Bummer.

[jldeleon]

So, now that my husband has been running minimalist for one year, it has become apparent that despite his improvement and relative consistency with good form -his calf muscles are not giving it up.

I thought about this for awhile, it didn't make sense to me. I went minimalist the first 3 months of my barefoot running journey, and then ditched the shoes. My calves eventually quite being used and abused as my form improved. Probably about 4 months into it, they stopped bothering me.

So, I kept ruminating as to why I recovered, but he hasn't. Then I figured it out. Because I went minimalist 100% of my day.

BOOM!

So for any of you out there wondering why you are having a hard time transitioning, there's your big clue.

-As an aside, he has one Morton's Neuroma forming between a couple of his toes.

I explained his options:

#1.) Don't go minimalist in the rest of your life (and don't take advantage of the excellent minimalist work shoes out there which is his main concern) and your calves will eventually blow up -literally (calf heart attack).

#2.) Go back to standard shoes and your Morton's Neuroma WILL worsen and shut you down, quickly -and there's no coming back from it.

 

[JosephTree]

You're back! Again! Missed you!

Some people just get no luck when it comes to adaptable legs. Min shoes just aren't min enough. Maybe an even more aggressive program of rolling and massage? I know you're a genius when it comes to such things, but I'm grasping at straws here.

Perhaps the light is just about to break at the end of the tunnel for him...in a good sense.

 

[paraganek]

Wouldn't there be also a third option - BF full time ?

 

[jldeleon]

You're back! Again! Missed you!

Some people just get no luck when it comes to adaptable legs. Min shoes just aren't min enough. Maybe an even more aggressive program of rolling and massage? I know you're a genius when it comes to such things, but I'm grasping at straws here.

Perhaps the light is just about to break at the end of the tunnel for him...in a good sense.

I have attempted for months to massage the trigger points out of his calves and can not succeed. I just handed him over to a professional MT last week -though at this point the massages are just damage control. He can not take pain like I can, so she has to go extra slow on him. She showed me some techniques to use on him. They make his calves a bit more comfortable, but are too superficial to actually get rid of any trigger points. Basically I am just treating the symptom because that's all I can do.

 

[jldeleon]

Wouldn't there be also a third option - BF full time ?

Though that may be an option for some of us -it's unfortunately not an option for him because of the work he does. Additionally, he is extra sensitive to pain, unlike me. So he can not tolerate what it takes to build up to barefoot.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Once a true MN has been set into motion, no matter what you do, it can't be reversed without surgical intervention, although some have claimed they got rid of the scar tissue build-up from supplements. If he would like to know more, please have him visit MN Talk in my signature.

A Morton's Neuroma is a build-up of scar tissue around the nerve sheath due to compression of the nerve between the metatarsal. If he is dealing with simple swelling, then it's not a neuroma yet, and it can be resolved with rest, ice, correct shoes or no shoes, and some swear by cortisone injections...but some doctors believe that cortisone injections will help with swelling but do nothing for a true neuroma.

It's important to know exactly what he's dealing with before any treatment is applied.

 

[jldeleon]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Also, I should mention that any type of injection will create scar tissue. This is one reason why B-12 is added to alcohol sclerosing injections for MN.

 

[JosephTree]

.... Basically I am just treating the symptom because that's all I can do....

Jen, you can treat my symptoms anytime!

 

[jldeleon]

 

[migangelo]

maybe he's suffering what i was, am, from. weak hips and running from the legs, not the hips. iliopsoas to lift the knees and glutes to extend the thighs. sounds easy but i needed help to figure it out.

 

[jldeleon]

Hmmm. Ya his glutes are ALWAYS tight, actually. Had the MT work on him last night -she did a ton of work on his feet and a little on his calves. Today he said his muscles felt weak while he was running. I told him he was probably mistaking relaxed muscles for weak ones.