Injured already! Over pronation (I think)

Hi,   I'd be really grateful for any advice anyone can give me, as I'm new to running and I have to get fit enough to run 12 miles by September for Tough Mudder.   I started running last week, and I'll admit, I wasn't wearing great trainers. After 4 days of running for 30 mins (walking then running) I managed to hurt my left foot. It's really stiff and painful around the ankle and along the top on the left side.   I decided to rest it and get some proper trainers. I went to a running shop where the put me on a treadmill and sold me some Asics to help straighten my feet up. I've rested for three days now but every day I wake up with my foot feeling even stiffer. It's as though its seizing up. I've been taking antinflammatories, soaking it in Epsom salts and using ibuprofen gel. I even wore the new trainers yesterday instead of usual shoes.   This morning I took a photo of my heels from the back and it's really obvious how much my ankles roll in- which suggests over-pronation but what confuses me is that it's the outside of my heels that wear down which from reading, suggests over-supination.   I wondered if anyone has had these symptoms i'd appreciate any advice. Especially whether resting the foot helped, and for how long. I'm getting a bit worried as I really need to be running asap.    Thanks

Comments

  • Ha! Well, I say I took it- my husband took it!

  • Hi! I was also told I was an overpronater when training for a half marathon which I knew already as I had been a regular at the biomechanic and had numerous pairs of orthotics since I was a kid.

    I didn't notice any difference when I went and got fitted properly at a running shop and in all my frustration began my own research. I found that because of the biomechanics of my feet, my glutes and hamstrings were weak (particularly gluteus medius) and that this meant general instability in those areas.

    I embarked on a daily strengthening and stretching routine (only about 20-30 mins of short exercises) to strengthen these muscles and began to notice a huge difference in the pain I had been experiencing as well as in my running gait.

    I just felt way more comfortable. I am now running in minimalist shoes with no support and feel so much better. My brother has been through the same and now runs barefoot. I think it is an issue of trying to fix things naturally rather than with insoles and stability shoes... well in my opinion anyway.

    Good Luck.

  • Oh and with the foot problem, I would suggest resting it until for a few days, ice it and do some calf stretches. Mabe even try and get a good calf massage because in my experience pain around the back of the ankle is often coming from tight calves . Then run a wee bit and see how it fees, but stretch stretch stretch! Hope it feels bette soon so you can get back out there!

  • Thanks SoleRunner- that's really helpful. I definitely have tight calves as I'm finding I can't get into a squat position either, so I will take your advice and do some stretches and start strengthening.

    I'm also thinking I might take these trainers back to the shop and get another opinion on whether they are right for me. What you said about sorting out the problem naturally seems like a better solution than relying on trainers.

    Good to know you managed to fix your problem.

    thanks again!

  • Hi Rhiannon, sounds a bit like me after I started. Had some cheap £20 trainers from sports direct and about 3 weeks into couch 2 5k I buggered up my ankle somehow. Swelled up something stupid and put me out for about a week, a bit longer maybe. However, I don't think it was the shoes as I didn't get any gait analysis and decent shoes until a few months after. Going on a cycle machine really helped get it back to feeling ok. To be honest I think it was just that the muscles in the ankle wheren't that strong and needed building up.

    I'd stick with the shoes unless you are sure they are wrong for you and just gradually build up the strength in your ankles.

  • Thanks C P 31. Cycle machine sounds like a good idea to keep up the exercise without too much impact. I'm going to sign up at the gym today so that I can do some other exercise while this foot problem is hanging around.

    It's so frustrating having an injury already! Thanks for the advice though, its reassuring to know that others have had similar issues and that they were resolved eventually. I was starting to panic that i'd have to write off running before i'd even got started!!

  • Regarding tread wear on trainers or shoes. 

    I was told that heal wear is not a good indictor of pronation.  The area to look at is the mid-sole to toe region.  Under-pronation is indicated by excess wear on the outside of the shoe whilst over-pronation is the opposite.

    I discovered that I under-pronate; which apparently is difficult to sort "just" by the footwear used.

  • Sole runner what were the exercises you did to strengthen glutes? I have to admit to drowning in an excess of internet info regarding basic strength/stretch routines for runnersimage

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    You started running and after 4 days of 30 minutes you got hurt.

    As a beginner, if you had spread that much training over the course of 3 weeks then you may have avoided the trouble.

    🙂

  • Hi all,

    Thanks so much for the replies. Thought i'd post an update in case anyone else has these symptoms, as I went to my physio today and she told me the following:

    • Foot pain is caused by the over-pronation
    • In my case, my hips and thigh bones turn inward, which causes my knees to do the same- contributing to the problem of my feet rolling in
    • To alleviate the problem she has suggested working on outer thigh muscles and being more conscious of using muscles to keep the knees straight so they are in line with the second toe
    • Stretching feet, thigh and calf muscles
    • In the meantime she recommended maintaining cardio but doing cross training/ swimming/ cycling for a few weeks, then getting back to running

    And RicF- You are completely right- i think it was a case of too much too soon and i wish i had thought about that first!

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Rh.

    I did the same myself. In fact, I kept a list of all the injuries and niggles I picked up in my first year and they covered two sides of A4. Only after ending up in an ambulance with a torn muscle in my backside did I get sorted out. Basically gave up bothering and everything got better.

    Helps to be lazy to succeed in distance running. Ambition leads to over doing things.

    At the moment, even your re-hab exercises could be too much. Best to do something and then leave alone for between 48 & 72 hours. Then repeat. Should be long enough to recover from & adapt for the better.

     

    🙂

  • Thanks Ric for the good advice- based on your (painful sounding) experience i'll do as you said!

    I actually did some cycling in the gym tonight and after a day of awful foot pain, my foot seems to feel a bit less painful now than it did this morning. So, i'll take a few days off again now and see how I get on with taking it slowly this time!

    Thanks again!

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