Sore feet

Homemaker57
Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just wondering if anyone else has a similar symptom, and any suggestions :) I started having a bit of soreness in the middle of my foot, months ago. It only hurts when I put pressure on it, like stepping forwards or twisting it. After the soreness started, I started the C25K program and the pain got a little worse. One day I wore my vibram five fingers for my run, and my foot hurt so bad it was hard to walk on it the rest of the day. Sometimes I experience it when putting weight on my feet after sitting or lying for awhile, like first thing in the morning.

I did get an x-ray to make sure it wasn't a stress fracture, and everything was fine. The doctor suggested it could be some sort of issue with the tendons, I think? But it would require an MRI or something to discover that and the pain isn't debilitating just a little annoying most of the time.

So does anyone have experience with something similar or have ideas to help the pain? It's been four or five months now I think.



Also if anyone knows why I sneeze after exercising I'd love ot hear that too. Gym, home, outdoors - always sneeze afterwards, like allergies. I don't mind except that I'm afraid gym people will think I'm sick and spreading germs. :-P

Replies

  • xHayley19
    xHayley19 Posts: 58 Member
    Hi there, although I haven't had this myself. My mum has had a similar pain in her foot and again nothing is broken. She went to a sports store and they recommended some specialised gel insoles, which she said has greatly improved it. They were just gel heel/arch supports. They are fairly inexpensive. Don't know if you have tried it but I hope this helps.
  • SirDoctorofTARDIS
    SirDoctorofTARDIS Posts: 113 Member
    Seeing your regular doctor for an orthopedic issue is generally a fruitless endeavor. You should really see a sports med specialist *cough* *look over here* From reading your little description, I can say that you have plantar fasciitis. MRI would be a huge waste of time and money. Stretching is the key here. Calf stretches are your new BFF. stretch your lower legs with both straight and bent knee this stretches both muscles in the back of your lower leg (yay anatomy!) also freeze a water bottle like an ice mountain water bottle. Put a towel on the ground and roll this over the arch of your foot. The gives you the benefits of a massage and icing. You can also use a tennis ball for a massage. Hope that help!

    You might want to get your feet looked at to see if you have high arches or flat feet. A running shoe store can help with the analysis and suggest shoes that will help with your arch pain.
  • JohnsElan
    JohnsElan Posts: 81
    Sounds very much like plantar fasciitis (heel spurs). My own experience is that it hurts as soon as you get out of bed and put your weight on your feet. The fascial band between your heel and ball of your feet is taxed to the point of constant tension. A quick check is to run your fingers from heel to ball while pressing firmly. If the tissue is "springy" - no problem; If the tissue is in a "hard band" then you have plantar fasciitis.

    http://arthritis.webmd.com/understanding-plantar-fasciitis-treatment
  • loriemn
    loriemn Posts: 292 Member
    I have PF also,,it hurts a lot,I buy GOOD shoes,no crap frmm walmart, and I add insoles,,go to a good shoestore with people that are actually trained and know what they are talking about,I usually spend around $150 for running shoes,and another #30 for insoles,but it does the trick so I figure its money well spent.
  • Homemaker57
    Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
    My heel doesn't hurt, it's the middle of the foot, where the long straight bones are. More towards the ball of the foot but towards the outside edge and more central, not in any of the joints. I don't think it's PF based on that?

    I do have relatively high arches. I wear good running shoes but I picked them out myself so they probably aren't perfect for my specific foot and stride. I don't really want to buy new ones until these are worn out though... but maybe I should go ask anyway and see what they say :)

    My foot tissue feels springy and fine, not tight or hard...
  • loriemn
    loriemn Posts: 292 Member
    PF can cause heel spurs,but it is not a spur itself,,its the tendon that runs on the bottom of your foot gets a million tiny tears in it,and when you sleep they try to heal,causing the tendon to tighten up,then when you get up again and start to walk they tear all over again,causing the pain,,the only thing I have found for preventing it is really good shoes and insoles,I usually have a couple pair runners and a pair of hikers and keep switching between them all.They usually last 1-2 years this way.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    Sounds very much like plantar fasciitis (heel spurs)

    These are two completely different things. Plantar Fasciitis is the inflammation of the fasci which is the tendon that runs down the length of the bottom of your foot. PF is NOT heel spurs.

    OP: I'd go to a podiatrist who specializes in running and/or sports. They can diagnose your issue better and tell you what you should do. I personally wouldn't continue running on it until I got a definitive prognosis, although it does sound like it's PF. If you continue to run on it and not allow it to heal it can take a long time to heal. My husband had it and he couldn't run for over a year. Even doing things like the elliptical or arc trainer was painful.
  • Homemaker57
    Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
    Thanks so much for all the replies! Since it's at a pretty moderate level of discomfort right now, I'll just go to the running store and see what they think. If it gets any worse, I'll go back to my doctor and request a referral! I appreciate everyone taking the time to reply :)
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    Sounds very much like PF. I suffered for a while but stretching, anti-inflammatory medications, and rolling really helped. Also, wearing natural running shoes really worsened the condition so I switched to move supportive shoes and that helped a great deal as well.

    Also, I want to concur with the others. Heel spurs and PF are two different conditions.
  • Homemaker57
    Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
    I just wanted to update all of you! I went to a running store, and got some good help. As it turns out, I had selected shoes with extra support in them. I guess having the arch support under my arch felt good and I didn't know any better. Anyway, I don't need any support at all for my feet! Since there was extras support that I didn't need, my foot had to sort of work around the support rather than pressing straight through the middle of the foot. Sure enough if I mimic that while barefoot, by putting more weight on the outside of my foot, I can feel the pain a lot more than when I walk normally. So at the end of the day, I need new shoes - no extra support. The new ones he helped me pick out I'm SO excited about. They are lighter weight and when I jogged through the store briefly I felt like my whole body was lighter and that running might be a lot easier than it currently is. I can't afford new shoes until February but I'm going to get them as soon as I can! :)


    By that point I'll be running for about 20-25 minutes at a time with the program I'm on. Should I go back to slow intervals (walk/run) when I get the new shoes, or will I be fine since I'm not exactly going long distance?
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    I've never had to break in a new pair of running shoes. The only thing I don't do is wear brand new shoes on the same day of the race. Others might be different but I've never had this issue.

    Also, are you planning to continue to train on your old, pain-inducing shoes?
  • Homemaker57
    Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
    Duly noted, thank you! I'll just jump right into my schedule with the new shoes once I get them. :)


    I'm going to continue using my old shoes until I get new ones. The discomfort is mild and not worth losing progress on my newly forming habit, for me! I will, however, quit wearing them around town like I did before. The only other shoes I could run in are my vibram five fingers, which didn't work out so well last time I did that, or some cheapo $20 walmart tennies. I think the old shoes I have are still better than that, even though they're old and not the best for me.
  • beatnik236
    beatnik236 Posts: 120 Member
    I have had major foot issues in the past:

    - If you get up from sitting and the pain is crazy it is probably plantar fascitis(sp?)

    BE CAREFUL. I had 2 surgeries, one to release my fascia (which is rare) and come to find out 2 surgeries later I had torn tendons and ligaments and had to get my whole ankle restructured. I think the PF was just a symptom of issues brewing.

    I also tend to get tendinitis in my metatarsals. This pain is across the front of my foot and usually i can pinch near my toe and front of my foot where my tendons are and hit the ceiling.

    ALL require rest! If it hurts, rest it! Cortisone shots help some.

    I by all means am not a doctor, this is just my experience.
  • Homemaker57
    Homemaker57 Posts: 106 Member
    I appreciate your experience and advice, thank you!! I'm glad you took the time to write a note.

    The pain is not crazy, it's mild. ONE time it was pretty bad, and that was after running in my VFFs for the first (and last) time. Most of the time it's a mild, sometimes moderate discomfort. Not sharp at all and doesn't get in the way of anything I want to do. I did visit a doctor and I did rest completely for several weeks, but the pain didn't get any better or worse and it's still so mild that I decided to press on. It doesn't get worse when I run and didn't get better when I rested, so I guess I'm not too worried that I'm going to seriously injure myself. Hopefully running in the new shoes will help! And if not, apparently I needed new shoes anyway - I guess you're not supposed to run on two year old shoes even if you haven't used them that much. :)
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    SUPERFEET! They're insoles and they really are amazing. I never have any foot issues with them. I have to have them in all of my running/workout shoes (and, no, I don't work for them :) Also, quality shoes. Sometimes you can find good deals at TJ Maxx or sierratradingpost.com I'm partial to New Balance since they're made in the US, hold up great and have good support.

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