma, fearing I wouldn't be able to race, or that I would not be able to run during the race. I've got no magic solution for that, just suggestions on keeping a positive attitude, getting a medical exam if things persist, and continuing to bike and swim. And knowing that 1-2 weeks off for healing will NOT totally decimate your running fitness.

jettshawn

Thanks al, great advice, although hard to take, I think it's best to take a week of running off.

jettshawn

Thanks al, great advice, although hard to take, I think it's best to take a week of running off.

jettshawn

Thanks al, great advice, although hard to take, I think it's best to take a week of running off.

jhbinsc

and try to see a doc who is familiar w/ endurance sports and sympathetic to getting you to start line, not just a "quit this stuff you're too old" type! I had one of these! FIRED and got an ortho who does IM.

mgraffeo

And don't forget that if you've already got multiple 20 milers under your belt, you're more than prepared for the race. No need to worry about missing out on a week of running at all!

harrast

I'm looking for some rehab advice here. I went to the podiatrist yesterday. The balls of my feet had been getting progressively sorer and my right foot could hardly bear pressure after a couple of miles running. At first it would feel like an electric shock between my 3rd and 4th toes, then the ball would start to burn. Every foot fall felt like a hot nail being driven through the ball of my food. So yesterday I go to see the podiatrist. I tell him that I'm a runner and a cyclist and that I get a serious pain in the ball of my foot whenever I do either. We talk about the location of the pain in the ball of my foot and he decides that the problem is that there is too much pressure being put on the bones of my 4th toe because there is some issue with the length of bones in my big toe. He takes an x-ray and points to a couple of bones saying something about being too short or too long. Anyway, he says I need an orthodic to take the pressure off the bones of my 4th toe. Then he takes my running shoes and puts a couple of felt pads inside to relieve the pressure. He then makes molds of my feet and tells me that my orthodics will be ready in 2 weeks.

So, today I get up to do my long run. I have these new felt pads in my running shoes. Walking it feels fine, if not a little odd. But when I run, by the time I hit about 6 miles, I'm in REAL pain again. Both feet feel like hot nails are being driven through them. I grit my teeth an try to push through. By mile 10 I can't take it any more. Even after I stop running, every step hurts. This has been going on for weeks if not a month or more. I have a Oly in 2 weeks and a HIM in 6 weeks. I would like to do my best in both, and I would also like to get on the road to recovery. I know I could mask some of the pain with NSAIDs, but that's not the way I normally roll. Any advice is appreciated.

Scott Alexander

Hot?

As you might or might not know, there's a nerve that forms a "y" between each and every toe. And "hot foot" generally is known as nerve neuroma, an inflammation of those nerves. Last week, I had a nerve ablasion procedure, to basically 'kill' the nerves between 2nd and 3rd toes on each foot. So far so good as far as my hot foot is concerned.

The thread is here: members.endurancenation.us/Training...fault.aspx

Just a thought.

Beth_S

Shawn -- Also, how old are your shoes? My sign it is shoe replacement time is due is a little foot pain like that. Also, something else might be out of alignment, so hip stretching and massage might also help your foot pain -- as odd it as may sound.

Jess Withrow

@Shawn - OMG YES, stay off of it!!! I have high arches which led to a fractured sesamoid bone in the ball of my foot six years ago... I aggravated the other foot back in May, thought for sure I broke it, but was fine five days later after some ice and a couple days rest - I started running again with minimal issues, but like an idiot wore flip flops to run some errands a week and a half ago and BOOM - I have been off my foot for the past week and a half, had a cortisone injection Monday afternoon, and like Al said, the mental trauma is KILLING me!!! I also had plantar fasciitis last year about three weeks before IMLou - if that's what you're experiencing, ice, ice, and more ice, and stretch your calf and Achilles. A lot.

@Steven - I found the padding that the podiatrist put in my shoe made things MUCH worse for me (both when I broke my foot and recently with the sesamoiditis). I bought a pair of insoles from the local run store for high arches, traced the area around the ball of my foot on the insole, and cut that part of the insole out to offset/relieve pressure. This has helped IMMENSELY. Give that a shot... just might help. John and I also have a friend who has a problem that sounds really similar to yours - I think she's been having some luck with chiropractic adjustments to her foot.