Skip to main content

Injured Again - Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

So.... over.... this..... No, really, I'm over being injured. I looked back and from my very first Half marathon in 2011 (where I wound up with 3 stress fractures in one foot from that race and didn't know it) I have been injured every year in the fall/winter since then.

I am serious. Tendonitis one year, a calf tear another year, a hamstring injury, and now this... Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis with a touch of Plantar Fasciitis for a little more fun. My right foot is a mess.

Thankfully (at the moment) the pain is bearable. But when the urgent care diagnosed me
with plantar fasciitis and wouldn't address the swelling that I was having under my ankle, I felt that something else was also wrong.

I saw another Dr that I had more confidence in (since I couldn't get an appointment with my podiatrist for a couple more weeks) and he felt that the swelling was just soft tissue from the inflammation. He told me to take a week off from running, and then do a test run.

When I went out for my test run, I wasn't experiencing any pain. I did  have some swelling, but not pain. About .6 of a mile into my run, a sharp pain stopped me in my tracks. It was the kind of pain that gets your attention fast.

I readjusted my shoe thinking that maybe it was rubbing me the wrong way. Long story short, I abandoned the run, ran/walked my way back to the car and was in pain for the rest of the day and the following days.

After what seemed like a very long week, I was finally able to see my podiatrist. He also agreed that I have PF, but within minutes of hearing my full symptoms, he also diagnosed me with Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome.

I was given a prescription for Voltaren Gel, and told to take 800mg of Advil twice a day.



The swelling might be a little better, but the reality is that it's not well. My stomach wasn't happy with the Advil, so I've had to drop that. I'm trying to rest it as much as possible, but I was told that I could bike or swim, just not run or use the elliptical for at least another week.

But I went back to my running log and started investigating my injuries... and I've come to the conclusion that I am no longer doing distance running... or at least not for quite some time. I think I need to take at least a year off.

I have some races on my schedule that I have already registered for. One of those is Rothrock an 18 mile trail run in June. I really hope to do that challenge. But I don't plan to add any other distance runs to my calendar. I don't plan to run any half marathons, marathons, ultras or any type of 'distance' this year.

I also don't plan to do any type of exercise back to back. I don't plan to run 2 days in a row, or bike 2 days in a row, or swim 2 days in a row. My body needs more time to recover!

This year is my year of exercise diversity - I plan to cross train, cross train, cross train. Hello spin class, hello elliptical, hello rowing machine, hello lateral trainer, hello arc trainer, hello strength training, hello pool running and limited swimming (since I'm not a swimmer) and hello yoga. But I plan to mix it up, and give my body time to recover from each workout. I also plan to keep my running to 3 days a week (maybe 4 if my workouts have been easy).

From now on, when my body says no, I plan to listen. 

This Momma is tired of being injured! I knew the last few weeks that I was pushing myself probably a little more than I should have been. My body was saying no, but I wanted to run with other runners.

Sometimes, listening to your body is the hardest lesson of all!




Share this on Facebook?


I'm A Top Health & Fitness Blogger @ Top Mommy Blogs - Please Click To Give Me A Vote



I'm a very small blog surrounded by MUCH bigger blogs. If you like my blog, or this post, please take a moment to share it with friends.


Add to Flipboard Magazine.





Please Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the affiliate link.


Comments

  1. I'm so sorry for you. I hate that you keep getting injured! Hopefully some time off (again) will help...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi! I found your post through Twitter. I'm a fairly new runner and I'm interested in running long distance. I'm still learning and reading your post made me question running every day. If you could start all over again knowing what you know now, pre any injuries, would you still take breaks in between runs or are you taking breaks now BECAUSE of the injuries? I do hope you feel better and you recover quickly.

    Diane Lynn
    http://www.thegratitudeletters.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would definitely take breaks in between runs. I think that's partially what let me to all of these injuries. My body personally just needs more time to recover!

      Good luck on running long distance. I have TONS of friends who run distance without injury. Just listen to your body. Have fun!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Self Care Is Not Selfish It's Necessary

It's not selfish to take care of yourself. It's not selfish to take care of yourself. It's not selfish to take care of yourself. And I'll say it just one more time in case you didn't hear me. It's not selfish to take care of yourself. I have found through experience that when I'm not taking care of myself, not only do I suffer but my family suffers. So ditch the mom guilt and take the time that you need! I have a tendency to keep pushing my needs aside until I reach a breaking point. We've had a very busy fun summer so far. However, I've struggled to get some quality ' me ' time to decompress. I'll spare you the meltdown that ensued. But the reality check that followed prompted me to take action.

Running My Life

Wow, has it really been 2 years since my last post? I suppose that I allowed life to get in the way. For any faithful blog readers, I apologize. Although, I'm not sure how many people actually read blogs anymore. I think most people use other social media platforms.  (By the way, drop by and say hi on Insta. )  But for some reason, each year when I pay for my google domain, I can't seem to let it go. As silly as it sounds, this little space is mine. And lately I've been struggling with ownership and acceptance. And my domain renewal was a not so gentle reminder that I have a voice .  Seriously, you'd think by 48 that I'd have this figured out - nope - apparently not. However, I am wise enough to know that we have a choice to allow situations to harms us or make us stronger. I'm choosing to let this mid-life quandary make me stronger. And because of this, I'm setting goals, taking charge, and reexamining priorities.  Movin' on... 

When The Planner In You Must Be Flexible

In case you haven’t figured this out by now, I’m a planner. I know - shocker right?!? :) So although I love substitute teaching, it’s making the planner in me anxious. And it’s been reeking havoc on my workouts. Basically the morning of or maybe the night before, I find out if I’m working. So my day ( that I thought I had planned ) can be turned upside down in an instant. But, truthfully, isn’t that really the same with everyone?