I've just spent an hour being prodded and squeezed by a physiotherapist.
I was the first person she'd ever seen wearing toe shoes.
After a bit of quizzing, she got down to checking movement and pressing on various areas. Ouch!
She identified two areas of tendons around the front of the ankle that are injured. Also by chance identified a touch of shin splints on the inside back of the leg.
She's currently suffering from some shin splints herself. She had been working up to a 10km run in Tatton Park and got injured at the 6km mark.
And then she massaged the areas to break up any potential scarring. Ouch! Ouch!
My homework:
- Elevate the ankle above waist height from time to time
- Alternate cold and hot compresses on the ankle a few times each evening (approx 10-15 mins each)
- Plenty of Ibuprofen for the inflammation
- Ankle exercises: circles clockwise and anticlockwise, step edge lifts/drops
- Balance exercise: balance on one foot on a cushion or pillow for a minute or so
- Ankle stretches: kneel on bed with toes pointing horizontally and push on heel (essentially a "foot pull")
The whole "barefoot" running movement is highly contentious..........as is cushioned and supportive shoes........but most running shops will not recommend barefoot until you have developed your running musculature fully and even then transition is safer if done gradually.
I love the Idea of barefoot running and studies in India have shown that children who wear shoes have more foot issues than those who don't, but as someone who has spent most of my working life in rigid steel soled and toe capped boots, my feet definitely need some support and cushioning and removing that would most likely lead to injury.
Really positive that you’ve now got a plan of action, you’ll be back running before you know it. (That’s what I keep telling myself anyway as I languish on the injury couch 🙄)
Tripped over a stone or a branch on Tuesday night about a minute into my cool down walk 🙄 and headbutted the pavement. That's the last time I run in the dark!
Strangely, after the manipulation, a single ibuprofen and a few hours' rest the ankle is already feeling a lot better.
No, that doesn't mean I'm going out for a run any time soon. I normally walk to the chippy on a Friday evening (about 1 km round trip). I'm driving there today.
I'll be doing the exercises etc. religiously. I want to be able to get out there again.
So glad you got expert advice nowster - physios are worth their weight in gold. I’m now running again after suffering Achilles tendinitis and those exercises really made a difference. Good luck to you on your recovery and have fun later choosing a new pair of shoes after gait analysis.
Thinking about the geometry of it a little, the area of the injury being at the front of the ankle would arguably go against a higher drop shoe being the solution.
The shin splint on the other hand...
What I do suspect is it's a case of "too much, too soon" and being overconfident. The balance between the muscle groups hadn't yet developed and matured.
The other thing that might have made it worse was driving round the lanes of North Yorkshire for many hours on Bank Holiday Monday. Lots of clutch pedal use on the back roads.
I'm doing ankle and calf exercises now and will be adding walks/gentle runs on uneven surfaces to my regime when I resume.
Actually feeling good (when I'm not stretching the ankle) this morning. Still a bit stiff.
It’s to do with where the stress is distributed to when you land. Having a higher drop puts the stress more through the higher part of the leg than the lower.
It was a trip out on a sunny day: Skipton and onwards north to Aysgarth Falls. (The steep hill from/to the car park there didn't help either.)
I'm in North Manchester, aka. CV19 central.
The literature out there is hugely contradictory. The link you gave says:
"Most experts agree that runners with chronic knee issues could benefit from a lower-drop shoe, which will move some impact forces off the knee to the lower leg. But, remember, those impact forces have to go somewhere."
Good luck with the exercises. I'm looking to potentially transition to 5 toed barefoot shoes, I've got some Vibram evos that I'm wearing as slippers and for walking. Because I spend a lot of time in work boots I feel like my feet need to stretch and breathe!
I agree a more rigid sole may help, perhaps a trail version with a thicker sole.
If not, Saucony trail shoes are only 3mm rise, or maybe a vivobarefoot sporty shoe.... either way, good luck 🤞🏻👍🏻
There are several models under the "Evo" banner. Usually it indicates refreshes of earlier models.
I was running in KSO Evos, which are as floppy as they come. I'll probably start again in Bikila Evos (aka V.Run) which have a bit more of a rigid sole.
The other thing about them is the toe splay. My toes really like to splay nowadays. Finding the right size is fiddly when most outlets are mail-order or a long distance away. Also my Vibram shoe size has gone down since switching: from M47 (12) to M46 (11½).
I suspect I'm 47 in VivoBarefoots as that's the size of my hiking boots from them.
~~~
Anyway, today my ankle is feeling lots better. I can feel it's not right yet. But I can go up and down the stairs at speed again. I've just been in the shower (Sunday lie-in plus late brunch). Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" came on and I started doing ankle exercises whilst showering. 😀
Ah yes, KSO evo is what I have. They were fantastic for kayaking too 🤣
For wide toe box, if you end up having to look at more support I'd recommend hoka or altura as they have the best width toe box. Hoka is technically zero drop just with a thicker sole and is my primary trail shoe currently.
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A visit to the physio
How to land on your feet to avoid injury.....
Week 1 Run 2 - Shin Splints (I think)
Injury advice needed :) 
Suddenly on the injury couch!
