Backpacknomadicgal said:

hi there barefooters! i'm looking for some very much needed advice to help out my poor feet. Well, specifically my right foot. Ever since I read Born to Run, over a year ago, I've been anxious to get into barefoot running. A little too anxious…alas, another victim to "too much, too soon".

A quick run-down of my process (or more accurately, my lack of progress). At the very beginning: I started out walking around barefoot and after a week thought, ok…time to run. I went just a little ways…all was great…i wanted to run forever! Next time out I went much too far and paid for it. I usually ran 6 or more miles so figured halving it would do fine. Of course 3 miles was much too far for a new barefooter.  i got blisters and ended up having to ice my feet.  Of course i didn't learn my lesson and just figured I was running incorrectly so next time i'd just change my form… I rested for a couple of weeks so the blisters could heal and tried again. I had the same problems and I started getting a new soreness, on the tops of my feet. Noooo. I knew i was running wrong but couldn't figure out how to fix it.

Next stage: I rested from running for 3 months while traveling with a friend through west africa (awesome trip). I was wearing flip-flops the entire time. No foot problems. I did have a couple short runs and hikes but in Vibrams and my feet felt generally alright. Before i went to africa i thought it would be fantastic walk everywhere barefoot there. But the cities are so dirty, with open sewage i was happy to have that piece of rubber between myself and the ground (there's no waay i would go into a squat toilet barefoot!). After 3 months with no shoes, I couldn't bear putting them on…my feet felt cramped! I was now even more anxious to barefoot run…i had, afterall, given them a good rest.

After the trip: ready to try running again! then i had a few short runs and then stupidly went out for 4 miles in Vibrams and by the end the tops of my feet were sore…my right foot was not looking good. The next day i could barely walk. My right foot had taken a severe beating. the left was sore, but not like the right.  Now i'm wondering if it was a stress fracture. Oh dear, oh dear. I can know look back and realize i was doing waaaay too much and should have been starting entirely barefoot and much more slowly. Instead i usually would run a little bit barefoot and then put on the vibrams to get in more miles. I was worried about my foot but after 2 weeks it didn't hurt to walk, but when i woke up every morning and put weight on it, it was very sore. This lasted at least 3 months. I didn't run for those three months to try to fully rest my foot. I was on a bike touring trip (in the UK) at the time so got plenty of exercise there! I knew tendon damage can take a long time to heal so figure i did some serious straining.

When i finally returned home to the U.S. i thought. Ok…plenty of rest this time. more than 3 months. So went out for a baby barefoot run…but soon that top of the foot pain came back. I was really trying to focus on my form but still…that right foot pain. That was 4 months ago. Again, i rested.

Now, I'm living in China (teaching) and started running in shoes again. LIttle bit barefoot and mostly in shoes becauase i felt like maybe i could ease my foot out of the shoe this way while trying to run with better form (now when i'm writing it, it seems like very backward logic…i guess i just reeeally want to run again!). So about a week ago…while in shoes…trying to run with forefoot strike here comes the pain. Even my ankle is sore now. My right ankle has always had problems (i think from being put awkardly in ice skates for too long) so wonder if this could be contributing to the problem. Arrrrg.

Could this be a stress fracture? It's like it won't heal! I probably should have seen a doctor back in the U.S. but just figured they say, "rest your foot, and wear some better shoes". I'm just looking for any advice i can find from people who've heard of and been through similar situations. I guess i just don't know where to go from here. When i walk around the house barefoot, focusing on soft landings, it feels pretty good (no TOFP). I mostly wear Converse shoes outside. Wish i could wander barefoot all day, but being the only white person in a 200 mile radius, i already stand out and can not fathom trying to explain why the rich foreigner looks like a homeless person. I'm also a teacher and barefeet are def. not ok for dress code. I also ride my bike everywhere (does anyone have advice for riding shoes…pressing the pedals all day, especialyl while touring, i can't imagine just wearing huaraches…any opinions?) Maybe I will try to make some hauraches (or order the kit!) in order to have a minimalist shoe that I can wear out and about and when I'm off the bike. But considering that my foot is still sore, do you think it is better to have a shoe "cast" on my foot until it feels better again? Or do you think stripping off the shoe would help it to heal?

I am finally seeing a Doctor/physical therapist this weekend, but who knows what his advice will be like..I've heard mixed things about the Dr.s in China.  Sorry for this incredibly long ramble and thanks in advance to anyone and everyone for any advice! I will most likely be returning home to the U.S. in January. Hopefully the issue is resolved by then, but if not, does anyone know a good PT in the Los Angeles/Orange County??!

 

 Thanks for the awesome website and thanks for any help!

Cheers,

ryan

 

Rally Ryan,

  I'm not a doctor or anything but I think you'd better at least be willing to get a diagnosis re the stress fracture as soon as possible rather than continuing to hobble on it for another seven months. Again, I stress I'm no doctor and have no inside knowledge of how doctors in China would treat this but it seems that letting this go untreated so long would only make things worse perhaps to the point of permanent damage! In my non-medical opinion, I think it would be better to rest it and,perhaps, wrap it up until the fracture heals for X amount of time than to push it and do nothing then be left with a middle and old age of barely being able to walk. If all goes well, you could be back on your feet and able to restart your running program a baby step at a time(and Invisible Shoes would make it fun, IMO).

    I hope this helps.

Oro

… and my own experience *that* one can get into major trouble wearing those things.