My 3rd phalanges on the right side have a persistent pain that I can't identify. It's not debilitating but it is annoying. It may or may not affect my form. I first noticed it after a fairly fast set of cruise intervals on cold pavement, about two weeks ago.
It manifests when the 3rd phalanges actively plantarflex together against resistance. But it doesn't hurt if one joint or the other is fixed, that is, if I flex just the proximal-medial joint, or the medial-distal joint. Only if both are plantar-flexing in a natural motion and the resistance is at the tip of the distal phalanx. Including, usually, running. There's also significant pain when both are manually plantarflexed to the edge of their range of motion, but less when only the proximal-medial is manually plantarflexed, and none at all for only the medial-distal.
My main concern is how to tell whether it's serious, and also whether it might reduce my performance on footstrike and takeoff, particularly by interfering with the action of the 5th phalanges. Hopefully I've been specific enough, I know you can't tell me much without details.
It manifests when the 3rd phalanges actively plantarflex together against resistance. But it doesn't hurt if one joint or the other is fixed, that is, if I flex just the proximal-medial joint, or the medial-distal joint. Only if both are plantar-flexing in a natural motion and the resistance is at the tip of the distal phalanx. Including, usually, running. There's also significant pain when both are manually plantarflexed to the edge of their range of motion, but less when only the proximal-medial is manually plantarflexed, and none at all for only the medial-distal.
My main concern is how to tell whether it's serious, and also whether it might reduce my performance on footstrike and takeoff, particularly by interfering with the action of the 5th phalanges. Hopefully I've been specific enough, I know you can't tell me much without details.