Feet Update

For once I correctly diagnosed myself via Google. After Windermere I really started to think I needed to get to the bottom of my foot pain. After doing some searching on Google, I narrowed my symptoms down to:

Neuroma

Metatarsalgia

Based on what I read on reading boards I felt like what I was experiencing was Metatarsalgia. What exactly is Metatarsalgia?

According to the Mayo Clinic (SOURCE) Metatarsalgia is a condition marked by pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot. You may experience Metatarsalgia if you're physically active and you participate in activities that involve running and jumping. Or, you may develop Metatarsalgia by wearing ill-fitting shoes. There are other causes as well.

Although generally not serious, Metatarsalgia can sideline you. Fortunately, conservative treatments, such as ice and rest, can often relieve Metatarsalgia symptoms. And proper footwear, along with shock-absorbing insoles or arch supports, may be all you need to prevent or minimize future problems with Metatarsalgia.

What really made me decide I had Metatarsalgia was a posting I read somewhere (I can't recall where) that said when you start experiencing the pain in the ball of your foot you start compensating and run on the outside of your foot. That is exactly what I have been doing!

After doing my online research I put in an email to Dr. Anderson. He quickly responded and agreed with me I could have Metatarsalgia or even a stress fracture. He said if the pain persisted I should make an appointment to see him. I may have failed to mention that my feet have been a mess since at least January so I went ahead and made an appointment. I really didn't think I had a stress fracture; that would be bizarre to have two identical stress fractures at the same time. 

My appointment was yesterday and I am armed with every single pair of running shoes I have worn since August. Call me crazy, but I wanted to make sure we could get to the bottom of my pain. 

After Dr. Anderson asked me a series of questions, examined my feet & my shoes he determined that I was indeed suffering from Metatarsalgia. He didn't think I required X Rays or an MRI, but did say that if I had an MRI it would probably show a lot of swelling in the ball of each foot. His recommendation for me was to ditch the minimalist shoes for longer runs. I can still wear them for races and shorter runs less than a 10K and also for Farmgirlfit. He recommends that I even ditch my Ghost 5s and go back to the Brooks Adrenaline. I had told him I wore the Adrenaline model for almost 11 years before making the switch to the Ghost 5 in August. I should have known if it wasn't broke to not try and change it! Dr. Anderson also recommend that I invest in some metatarsal pad inserts for my shoes. I won't have to wear them long term, but the will allow the pressure to come off of the ball of my foot and hopefully relieve me of foot pain. He also suggested I go back and see my chiropractor for a couple of sessions to have my ankles worked on. Hopefully I can get in next week to see her!

I have ordered some metatarsal pads from the local Fleet Feet store so they should be in within the next week. In the meantime, Dr. Anderson gave me some samples to try out. I am very hopeful that switching my shoes back and using the metatarsal inserts for a couple of months will cure the problem I have been facing for months now. 

Why didn't I just make this appointment months ago?! I don't know so don't ask. Ha. 

Questions for you:

Have you ever had Metatarsalgia???

Ever switched out a running shoe and got injured before returning to what worked for you???

Have you ever self diagnosed yourself correctly from Google?

--Tasha