3 replies to this topic

[Harriet67]

Hi
I am a slow, heavy (and inflexible apparently!) runner who had a problem with my achilles tendon last year....my podiatrist gave me heel lifts which relieved the achilles problem, but caused pain in the second metatarsal joint on the other foot and now my second toe is beginning to drift. It feels as if there is not padding between the joint and the ground.   I've emptied out my private health insurance funds trying to get it fixed with metatarsal domes being added to my old orthotics, then got a brand new (very expensive) pair of orthotics that didn't fix the problem...so I ran out of money and am starting again with a new podiatrist this year.  It seems I have the start of a bunion on the foot that is affected, and stiff toe joints.  I've had plantar plate ultrasounds and foot x-rays and all is pretty normal for my age (ie a bit of wear and tear but nothing too major).  I am down to 5k of running every second day and even when I don't run for a couple of weeks it is still painful.

I suppose my question is - apart from anyone else having this experience - is :  Can it be fixed or should I just give up?  Can podiatrists fix stuff like this?  From what I can gather it is a pretty common fixable problem, so why can't mine be fixed?  I'm only 43 and so have lots of running/walking/hiking to do and can't accept that this is then end !!  The frustrating thing is that I am a slow, heavy back of the pack shuffler, so I'm not even good at it so wouldn't think I'd end up with this sort of damage.

I asked my GP for a referral to a orthopaedic surgeon in the meantime but can it be fixed without any sort of surgery?

Any help would be appreciated.

Harriet

[SportsFeet]

Harriet67, on Jan 17 2011, 08:12 AM, said:

Hi
I am a slow, heavy (and inflexible apparently!) runner who had a problem with my achilles tendon last year....my podiatrist gave me heel lifts which relieved the achilles problem, but caused pain in the second metatarsal joint on the other foot and now my second toe is beginning to drift. It feels as if there is not padding between the joint and the ground.   I've emptied out my private health insurance funds trying to get it fixed with metatarsal domes being added to my old orthotics, then got a brand new (very expensive) pair of orthotics that didn't fix the problem...so I ran out of money and am starting again with a new podiatrist this year.  It seems I have the start of a bunion on the foot that is affected, and stiff toe joints.  I've had plantar plate ultrasounds and foot x-rays and all is pretty normal for my age (ie a bit of wear and tear but nothing too major).  I am down to 5k of running every second day and even when I don't run for a couple of weeks it is still painful.

I suppose my question is - apart from anyone else having this experience - is :  Can it be fixed or should I just give up?  Can podiatrists fix stuff like this?  From what I can gather it is a pretty common fixable problem, so why can't mine be fixed?  I'm only 43 and so have lots of running/walking/hiking to do and can't accept that this is then end !!  The frustrating thing is that I am a slow, heavy back of the pack shuffler, so I'm not even good at it so wouldn't think I'd end up with this sort of damage.

I asked my GP for a referral to a orthopaedic surgeon in the meantime but can it be fixed without any sort of surgery?

Any help would be appreciated.

Harriet

[runwithdogs]

Harriet67, on Jan 17 2011, 07:12 AM, said:

pain in the second metatarsal joint on the other foot and now my second toe is beginning to drift. It feels as if there is not padding between the joint and the ground.   I've emptied out my private health insurance funds trying to get it fixed with metatarsal domes being added to my old orthotics, then got a brand new (very expensive) pair of orthotics that didn't fix the problem...so I ran out of money and am starting again with a new podiatrist this year.  

Can it be fixed or should I just give up?  Can podiatrists fix stuff like this?  From what I can gather it is a pretty common fixable problem, so why can't mine be fixed?  I'm only 43 and so have lots of running/walking/hiking to do and can't accept that this is then end !!  The frustrating thing is that I am a slow, heavy back of the pack shuffler, so I'm not even good at it so wouldn't think I'd end up with this sort of damage.

Hi Harriet

I could have written most of your post myself. We're the same vintage, I'm a back of the pack shuffler, and I get excruciating 2nd metatarsal head pain when I run, usually when I get to the 13-14km mark. My health insurance has also taken a hammering. I had metatarsal domes which made things worse, and I now have expensive orthotics from a new podiatrist (who is very good), but the problem persists. It's darned frustrating. I'm actually quite stressed because I've entered an event in March which has set me back a lot of dollars in entries, airfares and accommodation, and I'm really worried I'll be hobbling the last two thirds of it.

I'm not a podiatrist, so I can't comment on the if's and why's, but the one time I have had a completely pain free long run was about 18 months ago. I covered 27km and didn't hurt at all, and it was great. I followed the directions on this site and taped a little piece of padding on my insole where directed. It was brilliant, but it was a very temporary fix because the padding didn't last. I haven't been able to duplicate it that well since. I don't advocate trawling the internet and self treating, but I was desperate. Maybe check this out and have a chat to your podiatrist about it, and see if it may be worth a try.

http://www.triggerpo...com/mortons.htm

Whatever you do, don't give up. I'm sure there's a solution out there somewhere, we just have to nail it.

Good luck

[Harriet67]

Thanks for that, it's soo frustrating...I've tried metatarsal gel pads from the chemist, they help a little bit..are some people just too heavy to run?  And does this heaviness cause too much stress on the feet like this?  Or do whippet like runners get this too?  My new podiatrist avoided the term 'too heavy to run' and tactfully said I 'don't have springy feet' which was nice of her   .  I was born in Scotland and sometimes think my natural environment should be sitting on the couch getting heart disease