Well today was the day I went back to the podiatrist. The results were acceptable, but not great. He poked at my foot a bit. Tendonitis isn't something that really goes away, apparently, it just gets under control.
So apparently the current treatment is working and I should stay with that course. I'm not really down with that. There were a few other things to add. He mixed up a special prescription that has to get shipped to me in a couple of days. It's a topical anti-inflammatory, so once that gets here I can stop taking the aleve. But I still have to wear the brace.
I got scanned for orthotics, but they will take a few weeks to get here. Orthotics is the long term solution. Once they get here in 2-4 weeks I won't have to wear the brace anymore. I'm totally sick of Das Stupid Brace and ready to wear normal shoes again. it sucks.
He also said I could "resume normal daily activities, but don't do anything stupid", so obviously he has no idea how stupid my normal daily activities are. That means I can run and bike again, so it's back up to Ironman training I go. Really I have to ease my way back into it, and stop any workout where I feel the foot flare up again. I started tonight, running 4 miles in 34 minutes, which is slow and easy. I barely broke a sweat. Of course I wanted to go 8 miles in under an hour, but that would have been stupid. Let's hope short slow and easy is not stupid.
So it's back on the train I go while I wait for the scrip and the orthotics to come in. Best case scenario was that I got to toss the brace and everything was fine. Worse case scenario was no more running or biking for 2 more weeks or longer. I landed somewhere in the middle, and I can deal with that. I still have 8 weeks until the big race. Plenty of time.
What do you think about using a brace? There is the side that says the tendon needs to heal and the brace and rest helps that. The other side says that using a brace alienates the muscles that are supposed to be supporting that tendon anyway and you should let it heal naturally. The doc says to always wear supportive shoes, but the barefoot running crowd says that's the worst thing you can do for your feet. My tendency is to lean towards the more natural approach. Fix the inflammation with drugs because it won't heal up any other way, but stay barefoot as much as possible to let the muscles support the tendon. No brace, no shoes. Of course my way of thinking is what landed me with tendonitis in the first place, so I don't trust myself anymore. Which side do you believe?
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5 comments:
I, too, am required to wear orthodics due to the high arches I have. My feet simply do not have enough contact with the ground to properly absorb the impact apparently. I am actually not a huge proponent of barefoot running as I reside in the camp that believes that if we hadn't been put into shoes at an early age, barefoot running might be a good idea, but since most of us have worn shoes for many, many years are our muscles have grown/adapted to that level of support (and I know many many people will disagree with me on this, to each their own, I guess!) I suppose you could 'wean' yourself off the support, but for me, it's not work the risk of injury... I hope this new rx helps and that your training is back on track. You have a really great attitude about this!
I ran with vibrams a few years back. Ended up with horrible achilles tendonitis. Had to rest/ice it off and ended up at the running store. Got fit into a pair of asics and haven't looked back!
There was a time when I was a big fan of the all natural, foraging for dandelions, barefoot running. I still like a light, flexible/minimal shoe, but a quality orthodontic can really help people out. I've been wondering if I shouldn't look into something for my arches that have been giving me a little trouble lately, or perhaps it's just that every inch of me is really that out of shape.
What is interesting, in 2014, you will be seeing a ton of super cushioned shoes (think Hokas)
http://www.runnersworld.com/photos/sneak-preview-running-shoes-coming-in-2014
I don't have an opinion about brace / shoes, but I'm battling tendinitis in my shoulder and I do have an opinion about anti-inflammatory meds. I didn't want to be taking ibuprofen for an extended time frame (that stuff is terrible for your liver) and switched to systemic enzymes. Look it up and consider it as an alternative. Seems to be working for me and doesn't have any nasty side effects. Good luck getting your foot to heal!
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