Originally posted on September 16, 2014, by cruisingrunner
I took about 5 days off from running, because last time we were in town I ran 2 days in a row on the road and had a fair amount of foot pain. This morning I was back at in on the trail at Port Maurelle and fortunately had no issues, not even any numbness. I did a little internet research on my symptoms and came up with this:
From Active.com
“The most commonly affected site is the outside of the third toe and the inside of the fourth toe. Known as a Morton’s neuroma, the nerve slowly develops a thickened coat of scar tissue. Numbness while running develops from pounding the pavement, cramming the forefoot into a narrow shoe, or crowding the forefoot by the gradual, almost imperceptible swelling. The runner can try simple measures to reduce the pressure. These include choosing a shoe with ample toe space and using a pad in the shoe placed under the forefoot. This can gently spread the offending bones apart. Next, a cortisone injection may help give relief.”
This sounds like it to me, but of course, diagnostics can be tricky, which is why we typically go see a Doctor, you know, someone who’s actually been educated in the complexities of the human body, rather than diagnose ourselves based on what we’ve read on the internet.
From wikipedia
“Too often all forefoot pain is categorized as neuroma. Other conditions to consider are capsulitis, which is an inflammation of ligaments that surrounds two bones, at the level of the joint. In this case, it would be the ligaments that attach the phalanx (bone of the toe) to the metatarsal bone. Inflammation from this condition will put pressure on an otherwise healthy nerve and give neuroma-type symptoms.”
I suppose when we get to New Zealand I may go to a doctor and get a proper diagnosis. Of course, there is medical care here in Tonga, and I don’t think it’s expensive or anything, but I just can’t bring myself to go in. It seems like such a “first world problem,” doesn’t it? “Excuse me, Doctor, but I get a little numbness and soreness in one of my feet when I run for recreation.” It’s kind of embarrassing when you think about it, since a lot of the world works hard just to exist and has limited access to decent medical care. There’s nothing debilitating about my numb/sore foot, so I’ll just manage it by not pushing it too hard and sticking to trail and sand running (i.e., soft terrain) as much as possible.
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 