Injuries Archives - Learning New Tricks

Hello world! It’s been a while. I have been running races and even had a PR in a 5k in April, a 24:27! At least I think it was a PR. I injured my psoas, which is just plain fun to say but not so fun to rehab in January. The psoas led to a hip flexor issue but I watched a million youtube videos and through a greater power and much stronger glutes, I have persevered!

If feel like my Altras contributed to my psoas pull/glute weakness. Though I love the zero drop, I felt like I had little arch support. As a runner with very high arches, I struggle to find a balance between restriction and support. I switched to Saucony Kinveras, which I liked for their light weight feel and support but after a few months, I began to get that familiar plantar plate ache, this time on the opposite foot. My plantar plate tear previously took me out of commission for about 2 months, I didn’t want to lose the best part of the spring/summer so I backed off and went back to my Hokas. I taped my 2nd toe down to prevent the curling I was starting to see and began a vigorous toe exercise regimen. I never thought my life would revolve around glute exercises and toe lifts, but, here I am.

After wearing the Hokas for a few weeks, the rocker bottom allowed me to take that strain off toes, I started looking for other options. I didn’t likt the narrow toe box on the Hokas, and I do feel the excessive stack height throws off my gait and doesn’t allow me to engage my now incredible glutes. I have never been as comfortable wearign a show as I was with the Altra Escalante but after a 10 mile race, and a very sore psoas, I checked into other zero or low drop shoes. I found the Topo Magnifly 3. These shoes are very comfortable, feel supportive but not bulky. Unlike the Altras, they don’t look like clown shoes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…. I removed the insert and used these alleged zero drop insoles to allow for a little more shock control. I can’t believe I paid this much for an insert, but my toe has been ok so far!

Back to the black hole that is Etsy. It reminds me of the halcyon days of yore when I was first on facebook and I wanted to see every comment and like. Like this blog, I will go months without posting and then go on a rager. I didn’t paint as much during the pandemic as I thought I would when contemplating what I would do during a pandemic. My house was busy all of the time and I just didn’t make it a priority. Recently I started painting again, I don’t have a lot more wall space and I hate trying to make prints, so I just started throwing more stuff on Etsy. Some of the work is generally appealing and some is a little more artsy-fartsy. Either way, the posting process is cumbersome and I have no idea how to use Instagram but I made a page anyway. I don’t share it because I somehow want to be anonymous which makes no sense, pretty much the same thing I do with this blog. A quiet, dignified Etsy shop. That 2 people a week visit. I have actually had 7 sales which is more than I thought I would have but less than I would need to make this an actual occupation. I would have to figure out how to make prints and doo-dads with my prints on them and that makes me want to take a nap, though if I am following my own advice and learning new tricks, I guess I should learn. Here are the latest additions to my Etsy shop!

I have self-diagnosed myself (allow myself to introduce myself)

many times over the years via google. I have had various foot ailments, Morton’s neuroma ( a neuroma so good it has a salt named after it. Actually, I have been to the Morton mansion in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is beautiful and not made of salt, it is also the home of Arbor Day.

http://gonebraskacity.com/member/arbor-lodge-state-historical-park/

I am not sure it was a Morton’s neuroma but the pebble in the shoe feeling turned into a constant burning and lasted well over a year. This was about 5 years ago and since then, I seem to have resolved the right foot and stumbled upon a new problem on my left foot. We ran 2 Christmas races, including an 8k, which to me still seems like a marathon, I then spent a weekend squatting and reaching to remove The World’s Ugliest Wallpaper. The next morning, I could not stand on my foot. It was swollen and felt like I was walking on a brick. According to my magic 8 Google, I had a partial tear of the plantar plate, or a stress fracture, or gangrene. It was Christmas and ain’t nobody got time to go to the doctor so I suffered and survivied with NSAIDS and clunky old-lady sandals, which I later found to be the almost identical to the horrendously ugly Hoka’s I wound up wearing to heal my wounds and wound my pride.

I never go to the actual doctor, but this time, I was a responsible adult, I sucked up my pride and my several thousand dollar deductable and made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. When I made the appointment, I couldn’t walk. By the time several weeks had passed, I was mobile, in pain and bruised looking but mobile. When I arrived in the waiting room, I realized I had made a huge mistake. To say I was the only one in the waiting room not in a full body cast would be an accurate statement. Clearly my little foot pain was going to pale in comparison to the horrific injuries these people were dealing with. I hoped in my permanent record it would show the doctor that I am not a cry-baby and I hardly ever seek medical attention. After hours of waiting, they took an x ray of my foot. The tiny doctor man who was no more than 20 years of age told me he couldn’t see a stress fracture. I asked about this metatarsalgia I had read about or metatarsal plate tear, he said it was possible but my bunions were the likely cause. Perhaps, but I have had these same bumpy bunions since I was 12 and this second toe on my left foot was now club-footed when it used to be straight.

Long story short, I even went to a podiatrist who was even more dismissive than the orthopedist. In the orthopedist’s defense, I wasn’t yet in a full body cast and I did walk both into and out of the office so pretty much a success story. I work in healthcare and see my share of worry-worts, I don’t dismiss their problems. I have a deformed toe when there wasn’t one a few months ago and Dr. Google tells me it’s from a tear, likely permanent at this point. Dr. Foot gave me an adhesive pad for my shoe, spent 10 seconds looking at my foot, didn’t have me stand or look at my pile of shoes I was thoughtful enough to bring in. When I am ready for bunion surgery, I should call him. Hmm, no thanks, I’ll see the 20 year body cast mummy artist.

In my extensive research, I find a blog from a woman dressed up for a Disney themed race who seems to have had my injury and is now able to run again in whimsical outfits with even uglier shoes, the Hokas. The premise of these abominations is that if you design the shoe with a rocker bottom, the stress of pushing off on your toe is eliminated and by choosing the worst colors imaginable, it takes your mind of any physical pain by replacing it with searing-eyeball ugliness.

I bought the Hokas that were said to be so comfortable, they were legendary! They were re-introducing the HOKA One one 1. Uno? I am not sure why there are so many ones but alas, here we are. I accidently ordered the uglier of the 2 color choices, tried them fora few weeks, decided they were too big and ordered the smaller size with the less ugly color scheme. Less ugly being the operative word.

It is now May and I had built my way back up to that oh-so marathon like 8k mark when fate stepped in and squashed my foot again. I am not sure if this is still residual from my now deformed hammer toe creating tendonitis, a tight calf muscle or just old age sticking her thumb in my eye but I have a burning painful to the touch feeling on the inside of my leg. It is not visibily swollen, I don’t think I have a blood clot, though that is always my first thought. It feels like a nerve and a blood vessel had a fight and both of them woke up sore the next morning. I have been analyzing new and excitng ways to tie my shoes in order to relieve pressure from the top of my foot. I am able to put a shoe on today, so I consider this a small victory. I am going to try the skip lacing. I had been alternating my Hoka Clifton 1 with my Merrell Bare Access 4 as I thought the additional cushioning would help reduce any stress related injury but now I am thinking I will go back to the Merrell full time. Though the Hoka is said to be a 4mm heel drop, I feel the difference in my calf when I switch back.

We are supposed to run some sort of charity mile race, grouped by age, this Saturday. We shall see if old-mother nature is going to keep me down. Until then, I will be staring, exasperated, at these diagrams.

I spent way too long trying to figure out an alternate lacing pattern, who knew there were so many?

There isn’t an option for 40 year old bunion feet.

On the bright side, being sidelined allowed for me to spend some extra time painting this weekend. I came up with this little number from a photograph I took around the Chesapeake Bay.