Post race foot question

[Figment1990]

I have a Question for coach or other experienced runners....

After the wine and dine, my foot/ankle was really sore from the angle of the road. After 3 weeks this pain has FINALLY gotten down to maybe a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1-10. Yesterday I saw the ortho and had more X-rays taken. He said they were negative but did think that things looked "thin" on my upper (well, towards the toes) foot that he would expect more of a rebuild up of (something I didn't understand- callous or something?) there for a normal 34 yr old runner this long after the race. That area is somewhat tender when he presses on it but he doesn't suspect a stress fracture but said if it doesn't improve at least 50% in a week to call him and he will have me get an MRI.

I'm glad the ankle is starting to feel better but now I'm trying to understand my foot thing. Three years ago I had a knee issue and I had to take calcium, d, and co q10 and I have to do my knee pt exercises every other day AND impact exercise like running to keep my knee from getting weak and pain. I had some chronic regional pain syndrome w that and my quad atrophied. Anyhow- I'm wondering if this is all related and complicated and if I need to take supplements again and all that or if its simpler and the thin foot thing is partially due to not running after the race for a few weeks. Or is the tenderness just related to the tendinitis that he thinks I had a little of from the race?

Any advice, suggestions coach (or others)? Do you know what my doc meant about expecting it to be thicker??? I am doing my new foot exercises too altho I did a new DVD last night so that might be stressing the foot a little. I have run twice just a very little bit with no pain to my ankle.

 

[cewait]

First, let me say I am not a doctor…. And you should stick to his orders.

As a runner I would take supplements to assure a healthy body. I take a multi-vitamin aimed at athletes so it contains much of what you were supplementing. As I near a marathon, I will add calcium either in diet or supplementation.

With regard to thicker… was he talking about the bursa? The bursa is a sack in and around joints that help to lube the joint area. It there is a structural issue with joint in the foot, it can create inflammation in the bursa and you would feel pain from the inflammation or bursitis.

I am not sure that he would have been talking about calluses from the pain you describe. Calluses are natures method of preventing blisters. A thick callused foot will not blister nearly as easily.

Regardless, get in if the pain does not clear. X-Rays are notoriously poor in spotting an active stress fracture. They can show where one was or is well healed. The MRI may be in order to rule out a SF.

Personally, I suspect it is bursitis that has not fully healed. Hang in there.

 

[Figment1990]

Coach- thanks for the reply. I thought it was weird when he said "callous" also- so he must have been referring to something else at that point. Is there something that would show up on an xray sort of in the bone that he would be referring to because he was pointing to the bones in my foot towards my toes. And now I remember that he said he saw that in the middle bone in my foot but my pain when he pressed around was more towards the fourth and small outside bone.

Anyhow- my plan is to stay off it with regards to running or workouts for another week since each week it seems to be getting better and stick with lifting and pt exercises and core work. Plus I'm going to go back to improving my diet (making sure I get all the protein and nutrients I need) as well as take the vitamins. I think it will get better. If not I'll definitely call him for the MRI. I have a wonderful doc- he was amazing in rehabbing my leg three years ago.

Oh- and I'm gonna replace my shoes too- even tho they probably only have 350 miles or so on them, it's adding up quicker now bc I've been wearing them while recovering.

Thanks again!

 

[Princess Steph]

I am also not a doctor, but a orthopedic Physical Therapist. We expect to see a callus of bone around a healing fracture. The doctor never diagnosed a fracture? Also, I suspect your complex regional pain syndrome (or RSD) may be a cause of the thinning bone. At late stage of the disorder, the lack of use will cause this damage to the bone. Given your strong recovery, it should have corrected already. Get the MRI, it can't hurt anything but your wallet! and you will know if there is an injury or not. good luck

 

[cewait]

Thanks... Learned a new term.. I knew healed fracture sites where somewhat easy to spot but did not know the term

 

[Figment1990]

Thanks princess Steph! What u said makes sense. I now remember him saying that if I had a stress fracture he would have expected to see that (the callus.) And since he didn't and since that wasn't where my pain was exactly (mine was more near the ankle not forefoot) he didn't think it was a fracture. He actually said that at this point because of how much better I was feeling and a lack of anything he saw on the X-ray, he didn't suspect a fracture.

However, I think given my past history w my knee, if the pain is still there next week I'm going to see if I can get the MRI maybe on my knee down to ankle. (not sure if that's possible). The atrophy that happens to my quad when I don't run for a week is so rapid I would like my doc to check my knee as well. With my knee the doc suspected crps but then after I finally got to the pain specialist (a month later) I had improved enough that she was pleased and said I may have had it but not anymore. It took a LOT of work to come back but as of late October this year, I felt 99% back.

I'm the meantime, I'm faithfully doing my pt and ice and all that.