outside foot pain (Read 106 times)

i just started getting into running and i found that i have a problem.

i noticed that the outside of my left foot has started to hurt kinda the abductor digiti minimi not really sure if that's actually whats wrong just giving a general area were the pain is coming from.

i looked at my old shoes and sure enough the outside of my left foot is more worn then my right, so i went and got an analyses done by a local she store and they video taped me running barefoot i can definitely tell that my left foot is striking more on the outside of the foot. it almost looks like i'm running pigeon toed on my left,  my right looks normal nice and straight.

i'm having a lot of pain and don't really know what i should do. has anyone else had this issue.

i am new to this forum and actually never posted in any forum before but i thought you guys would know just as much as my doctor and probably more considering he asks me what i want to do about it when i tell him i have pain hoping he will get away easy prescribing some pain meds.

the pain it more torwards my pinky toe than my heel

This might not help much, but something similar happened to me when I changed shoes a few months ago.  I also land on the outside of my left foot and the first run or 2 in the new shoes hurt a bit.  I almost took the shoes back but then I walked around in them all day and after another 5 miler, no more pain.

It always hurts or feels sore when you start running.

Asphalt / Concrete is also very hard surface to start on.

Landing on the outside of the feet is normal too.

From what you say I can infer that you do land on the middle of your feet which is good.

I would try a few things:

• Do foot strenghtening excercises: A whole workout will not take you more than 15-20 minutes so that you can do them every day. Here is an URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRS88R1BAg8 (these excercises are meant for starting barefott running but they will help you strenghten your foot muscles and are a great cross-training option)
• Run on softer surfaces: Try trail running. Be very careful and run slowly on easy surfaces. Even a compacted dirt road is more forgiwing to your feet than asphalt / concrete. Avoid sand and beaches for now as they are too soft and tend to make you heel strike. If you have the chance of running on a track or a treadmil do part of your mileage that way.
• Strengthen your core and lower limbs:  The bridge, the plank, the lunges and the squats are good excersises to start with. All done with body weight as you need to strenghten and tone the feet and lower limbs before thinking on doing the weighted versions.Try rotation different pairs of shoes. And despite the warnings from the shoe industry: You can even run with old fashioned canvas shoes or "El Cheapo"  ones, specially if your mileage is low. This way it will emulate runing on different footings and you will be able to find out what shoes feel best. 

I hope this helps .