Channeling Lomad

[Haselsmasher]

Today is the 3 wk anniversay

Today is the 3 wk anniversay of my 3 wk sentence to the boot. I had a relatively rough weekend. Pain on Sunday (not major) which lead me to be 100% sure I was going to be walking out of the doctor's today in either 1) more boot time but with a scooter or 2) a cast.

Well - I guess it's good I'm not a doctor - because I received neither. He thinks the bone has improved and now my issue is soft tissue pulling on the periostum (sp?). So the boot is gone. I have some cushions under the heel to make things less harsh for a while, and a scrip for PT.

I never thought a conventional running shoe would feel "minimalist" - but after 3 weeks in the boot - it feels light as a feather.

We talked A LOT about barefoot running. While saying he has seen his rate of calcaneal stress fractures skyrocket in the last 2-3 years he is absolutely convinced 1) BF/minimalist is the right way to go and 2) he definitely has patients that used to see him that now don't - because their injury rates are down. He said the whole issue, as we know, is the transition. "We're using these structures in ways they're not used to - and they have to adapt. It can take a while."

PT starts tomorrow. Hopefully the vector will continue to be up-and-to-the-right.

Jim

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Is your doctor on the

Is your doctor on the barefoot-friendly map, Hasel?

Did you ask him specifically if these increased injuries were barefoot or "barefoot shoe" injuries. Seems the medical community can't tell the difference, and they surely don't seem to be asking their patients for specifics.

Besides, what is the ratio of minshoe runners to barefoot runners? 10:1? It's a very rare thing to find a barefoot runner in a doctor's office due to a barefoot running injury. The majority of these injuries are coming from minshoe runners who claim they were running barefoot in their "barefoot shoes."

 

[Haselsmasher]

TJ - Yes he is on the map.  I

TJ - Yes he is on the map. I told him about BRS and that I'd taken the liberty of putting him on the map and hoped he had no issue with that. He smiled and said "Absolutely no issue at all! I appreciate it!"

We didn't talk fine points of real barefoot vs "barefoot shoes" - but when he started talking about increased stress fractures he has seen I referenced "VFFs" as a class (that was my intention) and the overall craze. I kind of got worried he was impuning (right word?) the movement overall so I kept the conversation going and he referenced Lieberman and Curicella? - the doc from MD who has that BEAUTIFUL video on YouTube. He seemed quite familiar with their work - including the fact apparently a study has been commissioned to see if they can really-and-finally prove reduced injury rates. His basic position seems to be we're calling on the structures to be used in WAY different ways than they're used to, although these "new" ways are better in the long run.

His reaction to my situation was absolutely "We just need to get you through this so you can continue on.".

Jim

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That sounds promising but

That sounds promising but more work needs to be done. We would like the medical professionals to understand that collectively through our many experiences, we have found that our bare skin prevents us from doing TMTS whereas the minshoes convince people they can continue to run on as they always have. It's that false sense of security that comes from having something underfoot that is getting these people injured, not their bare soles. We have to keep educating each other of these facts. I'm not saying barefoot runners never get injured or never experience stress fractures. Of course they do but not at the rate the minshoe wearers are, no where near. Being able to interpret the ground allows us to run smarter, being able to feel the ground limits our ability to run too far, too fast, too hard, and too often, until we are ready. It's difficult to overdue it when our soles are so sensitive to the changes and adaptations taking place. In minshoes, we are unable to tell if the changes we are experiencing are good ones or bad ones, so we continue on. You know the drill. Sorry to spill.

 

[Lomad]

Sounds like good news, Jim!

Sounds like good news, Jim! Good luck wth the recovery/PT! I ran another mile Sunday (well, 9/10 of a mile, but who's counting?) Things are surely looking up!