Tendonitis vs Stress Fracture? (Read 246 times)

So... Sunday I ran a half marathon, my 2nd. It could not have gone better, I felt great the whole time. Awhile afterwards, I developed a pain in my foot when I put pressure on my heel. It did not hurt otherwise when I was not putting my weight on my heel, but as soon as I stepped down I would have a very sharp but kind of achy pain along the outside bottom of my foot, right in front of my heel. As soon as I took the pressure off my heel the pain would stop.

I went to work all day Monday (I have a very active job working with small children....I do a LOT of walking at work and am on my feet all day) and limped around all day walking only on the ball of my foot. It felt like a badly pulled muscle if I had to compare the pain to anything else I'd experienced.

Consulting Doctor Google led me to think it was a lower peroneal tendon injury. The pain was in the area the tendon wraps around the foot and attaches to the cuboid bone. And I overpronate and have tight calves, which according to internet research can cause peroneal tendonitis.

The next day (yesterday) I got out of bed and the pain had not gotten better so I called out of work and went to the doctor. My primary care doctor had no idea, but referred me to a podiatrist in the same building who was able to squeeze me in. He palpated my foot and moved it in all different directions. Nothing hurt that he did other than when he pressed really hard on that one spot where I get the pain (outside edge of the bottom of the foot in front of the heel) or when I put my weight on the foot. Based on that he said stress fracture of the cuboid bone not the peroneal tendon.

I'm not entirely convinced. The pain just didn't feel like bone pain if that makes sense. Anyone have any experience with either injury? Also, does the treatment of the 2 injuries differ? He told me it actually doesn't matter which I have that the treatment is the same. He put me in a soft cast and told me to leave it on for 3 days and try not to walk around at all and not to work, and after the 3 days to walk only in a boot. He said he would do that for either injury.

Also, if anyone has had either injury, how long were you off running? Were you able to do stationary bike? My Dr told me no spinning even if I only put pressure on the ball of my foot.

Thanks!

I don't know if I can tell the difference between stress fracture pain and tendinitis pain.

Your foot hurt 2 days after a half marathon and they put you in a boot? That seems like an overreaction.

But hey I avoid doctors and nearly all costs when it comes to running injuries so I'm probably not a good person to ask.

You already know some of this, but here goes...

I had peroneal tendinitis in February.  Mine didn't hurt at the heel, it was closer to the middle/front of my foot -- my doctor suspected a sfx of the fifth metatarsal, not the cuboid.  I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt to put weight on my heel, but it did hurt when I rolled off the ball of my foot to walk, so I had to shuffle/limp.  I ran a race on it -- and PRed -- but I was aided by the fact that it was so cold outside, I couldn't feel my feet.  And then I couldn't walk afterwards.  It took around two weeks for me to be back to normal.  I was able to cycle all along, though -- it didn't hurt my foot to pedal, it just hurt to clip out, so I had to take my foot out of the shoe and then remove the shoe from the pedal using my hands.

As for stress fractures, well.  I've had a lot of them, as you know.  But they were all pelvic/sacral, which is really very different.  I was out substantially longer for those... and it would have been even longer if I didn't have access to an AlterG.

The treatment is the same for both of them up to a point -- initially, all you can do is rest it.  But personally, I'd still want to know what exactly is wrong, so I'd get an MRI if possible.

This is also a possibility.

http://www.sportnetdoc.com/foot-heel/inflammation-of-the-heel-fat-pad

Not being able to walk without pain for three days after a race doesn't necessarily mean something is broken or even severely injured. It may well resolve on its own. Good luck.

Not being able to walk without pain for three days after a race doesn't necessarily mean something is broken or even severely injured. It may well resolve on its own. Good luck.

This.

Kristin,

Coming off a stress fracture in my foot earlier this year, I can tell you that from the moment it fractured (I could go back to that 5k and plant my foot in the exact spot it happened) it hurt. It didn't go away when I iced it, it didn't go away when I sat down, it didn't go away when I rested it for hours, and I didn't want to go to the doctor because I didn't want them to touch it. Honestly, I knew when I stuck my foot under that x-ray machine they were going to tell me it was broken (you can imagine how that felt since "broken or fractured" was also code for "No Boston.") I hope that not what it is. I know people have run on stress fractures in other areas but not so much in the foot. I actually finished that race but it was the worst .58 miles EVER!

Why would he put you in a boot without a bone scan/x-ray?  Very odd.  I had pain in the exact same spot and it ended up being the Flexor hallucis longus muscle.  It hurts only when I squeeze in the exact same area you described and my doctor didn't think it was a big deal, said just to take some time off.  I ice my foot in a bucket of ice cubes and water from time to time.

I know it's too late, but if my doctor sent me to a podiatrist who wanted me in a boot without proper x-rays and scans I would walk out and ask to see another specialist.

So... Sunday I ran a half marathon, my 2nd. It could not have gone better, I felt great the whole time. Awhile afterwards, I developed a pain in my foot when I put pressure on my heel. It did not hurt otherwise when I was not putting my weight on my heel, but as soon as I stepped down I would have a very sharp but kind of achy pain along the outside bottom of my foot, right in front of my heel. As soon as I took the pressure off my heel the pain would stop.

 

I went to work all day Monday (I have a very active job working with small children....I do a LOT of walking at work and am on my feet all day) and limped around all day walking only on the ball of my foot. It felt like a badly pulled muscle if I had to compare the pain to anything else I'd experienced.

 

Consulting Doctor Google led me to think it was a lower peroneal tendon injury. The pain was in the area the tendon wraps around the foot and attaches to the cuboid bone. And I overpronate and have tight calves, which according to internet research can cause peroneal tendonitis.

 

The next day (yesterday) I got out of bed and the pain had not gotten better so I called out of work and went to the doctor. My primary care doctor had no idea, but referred me to a podiatrist in the same building who was able to squeeze me in. He palpated my foot and moved it in all different directions. Nothing hurt that he did other than when he pressed really hard on that one spot where I get the pain (outside edge of the bottom of the foot in front of the heel) or when I put my weight on the foot. Based on that he said stress fracture of the cuboid bone not the peroneal tendon.

 

I'm not entirely convinced. The pain just didn't feel like bone pain if that makes sense. Anyone have any experience with either injury? Also, does the treatment of the 2 injuries differ? He told me it actually doesn't matter which I have that the treatment is the same. He put me in a soft cast and told me to leave it on for 3 days and try not to walk around at all and not to work, and after the 3 days to walk only in a boot. He said he would do that for either injury.

 

Also, if anyone has had either injury, how long were you off running? Were you able to do stationary bike? My Dr told me no spinning even if I only put pressure on the ball of my foot.

 

Thanks!