Various and annoying foot pains. Insight? (Read 212 times)

Thanks in advance for the help, I'm fairly new to running and brand new to actually training rather than haphazardly running as far as I can in the amount of time I have allotted!

I had a stress fracture of my 4th metatarsal last fall. It healed-ish and I ran my first half in November and re-fractured it.

I just got the results of an MRI today and I'm totally healed. Yay! But I still have pain. Pain when I push on my old fracture sight, pain when I push on other random bony parts of my foot. Pain in my other foot too! Sometimes both my pinky toes feel a bit numb/tingly.

I'm looking for any insight someone can offer. I got custom arch supports from my podiatrist only to have my orthopedist tell me I didn't need them and shouldn't wear them.

I alternate btw Mizuno Wave Rider 12 and Adidas Supernova Glide. I'm going to try lacing the Lydiard way, but any other suggestions? Has anyone had their form analyzed, or is it a load of bull to sell you some new shoes?

When you put a lot of pressure on your quads, particularly when your body is stil developing, you get a "knobby" knee--a little bump right underneath your knee cap.  What happens, basically, is that your quads get so strong or they work so hard that the tendon that all those powerful quad muscles are connected and attached to the shin bone is peeling off from the bone.  Naturally, the body tries not to do that so it strengthens the spot by getting calcium deposit to build up=knobby (415).

So actually pretty much the same thing happens when you have had a crack or fracture in your bone.  Healing means the body had made that area stronger by getting calcium deposite and building it up.  So usually you get this small "bump" around the area.  The degree of "pain" would be different from person to person--particularly due to the sensitivity to pain.  Some people just ignore it while, with the same degree of "pain", they register it as a pain.  But some level of discomfort is quite normal.  If I understand it correctly, it doesn't bother you when you run, it doesn't really hurt when running or walking.  It's just tender to the touch or "pushing".  Well, my advice to that is "Don't push!" 

If you understand the growing process, it's a repetitive cycle of breaking down tissues and rebuilding them.  You break-down your body with "workout" and your body would rebuild it and make it stronger with "recovery".  So obviously you are abusing your body to a certain degree.  Some level of aches and pains can be expected.  If that pursists, you'd better watch out.  But otherwise, if it just comes and disappears, I wouldn't worry too much about it.  If it doesn't hurt while running but hurts only when you (unnaturally) press it; then don't.

Lydiard lacing (http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/training/lacingthelydiardway.aspx) seems to work well with Morton's neuroma or numbing of the foot when pinchingn of metatarsals creates some issues.  It takes pressure off your feet.  It could get a bit tricky to do it especially some shoes with very frimsy material or odd-numbered shoe eye-lets (on one side) or one of those shoe-lace "ring" or "tag" (like SuperNova).  You COULD just chop that off and punch a hole. 

Have your form checked can be a very useful and effetive way to eliminate injuries BUT it has to be done with experienced eyes.  To be honest with you, I would not necessarily trust some college kid at a running store or even some health club "trainer".  One of my friends had her VO2Max checked by a "club trainer".  She came back and told me that hers was 130 something.  So I said "130 of what?"  She had no idea and went back and asked the guy who did the test for her.  He didn't know either!  Now that's not running form but you know what I mean.  With a running form, I'd say 90% of the time, they'll tell you that you "pronate".  Make sure you ask them to explain what pronation is and to what extent they consider "OVER-pronation".  And then make sure they'll show you the film of your running form and have them explain, frame by frame, what is going on when you run.  If what they told you doesn't make sense, dont' liten to them.  If they can't explain what's going on, don't listen to them.  There aren't too many people who are qualified to explain and analyze your biomechanics so be careful.