I fractured my calcaneus in college--got pushed coming off a barrier in the steeplechase and landed with my leg locked in a cement water pit.

I didn't have an MRI, but the Doc figured it out several weeks later after my second round of xrays.

It took 6-8 weeks to heal, and then I refractured it when I was lifeguarding (had to haul out some drowning kid) and jumped off the stand.

My advice is to give it AMPLE time to heel and don't do anything drastic when you're building back up.



Matt

Mark,

My wife did the same thing. We treated it as PF for about 3 months before getting the MRI, which left no doubt it was a stress fracture of the calcaneus. She was in the pool for 10 weeks. It's not an injury you want to rush back from because the heel is so exposed during run training. It took her awhile to get her land legs underneath her but she was able to maintain a decent amount of fitness by pool running...twice a day, 60-90mins each session. Good luck.

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

Get the MRI. It's a $25 co-pay on most insurance plans. (And if you don't have insurance then shame on you for even considering IM training/racing.)

The point is: you want to know what you've got with certainty, so you can treat it definitively. I'd recommend getting the MRI ASAP.

hi mark,

sorry to hear that, injuries really suck. Do you think that has anything to do with your change in running biomechanics and the replacement of your running shoes? Hope you recover soon. The heeling process takes time. Be patient and back off and take care of yourself when you feel the pain. good luck.

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�The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.� -Michelangelo

MoodBoost Drink : Mood Support + Energy.

Mark, what were you doing running on your toes...?



Anyway, just be patient with that injury and it will go away... and yeah, water running is great fun! ;-)

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Shawn-

Did your wife continue to try and run during the time that you guys were thinking that it was PF? Was she able to ride during her 10 week recovery time?

Just wondering b/c as soon as it happened on the first day I noticed it, I stopped. Also, I have been able to ride just fine without any pain whatsoever. Just wondering if even though it doesnt hurt when riding if this is prolonging the healing process... but standing on my toes (similar to my toe-ing pedal stroke) does not hurt either.

Man, I am just grabbing the air for help here.

Started my water running today.... boooooring. Got any hints that make it more mentally stimulating?

Does anyone know if Electro Stim can speed up the heeling(sic) process? :-)

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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aus_tri

I treat/see calcaneal stress fractures all the time. Unless your specialist could see the healing, sclerotic line on plain film X-rays, he is just going by clinical exam (which can be good mind you, but in an athlete getting ready for an IM even with soooo much time invested, I would absolutely have an MRI to confirm).

Some bad cases of plantar fasciitis/partial tears mixed w/ some heel bursitis or periostitis can easily masquerade clinically as a heel bone stress fx. Not that you shouldn't stop, but at least if you had a case of bad calcaneal periostitis, you COULD do the IM (albeit with some help and pain) and then call it a season. Not the best plan, but the option will at least be yours.

I have taken many runners out of the Flying Pig Marathon this weekend (much to my dismay - it makes me run faster for them as I KNOW they will be checking my time) and I've let others run (when others docs said no way). It is best to have all the info you can, then YOU and your doc make the right call.

Oh, and in case your wondering - NO, you can't run on a calcaneal stress fracture (even from me, and I'm very leanient). Takes a minimum of 6 weeks to heal, usually more like 3 months and easily longer if you are not properly immobilized/treated.

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Mark,

This was a few years ago, before she got into tris, so she wasn't cycling. She's very, very stubborn and has an incredible tolerance to pain. The PF caused her to change her running stride which eventually led to the stress fracture. At least, that was the doctor's theory. She sort of had the same thing as you, one day we were on a run and she knew something was really wrong. Needless to say, we ended up walking home. The MRI followed the next day. My point to my earlier post and echoing some of the other posts is that you're going to need extended rest for this (whatever it is) to heal. Good luck.

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

WOW!!! Stubborn you are right! Three hours a day in the pool aqua jogging?!?!?! Man, something else. On that note do you have any tips for things to do while aqua jogging to jazz it up a bit and make it more interesting.... and somehow find a way to get my HR over 100. Geez it's like i am not doing anything in there. *sigh*

Thanks for your input.

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App