top of foot pain - any experience/advice

[ajwyld]

Hi all,

Since my longest ever run 10 days ago I've had a niggly pain on top of my foot. (Left foot and pain is just to the left of the centre line.) I stupidly went running 3 times last week and the niggle has become actual pain and there is some swelling. I'm icing, resting and taking ibuprofen. Internet self-diagnosis leads me to think that its likely a tendon (also a few years back I went to the doctor with similar pain and he said it was "probably tendonitis").

Any exprience out there with this sort of thing ? Other than rest, has anyone found anything useful that speeds up healing ? (I'm not convinced that the ice makes any difference to be honest.)

thanks for any input.

[Tomas Graduate]

I do sometimes suffer from gout which (for me) manifests itself as pain where you describe. Gout is basically an inflamation. For me rest and anti-inflamatories are the only things that helps, so just what you're already doing. So all in all, I can't offer any good advice, but just saying that I feel for you - that part of the foot can be very sore.

As for ice, I tend to agree with you. If applied quickly after the injury, it reduces the swelling and thereby also reduces pain. But the price we pay for this is that we're fighting the body's natural reaction which is to raise the temperature to get more blood flowing to make the healing go faster. Maybe we're smarter than evolution, but I'm not convinced.

Happy running

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

Sometimes I get a pain on the top of my feet and it's a lace issue. If I tighten just a little too much it leads to a terrible pain. I am sure someone put a post up here on lacing shoes a while back.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

I found it Bazza kindly put this link up.

katierunsthis.com/2011/10/0...

[ajwyld Graduate in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Thanks RFC - I do wonder if my laces aggravated it - the run was 12.5km almost entirely downhill which I suspect means that my feet were under pressure differently from normal, so maybe my usual lacing pattern wasn't quite right.

I assume that whatever the cause i need to wait for the swelling and pain to disappear before i go out again... sigh...

[misswobble Graduate]

I get it sometimes on my left foot and I think it's lace. You can secure the laces so they don't come undone without drawing up the lace too tightly across your foot.

I hope that sorts it

[ajwyld Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Thanks MW. Am waiting for pain and swelling to subside before going out again, but will definately pay more attention to laces when I do.

[mfamilias Graduate]

I support the shoelace theory - if you have high arches on your feet then the lacing can put pressure on tendons. I think there's a guide showing you how to avoid it - you have to miss a row of holes to take pressure off, I think. Hope it's better soon.

[mfamilias Graduate in reply to mfamilias]

fieggen.com/shoelace/gaplac...