One problem leads to another!

[Neil_D]

After 4 months of a tendon injury around the ankle that is slowly healing I have found another problem that others may have experienced. I have been running to get back into shape again and the ankle is 90% ok but it must have subtly altered my running style and I have developed a callus on the outside of my left foot, near the small toe (the injured ankle is on the right). I also have a callus on my right big toe, this was caused because the tendon injury meant I couldn't control the toe landing. It is quite frustrating as following on I have now rubbed up blisters. Barefoot running is so much more finely tuned than running in shoes, everything has to be perfect.

I was hoping to run in a race tomorrow but I think I'll pull the plug on that one, it was a 16km over rough stony ground and I think I would only cause myself more problems.

Maybe a nice easy beach run is called for ;-)



Neil

 

[migangelo]

i'm with you Neal. just when

i'm with you Neal. just when i fix one problem another shows up. two years of min/bf and i fear i will go through this for even longer. oh well, just as long as i'm able to keep running i can keep working out the kinks.

 

[Abide]

Bummer man, sorry to hear

Bummer man, sorry to hear about your woes.

I agree with Mike, actually I'm not sure there are many active people who are not dealing with some issue at any given time. It's all about working through them while not making it worse.

Have you checked working mobility and strength training into your routine? I hear it works wonders.

 

[NickW]

You know, I never used to

You know, I never used to have problems running. Never. Now, I have been injured twice in the almost year that I've been running barefoot. I am not saying it is barefoot runnings fault mind you. I wonder if age has anything to do with injuries and imbalances? Obviously my body also has still not adjusted completely to using all the muscles that barefoot running. It's weird, I run slower and listen to my body much more than I ever used to and somehow I get hurt more now than I ever used to.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Neil, I hope you can get this

Neil, I hope you can get this worked out and heal. I'm always so proud of you and your running and your progress.

 

[Neil_D]

Thanks guys and girls.Hey,

Thanks guys and girls.

Hey, look I'm sure it will be a temporary thing, I've been running for over 30 years and the last couple of years have been some of the best. I've said before, running is similar to golf in that you can never get too over confident as it has a way of slapping you around the back of the head, that is what I got. Learn to be humble.

It is risky to run through injuries or start back too soon. Running is a simple yet complicated function, our brain compensates for an injury by stopping us taking full weight on the damaged spot, this means that the other leg then has to cope with extra loads and can then cause problems there, hence the callus on the outside edge of the opposing foot. I took to it with a file (not an actual file) and got rid of most of the callus and it feels much better, just got to wait for the blood blister to heal on my big toe.

I guess the reason I went back too early was I felt that as I ran all through the winter, the rain and the cold, the spring would be my reward........ and I didn't get it.

Autumn will bring cooler temperatures, that will be my reward.



Neil

 

[jldeleon]

ptNeil_D wrote:It is risky

pt

It is risky to run through injuries or start back too soon. Running is a simple yet complicated function, our brain compensates for an injury by stopping us taking full weight on the damaged spot, this means that the other leg then has to cope with extra loads and can then cause problems there, hence the callus on the outside edge of the opposing foot.

Neil,

I wish you could beat this sentiment into some of my friends thick skulls. They think that the term "work through the pain" means to work through INJURY pain. I have a friend who just sprained (not strained) her knee and is still running on it DAILY -she will pay... Only lactic acid and an occasional mild muscle cramp should ever be "worked through".

I had an acupuncturist tell me years ago that the first serious injury you have will, more or less predict the syndromes you will experience in the future, as well as what sides they will happen on. Makes sense based upon the chain reaction that injuries cause.

And yes, Nick, of course age affects our bodies and it's resilience. But Mike is right, keep on keeping on. There will always be kinks, so it's best to learn to roll with the punches -and take breaks when necessary. Furthermore, your body may hurt while you exercise for various reasons over the years, but it will hurt WORSE if you don't exercise at all. That's what I tell all the elderly people I work with when they complain about their PT exercises.

I plan to be the 90 year old lady I just read about who is doing aerobic classes 3X a week and yoga 5X a week. I will increase my exercise as I get older - and will keep my muscles "young".

 

[scedastic]

Neil_D wrote: Barefoot

Barefoot running is so much more finely tuned than running in shoes, everything has to be perfect.

Neil

Especially when we have spent much of our lifetimes moving around in thick narrow shoes. It's so hard to remember just how careful one must be. I took lots of time off of running over the years, and building up mileage in shoes just meant going out and seeing how far I could make it, regardless of how much running I had been building up to. No big deal. Not any more.

But I don't think it's bf running by itself that is a delicate sport; it's the deformities in my feet and the awkwardness of my gait as I try to learn to make sense of what my body is supposed to do. I'm not sure how much of the life in shoes can be undone by a year or two or even three of bf running?