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Is this a good idea? Pain in foot
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 2011-02-17 5:16 PM |
Veteran  429  |  Subject: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Last September I bought some Vibrams and started running in them. Before then I had never had any musculoskeletal problems. I wasn't smart, and ran long distances like I had before, on hard surfaces, like I had before. Well it didn't take long for my left foot to start hurting. The pain wasn't on the top or bottom of my foot, but more right in the center just behind my 2nd and 3rd toes. I only felt the pain when I held my body weight on the ball of my left foot. So, I took about two weeks off from any running and tried again. At first I was o.k., then more pain just like before. This went on and on basically untill now. I have not seen a doctor because I am a college student without insurance, but I am thinking it is a stress fracture. I guess I should really just take like a month or two off, but I hate to do that. It still hurst a little in that area when I run sometimes, but not enough to keep me from running. My plan is to not run or bike for a week, then walk on grass for a week, and then slowly increase my running time on grass after that barring there is no pain. I plan to focus on swimming right now and some strength training. Any suggestions, thoughts? |
| 2011-02-17 6:44 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
| 201 | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Let me preface this by saying I AM NOT a doctor, and seeing one is probably a good idea, but I also recently moved over to the VFF's and had a similar problem... I switched over to running in my old shoes to take some schock off of the area and focused more on swimming for about two weeks only going on 2 short runs over that span of time, and then eased back into running in the VFF's... This fixed my problem in that area, now I am struggling with achilles problems, but I'll take those over the knee and ankle pain I had with my stability shoes... That worked for me, but once again before somebody jumps on me for offering bad advice, I AM NOT A DOCTOR! Just a college kid who can't afford to go to them either... |
| 2011-02-17 10:11 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
| 431 | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot I just went through something that sounds very similar. Podiatrist had me put these little stickon foam pads on the bottom of my foot NEXT TO the place that hurt, but not over it. The idea being that it removes the pressure from the injury to allow it to heal. I struggled with the pain for several months. Compensating caused a tight soleus and plantar fascia problem. 9 days later and today I am pain free. Today, first day painfree. The little pads look like eva type foam and are about 1/4' thick with adhesive on one side. ETA: Many healthcare providers have self-pay discounts for folks paying cash (uninsured). The discounts can be significant. You might call a few podiatrists in town and inquire what an office visit and set of xrays will run as self pay. Edited by jmot 2011-02-17 10:25 PM |
| 2011-02-18 5:22 AM in reply to: #3360698 |
Master 2491 | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot I developed an inflamed joint capsule at the metatarsal joint in my second toe. Orthotics fixed it. Is there a clinic where you can get medical advice, or a shoe store with an orthotics specialist? |
| 2011-02-18 5:43 AM in reply to: #3360698 |
Master 1841   Sendai, Japan | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Check this out if you want to try and sort out your problems by yourself. FYI - Leigh has sections for all the major body parts and does a great job showing you where the muscles are and where the problem areas are: http://www.athletestreatingathletes.com/self-muscle-massage-series/self-muscle-massage-pt-9-the-foot/ |
| 2011-02-18 8:51 AM in reply to: #3360698 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Pain in foot is not a good idea. |
| 2011-02-18 9:33 AM in reply to: #3360698 |
Science Nerd 28760 Redwood City, California | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot I had pain there and it turned out to be a stress fracture. You should get it checked out. If it's nothing serious, you'll know and won't worry. If it is, you can get the correct treatment. |
| 2011-02-18 3:49 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
Member 169 Taylorsville, KY | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot If your a full-time student, you may be able to get help on campus. From what I remember from school 20+ years ago, we had a 24-hour clinic. The visit fee was very low or free. |
| 2011-02-18 4:20 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
Pro 4353 Wallingford, PA | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Did you switch over to the Vibrams all at once? That's probably not a good idea.... When you recover from whatever foot pain you're feeling now, make the tranisition s--l--o--w--l--y, and maybe consider that a complete transition to vibrams for running might not be for you... I have a pair of vibrams myself, but I don't use them exclusively. As a matter of fact, I haven't run in them in a few months. While I was marathon training in the fall, I did all of my running in shoes, and just haven't picked the vibrams back up yet. I do like to incorporate them now and then for short runs mostly on flat, forgiving surfaces. The rest of my running is done in low profile, light weight shoes, but I switched over to those gradually from heavier more cushioned trainers as well. Any new shoe you try should be worked into your run training gradually to give your body time to adapt.... |
| 2011-02-18 5:35 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
Master 1770 Bedford, MA | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot What was the reasoning for jumping right in with the 5-fingers? Did you read Born to Run and get inspired? I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Was there something wrong with the shoes you had before? I have changed my stride over the past year to be more of a mid-foot striker, but I went with shoes like the Saucony Kinvara, which are minimalist, but not to the extreme. If you keep getting hurt, I think your body is trying to tell you something. We were made to run barefoot, but not on pavement or concrete. Possibly easy back in with the 5-fingers on dirt or grass, but I'd be cautious if you continuously get hurt. |
| 2011-02-18 9:44 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
Champion 7495 Schwamalamadingdong! | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot i had a pain at the base of my second toe, and it turned out to be a torn ligament that required surgery. Time away from running is the best of your options at this point. You can try icing it, too. Stiff-soled shoes (such as clogs) may help. If the pain doesn't resolve on its own, you're probably going to need to seek medical attention to help you determine what the problem is (stress fracture, capsulitis, neuroma, torn ligament, etc.) and the best course of action. Good luck. |
| 2011-02-19 9:58 AM in reply to: #3360698 |
Veteran 429 | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot Thanks for the feedback everyone, I plan to take about two weeks off and then ease back into walking/running on soft grass only at first. Also, to the above poster who mentioned the school clinic, your totally right. My school does have a clinic and I have been so busy that I just forgot about it. Maybe the PA there can give me some advice. I'm really hoping it is just a strain or sprain and not a stress fracture or torn ligament etc. Thanks. |
| 2011-02-19 6:25 PM in reply to: #3360698 |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: Is this a good idea? Pain in foot I have really hesitated to reply because you have already had several people tell you what it might be and I am not a doctor but I have had a lot of foot trouble! I had some pain on the ball of my foot last year. I went to the podiatrist and he diagnosed it as metatarsalgia. The pain was in the same spot your are describing. Turns out this is a fairly common problem and there are a lot of over the counter products that might help alleviate some of your pain. My podiatrist placed some extra padding to the bottom of my shoe inserts which helped but you can find pads at your local drugstore too that help get you buy while you are resting. I found icing my foot really helped a lot. Also loosening the straps on my cycling shoes. I thought I was supposed to pull them really tight for some reason. I also had a bike fitting and found out the cleats on my shoes were in the wrong spot. Finally I had some ART (active release therapy) for a problem I was having with my knee. The doctor worked on my foot a couple of times too and it has been better since. Good luck! |
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