April Runfessions- Left Foot Edition
I know what everyone’s been thinking- “Gee, we haven’t heard much about Jenny’s foot lately. What gives?” Well, I’ve been saving it all up for RUNFESSIONS! I’m linking up with Marcia as she opens her “runfessional.” So how is it going? WELL. After dealing with this foot issue for two years, I finally got fed up. It still hurts, and no one can give me a clear diagnosis. The latest is that there’s a possible subluxation of the cuboid joint, which frankly sounds like bullsh*t to me. Then, right at the height of my frustration, my doctor’s office raised the price of the shockwave treatments I’ve been getting from $125 to $150. Bad timing, guys. Very bad timing. In the absence of any helpful guidance, I’ve taken matters into my own hands, and have made three changes: !. I stopped wearing my orthotics. In case you’re having trouble keeping track of all this, I got orthotics right around Christmas. My doctor explained to me that I have a “difficult foot” which would benefit from orthotics. I have a very high arch and over supinate, especially on the left side, and I’ve used orthotics in the past, so this seemed like good advice. After an adjustment period, I was wearing the orthotics almost all the time. I’m on my feet all day but can luckily wear running shoes to work, so I had been wearing the orthotics both for running and at work. Well, as time went on I felt that the orthos were working well for my runs, but at the end of the workday my foot was just throbbing in pain. It felt like the arch of the orthotic was stabbing my foot. I remember that in the past, I wore orthotics for running only. So I’m still using them for running (at least for now) but have stopped wearing them the rest of the day, and my foot feels so much better. I can’t say I’m pain-free completely at the end of the day, but it’s a huge improvement. 2. I’m increasing my Sunday “long” runs… …but I’m taking Advil before I run. I started to wonder if, possibly, I’ve just forgotten how to step down normally on that foot after all this time. And I was getting really miserable about not doing longer runs, so I figured “what have a got to lose?” Best case scenario, the Advil will mask any pain (I don’t usually have much while I’m running) and allow me to step down naturally, which could possibly break me out of a vicious cycle. My first longer, Advil-fueled run was a six miler, and then this past Sunday I went eight miles. Both runs felt amazing, and my foot held up well. So far, so good. 3. I fired my doctor. After eleven shockwave treatments, I canceled my appointment for #12. And when I called up to cancel, I told them that it was too expensive, my insurance isn’t paying for it, and I’m not seeing results. The woman I talked to said she would pass it along to the doctor and that he would call me. He did call me, twice, but both times it was while I was at work and couldn’t answer. So I haven’t spoken to him yet. In the meantime (ironically) I think I’ve actually, finally seen a glimmer of improvement in my foot. Sometimes it hurts just as much as ever, and sometimes I step down, bracing myself for pain that never comes. All along the doctor said that the shockwave treatments were doing something, that healing was happening even if I couldn’t feel it, and that eventually the pain would be gone. Are the shockwave treatments finally kicking in? Or is it the Advil? Or am I completely delusional, and will soon be hobbling around in a boot? For now, I’m loving my longer runs, which means I’m enjoying life a whole lot more. We’ll see where this new “plan” will take me- stay tuned for the next update in May Runfessions! What do you have to runfess? Ever taken Advil before a run?