Genetics

Noonie

Barefooters
Jun 23, 2013
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I'm wondering if my persisting injury/troubles are linked to the make up of my muscle structure and other human body stuff I don't understand, versus the regular form, running schedule, stretching, footwear (or lack there of), etc...usual causes. I'll try and explain below and would love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience

I've been running for about three years. Cycling for 10+. In cycling, I've never been injured. And I ride a lot, but also go through times of up/down total distance cycled in a week. I may average long rides of 50-60k, and then jump to 100+...still no injury. Similarly, I may right flat roads for weeks, and then do lots of climbing in a week...no injury.

With running, I've almost always had a "niggle" on my right side, in the lower calf area. Sometimes the niggle is also felt in my achilles or bottom of my foot. After doing some intense physio, mentioned below, I started running again...started at 15 minutes 3 x a week and got the same old issues as I approached the 25-30 minute mark many weeks later (after gradual progress). I'm careful and don't ever run so much that the sensation (pain) becomes anything more than 3 out of 10 on the hurt cycle. I could almost say I keep it to 1 out of 10.

When I look at both of my calf muscles, I notice that my left one looks longer than the right, and that it protrudes a bit more. This has been the case for years, as I noticed it with cycling. Again, never bothered me during cycling. Today when I came back from a hard ride I noticed that my left calf looked bulked up from the effort. On my right side there is a long, thin muscle that runs along the inside of my right leg, just below the calf, this was also bulked up (though much smaller than a calf muscle)...this goes away a little time after, but I've always noticed this.

So with running, is this muscle difference between the legs perhaps the reason for my continued niggles on that right leg? Could it be that my right calf is slower to develop (or can't, much further)? I've been to physio and she did a test and noticed how weak this calf was. So she gave me exercises to strengthen it. I did them for months and I didn't necessarily get better at them, and I continued getting these niggles.

Thoughts?
 
Hi Noonie,
A weak muscle on one side is not necessarily caused by genetics, but more likely linked to an accident in the past, like a sprained ankle or some kind of fall (this might even have happened lots of years ago). In a nutshell: an articulation has been dislodged ever so slightly and this causes compensations along the whole muscle chain: some muscles will be continually slightly shortened and others continually slightly lengthened. Exercises to strengthen the weak muscle won't do anything if the cause has not been rectified.

If you are open for the concepts of traditional chinese medicine: a weak muscle may also be linked to a meridian and the organ this latter is related to.
 
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an articulation has been dislodged ever so slightly and this causes compensations along the whole muscle chain
This might have happened to me. While transitioning, I noticed that my gait was asymmetrical. Also, my right foot became more developed muscularly than my left foot. I thought that the right side was was compensating for a flatter forefoot. Turns out it was the bunion on my left foot that was keeping it underdeveloped, due to an abnormal gait. As I've managed to improve the bunion over the past few years with stretches and exercises, the left foot is starting to develop more, too.
 
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Thank you, Sid, for opening my eyes to changing BFR gait. Unlike shod, which was pretty much constant hammer-all-joints-desrtuctively, with "inconsequential" variations from shoe du jour.
 
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Yesterday I attended a social event with my wife's cycling club. They annually ride 300 miles in three days for the Make A Wish foundation's Wish A Mile event . They train year round, today Diane spun with them. Greater than half of the over one hundred member team used to be marathon runners. Only a handful still run at all. Some are in their twenties, but most are 50+. Some are in their 70's! ALL of them ride numerous centuries per year to prep for the three in a row, and most ride five days a week or more and consider rides of 25 miles as not really counting.
Cycling can be done all day every day by most people, but from what I've seen only an elite few can run daily long distances throughout middle age and into their senior years without injury.
I don't find it surprising that you have issues related to running while you didn't when cycling.
Running forums are filled with injury/over use/TMTS reports, while cycling forums talk mostly about new hardware.
I LOVE RUNNING!!!!!! And especially the simplicity and joy of BFRunning.
But I do believe that despite humans being Born to Run, it does take a toll on most whereas most adults even if overweight can successfully train for a century on a fitness style bike in just one season.
 
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