Week 4: Some Non-Foot Issues…..Apparently

(If you're new here you can read the article describing my project.)

Summary: Heel pain has been minor-to-non-existent.  I’ve “regressed” to wearing the motion control shoes with the orthotics for roughly 14 hours per day, with 1-2 hours of around-the-house barefoot time each day as well.  I saw my pain level creeping up as I tried the low profile shoe transition and I realized I need to get back to a very solid, totally pain free state.

Activity Level: Essentially none.  Core work continues, but later on I’ll describe some new stuff I’ve been working on.  I am going to start walking.  I’ve found when I’m injured just walking some of the routes I normally run helps me mentally.  We’ve had some nice days in CO and I could look at getting the bike out, but that has been hard mentally because of all this cell phone use when driving.  If I was really proactive I’d get to the pool – but getting into water at 6:00AM is just a nightmare for me!  (Not from a fear of water perspective, but fear of cold!)

What Happened Last Week:  After seeking orthotic transition ideas from my PT we decided it made sense to make an appointment and get some things checked. 

It turns out each hip, even though they’re in a lot better shape than they used to be, aren’t in a state to provide the right stability the rest of the leg requires.  He had me perform a variety of tests and they all pretty much resulted in the following:  When I do some sort of one-legged stance my hip’s ability to stabilize the knee is very poor.  His belief (and what he has seen) is that when this occurs you’re creating a less-than-ideal situation for the ankle and foot.  Some ankles and feet can handle this, others cannot.

So I’ve been doing a variety of hip strengthening and balancing exercises.  The goal is to develop sufficient strength and skill (i.e. train the neuro-muscular system) to enable me to be in these one-legged stances and have my foot be “calm” – not firing all sorts of muscles to keep me balanced.  It’s kind of funny doing these in bare feet.  I can literally see how my feet work hard – and per the PT, harder than they should – to keep me balanced.

It feels a bit odd trying to solve foot problems by working on something “so far away” (the hips), but it makes sense.  (I don’t know if it is the thing that will actually solve it, but it makes sense.)

Everyone have a good week.  And if you’re in the US, have a good Thanksgiving.

Jim

“Running is a privilege.”