It's been a while since I've updated here, mostly because there hasn't been much to update. But now I do have updates, so here they are.
I still don't feel like my foot is 100%. It's definitely better than it was a few weeks ago, but every now and then, I'll notice something not feeling quite right. I'm still taping it up every day, though, and I think that helps.
I have a follow-up doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing the ultrasound to see if things are better on the inside.
I went to Fleet Feet on Friday to get new running shows. My doctor had given me a list of shoes he recommended for my foot type, so I took that in. We went through the list and I tried the different brands on. Most of them didn't feel like they fit my foot right, except for one style of Saucony that I liked. Unfortunately, they didn't have that style in my shoe size (I have wide feet). They had to special order them and it's going to take a couple weeks to come in. So I'm going to take that extra time to let my foot recuperate that much more before I start running again.
Well, taking that extra time off means I don't have enough time to train for the Monster Half-Marathon I was planning to run on October 31st (it was going to be pushing it to be ready for 10/31 as it was if I could have run this week). There just aren't enough weeks for me to get back to 13 miles after losing my conditioning during this injury. But, this leaves me with a certain clarity of purpose. My ultimate goal has been to run the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in February. So once I get my new shoes and my foot is better, I'm going to make that day 1 of training for the marathon. Once I figure out my training schedule, I'll get that posted up here. Wish me luck!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Injury update - my new doctor!
I met yesterday with Dr. Chin from The Running Institute, recommended by my coach, Jenny Hadfield (who also happens to be a writer for Runner's World magazine, so she knows what she's talking about).
I'm so happy I went there! The first podiatrist I saw, back in July, gave me about 5 minutes of his time, told me to buy inserts, and that was that. In contrast, my visit to Dr. Chin involved an extensive history so they could understand the likely causes of my injury. My foot was then thoroughly examined by hand. Then he did an ultrasound and was able to see that I didn't have plantar fasciitis at all, but a muscle contusion. My plantar fascia tendon was not inflamed, but normal size. But there was a knot of muscle that should not be knotted when I flex my foot, and we could see it on the ultrasound as I flexed my foot. Very cool! I forgot to ask if it was going to be a boy or a girl, though.
Then Dr. Chin taped the arch of my foot with this super-sticky athletic take, Leukotape, that would help spread the impact of my foot across the whole arch as it struck the ground. Then he had me run on a treadmill and filmed it, so we could watch my gait in slow motion. We could see how my foot hit the ground and what my shoes were doing to/for my feet.
As it turns out, Fleet Feet didn't give me the right kind of shoes for my feet, which surprises me, given their supposed expertise. They'd given me stability shoes, when Dr. Chin said a neutral shoe would be best. My previous shoes were apparently giving me too much support in my arch. Thankfully the new pair of shoes I bought are still within the 30-day window, so I can return them. Then when my foot is healed, I can get the right kind of shoe for me. He gave me a list of shoes specifically for me.
My healing regime is three-fold. 1) Tape my foot up every day like he showed me. 2) Massage my foot, especially the heel, to work out that knot. 3) Stretch out my calves, which are apparently fairly tight. I now have a sort of rocking chair cradle for my foot that I stand on that helps me stretch out my calves, one at a time. I'm supposed to do this ten times for each leg, for 20-30 seconds each time. And if I do all that, I should be 85-90% healed in the next two to three weeks and can start running again.
I've got a follow-up visit in a month so Dr. Chin can evaluate my progress.
All in all, I was very pleased with the amount of time and attention that Dr. Chin gave me. In retrospect, it's clear that the other podiatrist I'd been to didn't want to spend the time to properly diagnose me and give me the right advice. So, if your doctor isn't doing everything that Dr. Chin did, find another doctor!
I'm so happy I went there! The first podiatrist I saw, back in July, gave me about 5 minutes of his time, told me to buy inserts, and that was that. In contrast, my visit to Dr. Chin involved an extensive history so they could understand the likely causes of my injury. My foot was then thoroughly examined by hand. Then he did an ultrasound and was able to see that I didn't have plantar fasciitis at all, but a muscle contusion. My plantar fascia tendon was not inflamed, but normal size. But there was a knot of muscle that should not be knotted when I flex my foot, and we could see it on the ultrasound as I flexed my foot. Very cool! I forgot to ask if it was going to be a boy or a girl, though.
Then Dr. Chin taped the arch of my foot with this super-sticky athletic take, Leukotape, that would help spread the impact of my foot across the whole arch as it struck the ground. Then he had me run on a treadmill and filmed it, so we could watch my gait in slow motion. We could see how my foot hit the ground and what my shoes were doing to/for my feet.
As it turns out, Fleet Feet didn't give me the right kind of shoes for my feet, which surprises me, given their supposed expertise. They'd given me stability shoes, when Dr. Chin said a neutral shoe would be best. My previous shoes were apparently giving me too much support in my arch. Thankfully the new pair of shoes I bought are still within the 30-day window, so I can return them. Then when my foot is healed, I can get the right kind of shoe for me. He gave me a list of shoes specifically for me.
My healing regime is three-fold. 1) Tape my foot up every day like he showed me. 2) Massage my foot, especially the heel, to work out that knot. 3) Stretch out my calves, which are apparently fairly tight. I now have a sort of rocking chair cradle for my foot that I stand on that helps me stretch out my calves, one at a time. I'm supposed to do this ten times for each leg, for 20-30 seconds each time. And if I do all that, I should be 85-90% healed in the next two to three weeks and can start running again.
I've got a follow-up visit in a month so Dr. Chin can evaluate my progress.
All in all, I was very pleased with the amount of time and attention that Dr. Chin gave me. In retrospect, it's clear that the other podiatrist I'd been to didn't want to spend the time to properly diagnose me and give me the right advice. So, if your doctor isn't doing everything that Dr. Chin did, find another doctor!
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