So I have been struggling for over a year now with a foot condition that seems to have no explanation according to my docs. I will try to make a long story as short as possible...
Just over a year ago I was coming back from bi-lateral fasciotomy surgery (Dr. Sennett) that I had in late December, trying to still do Lake Placid in the summer. I was ramping up my mileage across all disciplines way too fast and felt a sharp pain in the bottom/ball of my foot about an hour into a run. I was also trying to transition to more of a midfoot striker at the time as well (too much too fast). I backed off because it felt relatively serious and jogged home in some pain. it hurt pretty seriously for 2 weeks, then began to go away with rest. I ramped up training again and it continued to get worse. 2 months later I was still biking >2hrs but no running, and was visibly limping due to the pain when walking. I stupidly waited 2 months to go to the doc (Dr. Horstmann), my orthopedic surgeon thought it was a stress fracture (neg. xrays though, in may) so she put me in a walking boot, but told me I could keep biking/running/climbing. 4 weeks in the boot and not enough of a change to keep the boot on. She told me to stop wearing it and sent me to another doc (Dr. Kelly) who immediately thought I had an asymptomatic neuroma (i have no numbness at all). He ordered an MRI (June). MRI showed no signs of any fractures or neuromas, but my pain started to subside so we played the wait and see game. Fast forward to lake placid, I swam and biked pain free (26th OA off the bike!) but obviously blew up on the run since I hadn't run in months, and had serious pain in my foot on the run that forced me to walk/limp. Pain went away by the nest day though.
I took lots of rest but the pain still hung around, went back to the same office in august but got another doc (Dr, Leuwillis, sports med) who gave me a cortisone shot btwn the 2nd and 3rd met but it actually felt like it made it worse. He also gave me naproxen, I took 1200mg a day, more than he suggested and took 3 full weeks off from everything. It felt pretty good after this rest period. So I started biking/climbing/swimming again. pain stayed away for the most part but I still had considerable pain in shoes (I had cut the sides out of my shoes for comfort or it would throb all day).
This is getting too long, damn it....ok so fast forward to January after other periods of pain, rest, pain, rest. I go to a podiatrist who thinks I have a bone chip (sure, ok!) and sends me to Dr Nazarian, "the best at what he does" for a musculoskeletal ultrasound of my foot. He is perplexed and says there is no sign of any fracture/neuroma/inflammation/injury in my foot and says there is no reason visibly as to why I should be in pain. His advice? "Change what you do." WTF kind of advice is that? You get paid $300,000+ and that's all you can tell me?
So it was felling pretty good actually, though I haven't ran for months now I have been biking/swimming/climbing moderately as long as it didn't hurt. I went climbing a few days ago and now it is throbbing again. I now have an appt with a different podiatrist (Dr Diamond) for Monday.
I am losing my mind. There is no other way to put it. I have had chronic foot pain for over a year and cant do my typical type-a stuff. 5 docs don't know whats up and I am getting ready to give it all up and get fat. I have iced daily for months, changed every pair of shoe I own, worn everything in my shoe possible, cortisone, nsaids, mri, x-ray, ultrasound, cut the sides out of my shoes, and taken as much as 4 rest periods of 2-3 weeks of nothing. And it keeps coming back. Every time. Help. Please.
Just over a year ago I was coming back from bi-lateral fasciotomy surgery (Dr. Sennett) that I had in late December, trying to still do Lake Placid in the summer. I was ramping up my mileage across all disciplines way too fast and felt a sharp pain in the bottom/ball of my foot about an hour into a run. I was also trying to transition to more of a midfoot striker at the time as well (too much too fast). I backed off because it felt relatively serious and jogged home in some pain. it hurt pretty seriously for 2 weeks, then began to go away with rest. I ramped up training again and it continued to get worse. 2 months later I was still biking >2hrs but no running, and was visibly limping due to the pain when walking. I stupidly waited 2 months to go to the doc (Dr. Horstmann), my orthopedic surgeon thought it was a stress fracture (neg. xrays though, in may) so she put me in a walking boot, but told me I could keep biking/running/climbing. 4 weeks in the boot and not enough of a change to keep the boot on. She told me to stop wearing it and sent me to another doc (Dr. Kelly) who immediately thought I had an asymptomatic neuroma (i have no numbness at all). He ordered an MRI (June). MRI showed no signs of any fractures or neuromas, but my pain started to subside so we played the wait and see game. Fast forward to lake placid, I swam and biked pain free (26th OA off the bike!) but obviously blew up on the run since I hadn't run in months, and had serious pain in my foot on the run that forced me to walk/limp. Pain went away by the nest day though.
I took lots of rest but the pain still hung around, went back to the same office in august but got another doc (Dr, Leuwillis, sports med) who gave me a cortisone shot btwn the 2nd and 3rd met but it actually felt like it made it worse. He also gave me naproxen, I took 1200mg a day, more than he suggested and took 3 full weeks off from everything. It felt pretty good after this rest period. So I started biking/climbing/swimming again. pain stayed away for the most part but I still had considerable pain in shoes (I had cut the sides out of my shoes for comfort or it would throb all day).
This is getting too long, damn it....ok so fast forward to January after other periods of pain, rest, pain, rest. I go to a podiatrist who thinks I have a bone chip (sure, ok!) and sends me to Dr Nazarian, "the best at what he does" for a musculoskeletal ultrasound of my foot. He is perplexed and says there is no sign of any fracture/neuroma/inflammation/injury in my foot and says there is no reason visibly as to why I should be in pain. His advice? "Change what you do." WTF kind of advice is that? You get paid $300,000+ and that's all you can tell me?
So it was felling pretty good actually, though I haven't ran for months now I have been biking/swimming/climbing moderately as long as it didn't hurt. I went climbing a few days ago and now it is throbbing again. I now have an appt with a different podiatrist (Dr Diamond) for Monday.
I am losing my mind. There is no other way to put it. I have had chronic foot pain for over a year and cant do my typical type-a stuff. 5 docs don't know whats up and I am getting ready to give it all up and get fat. I have iced daily for months, changed every pair of shoe I own, worn everything in my shoe possible, cortisone, nsaids, mri, x-ray, ultrasound, cut the sides out of my shoes, and taken as much as 4 rest periods of 2-3 weeks of nothing. And it keeps coming back. Every time. Help. Please.