Forums >Health and Nutrition>Is is just bad PF or did I do something worse?
A few months ago, while training for OCR (obstacle course races), I noticed a heel pain in my left foot. Especially when waking, and after prolonged rest. I quickly determined it was PF getting aggravated. I used to be pretty lax in my stretching/rolling/recovery, so I started being more diligent. I also got some Birkenstock inserts for my everyday-use shoes. I also started slowly doing more lower leg & foot strengthening exercises. The pain would subside unless I did a lot of miles, or at work when I couldn't wear the insoles - I'm a firefighter and 4 hours working in boots took a toll. Still, things were looking better.
Yesterday I was running a race. I noticed that by 1.5mi my heel was hurting. During the race it slowly started hurting more. I was limping by mile 3. At mile 4.3, I did a run up for a wall vault, planted my left foot like I always do, and felt a sting as I lobbed myself over the wall. I knew something was wrong. I hobbled to the rope climb, but slipped and fell about 9 feet, landing on the same foot.
My shoes: For OCR I wear Saucony Nomad TRs the previous year. Then a few months ago I switched to Saucony Peregrines because they have more aggressive tread. However, the toe box is curved upwards, which I think might have put unnecessary tension on the arch. I've been researching youtube, the 'net, and everything else to find some help. So I'm coming here to get help from more experienced runners.
My concern is the sudden stinging sensation. And the fact my foot hurts now, even while I sit. I cannot put full weight on it. When I hobble on it, I find myself pronating to the outer edge of the foot because the heel pain and arch swelling is so painful. It's actually quicker for me to crawl around the house than to walk.
Thoughts, suggestions, ideas?
Connoisseur of Cookies
Go see a medical professional.
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"C" is for cookie. That's good enough for me.
Yeah. Rarely do I recommend going to doctors but this sounds more serious than your run of the mill overuse injury. Being able to walk is pretty important, I would think.
My first thought is torn plantar fascia but I'm not qualified to make that diagnosis, especially over the internet.
Runners run
Good Bad & The Monkey
Could be PF. Could be a tear. Could be a heel spur. Could be a broken heel spur.
Go go see a doc. Get an X-ray. And an exam.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Could be a lot of things and you can guarantee a bunch of quacks in a running forum aren't going to give you a proper diagnosis.
Go to a Dr and find out from a professional what the problem really is and treat it properly so you can get back to running..
Champions are made when no one is watching
Hey, now wait a minute...
a bunch of quacks in a running forum
I went to a Dr. He did an xray and nothings broken. He thinks it's just bad PF, but is referring me to a podiatrist. Yes, I know I can't get a proper diagnosis here. I just needed some idea from other runners as I've never had this before.
runktrun
...planted my left foot like I always do, and felt a sting...slipped and fell about 9 feet, landing on the same foot. the toe box is curved upwards, which I think might have put unnecessary tension on the arch. My concern is the sudden stinging sensation. And the fact my foot hurts now, even while I sit. I cannot put full weight on it. When I hobble on it, I find myself pronating to the outer edge of the foot because the heel pain and arch swelling is so painful.
...planted my left foot like I always do, and felt a sting...slipped and fell about 9 feet, landing on the same foot.
the toe box is curved upwards, which I think might have put unnecessary tension on the arch.
My concern is the sudden stinging sensation. And the fact my foot hurts now, even while I sit. I cannot put full weight on it. When I hobble on it, I find myself pronating to the outer edge of the foot because the heel pain and arch swelling is so painful.
The plantar fascia is a substantial piece of tissue and very hard to completely rupture or tear off (an avulsion), however, I don't think you can rule it out. The way you describe the sharp sting and prolonged swelling leads me to guess that you seriously strained it (or would it technically be a sprain because it's connective tissue on bone?). You probably have A LOT of micro tears in the tissue rather than one complete tear, but again, a rupture is possible. Can you feel a lump or specific swelling, or is it diffuse? Also, a hairline fracture, either from the fall or from the fascia pulling suddenly on the bone, would not show up on an x-ray until a few weeks after the injury, when you would see evidence of healing in the form of a cloudy bone callus.
Yes, follow up with the podiatrist and maybe get an MRI. I tend to think most MRIs are a waste because the treatment plan is usually the same whether it's a stress fracture or soft tissue injury (rest and slowly resume activity after pain has resolved when walking), but in this case, you might want a closer look at the fascia attachment to the heel to gauge just how intense your rest needs to be (walking as tolerated vs non-weight-bearing). Good luck!
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
Can you feel a lump or specific swelling, or is it diffuse?
I cannot feel a lump or any actual swelling. Just pain in the heel and arch. I can walk on it now, albeit slowly. Still, it's sore. Even as I've been sitting around all day. I'm still waiting to hear from the podiatrist. I'm concerned they'll just try to put me into orthotics without fixing any mechanical chain issues. We'll see. I did some basic tests of my hip flexors and glutes. My ilio-psoas and gluteus medius are weak, compared to my right leg. Tomorrow I'll start working on those. Everything else was fine. Thanks again for all the feedback.