Totally messed up leg

velcrochicken

Barefooters
Dec 17, 2014
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Help!!!

Like many posters I'm reaching a point of considering cutting my leg off. I will try and keep this short as I cant write a novel on the problems.

Years back I was prescribed Orthotics due to some knee pain and sharp pains I was getting in my Hip Flexors. Things were mostly good for about 12 months than thing started going down hill fast.

My left glute tightened like crazy, the outside of my foot kept spraining (turned out my pereneols were super tight)
I switched orthotics and kept having more and more problems my calf that side got super tight, I started getting tearing in my arch and my hips were tight as crazy.

Looking forward now.

I transitioned out of the orthotics and have been barefoot for 2 years. (90% of the time).

This instantly resolved a great chunk of the problems but i am still no where near "fixed"

Current issues -

If I don't stretch my left calf constantly my foot/arch gets super tight causing me problems with supination and normal pronation. I have had dry needling, massage, the works but they are still super tight.

My left Arch is super tight each morning and I get the feeling of minor tearing towards the big toe most mornings, doesn't really hurt though just a sharp pain than gone. Wearing supportive shoes causes this same tearing feeling.

Massage to the post tib and the peroneals and gastroc are the only things that give me some relief but its like something is really loading these 3 muscles. I'm seeing a Physio who really isn't getting me anywhere fast beyond needling my Gastroc each session.

So to sum it up.

Tight Gastroc Outside and inside (mainly along the inside of leg though)
Tight peroneals
Tight post tib
Orthotics make it all worse.
Depending on how bad my foots playing up my glute will start to get very tight.

Help, or if anyone knows someone in Geelong Victoria Australia?

Thanks
 
As many runners do, your obsession with where is hurts is likely not why it hurts. When a muscle constantly needs to be stretched it is likely straining and by working it constantly, you are straining it more. I am not sure where the idea of placing a foot orthotic in a shoe will cure everything came from but it doesn't. On the other hand, doing therapies on an area also will not work if you do not first understand the problem you are experiencing.

It is quite likely the problems are located in your core, and that you are under and over striding, with the understride likely on the side that is asymptomatic and the overstride on the side you are having symptoms (just an educated guess). I am also assuming that your core is distorted and you are likely hunching your shoulders when you run which will aggravated the problem.

Some simple tests to diagnose a core problem is to do a squat slowly in front of a mirror. Do your hips distort when you do this. When standing on one leg, is one side easier than the other to balance on? Also, have a friend take a video of you running for a minute on a treadmill. Is your stride symmetrical (barefoot runners have a shorter mid foot strike typically) or not. Do a video walking, does your hip drop.

These are things your therapist should be looking at. You may want to read my book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain which is available through Amazon. It can give you a better understanding since you will understand mechanics better in the spine.

Hope that helps
 
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