Had to pull up .75 of a mile into a 20k trail race today. Sharp pain at the base of the three small toes on my left foot. Pain was very vague during my warm up jog and non existent as I walked around pre-race. It grew in intensity rapidly at the start of the race.
I’ve been icing and elevating all afternoon. Currently can not bare weight on the ball of my foot. There is no throbbing or discomfort when the foot is elevated. Very little pain when i spread my toes apart or squeeze them. There is a pretty significant “hot spot” between the third and fourth metatarsals but it feels good to apply pressure to it. When I attempt to stand and apply weight to the forefoot the pain is nearly blinding.
Some History:
I’ve been running for three years. Gradually added distance over this time to the point that I am now running 25-30 miles a week and average 4 runs per week. I started wearing Newtons in June of this year. I limited my mileage in the beginning and continue to rotate a pair of Brooks Launch into my weekly runs.
I severely sprained my left foot, ankle, and knee playing basketball 2 years ago and still occasionally have pain that i associate with breaking down of scar tissue(this occurs very rarely these days.
I picked up a pair of the Newton trail shoes this week and went for a short jog on a trail near my house yesterday. About 10 minutes in as I was heading down a short decline I experienced what felt like scar tissue breakdown. Kind of a short intense burning sensation that went away pretty quickly. I slowed down and headed home where I iced and elevated for a while before heading out to a party where I spent the majority of the night on my feet with little or no discomfort. When i woke up this morning the area at the base of my toes felt tight but not painful. I did short warm up runs in the new Newtons and the Brooks Launch and didn’t feel any appreciable difference so i resolved to run in the Newtons and pull up if I had any problems. Needless to say, my body made the decision for me.
I have an appointment with a PT who specializes in run related injuries tomorrow am but though I’d see what feedback or experience I could find on here.
I searched the forums and actually felt better because it doesn’t seem clear that it’s a stress fracture(for some reason my biggest fear). However after reading about Morton’s Neuroma and metatarsalgia a stress fracture might be the least of my worries.
I’ve been pretty lucky up to this point. As I said I’ve added distance gradually but have been pushing the pace a bit over the last couple of weeks. I’m a bigger guy, 6’1 190 and suspect that this could be the cause.
You are describing very well early Morton’s “neuroma” formation. A stress fx would be way down on the differential diagnosis list based on your description. Good luck.
Could be neuroma. If it is, do not mess around with it. Running on it can make it worse. Fixing the problem right away can save you a lifetime of pain.
The Newtons have a narrower toe box which can often cause problems (in any shoe). Have you been to a running store to get an idea of what shoes fit you?
I couldn’t run on it if I was being chased right now.
Switched to newton under the guidance of a running store. Transitions from the mizuno wave inspire to the brooks launch to the newton neutral trainers.
Thanks again! I will keep up the icing. I’ve also been taking ibuprofin in the form of advil.
Based on some of your previous posts I’m guessing you would recommend pitching the newton when I’m able to run again?
I’m not totally against Newton shoes (well, OK, I am if you factor in price and what other companies now offer). But, for some people (likely you) they are definitely not a good option.
I love my Mizunos because the toe-box is wider but the rest of the shoe is narrow. In Brooks I need to go EE. Maybe it is the Newtons…all I know is the neuroma is painful and running on it makes it painful forever.
The diagnosis turns out to be a stress fracture of the third metatarsal. It doesn’t show on x-ray but after examination by a doctor and physical therapist this seems to be the consensus.
Initial instructions are to stay off of it by using crutches and/ or “the boot”. I also need to ice as often as possible. When the initial inflammation subsides(hopefully 3-5 days) I can begin water jogging, swimming and can ride on the trainer as long as there is no pain.
Even after just 1 day of using the crutches I can tell that the tenderness has subsided significantly. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself but I would feel better about this extended layoff if I had a plan for my return to running. Is there a resource out there that can help with recovery from this injury?
Thanks again for all of the feedback. Look forward to hearing other peoples recovery stories.
Will take a few weeks to show on plain film X-rays as you likely know by now. By 6 weeks, most show enough bone callus/healing to bear weight without crutches/boot/etc.
I have my runners do the hop test you might have heard of.
If you can hop on one foot (the injured one) without pain:
3 times in a row - can begin cautious return to running
2 times - no running, but can walk without boot
1 time - boot still
Not an exact science, but close if you are honest about your symptoms. The caveat here is that it will be sore to the touch on the dorsal 3rd met for several months as the cortex remodels, so if you wait for ALL tenderness to resolve, you will be waiting a while!
That’s exactly what my doc said. I have an appointment in six weeks for follow up x-rays. I’ll remember the hop test for use at the appropriate time. Thanks again. Working hard to stay positive about this and your feedback has helped.
I find this newton discussion interesting. I am having bad issues with my right foot, top by the three little toes. It’s probably a stress enduced injury…however, it occurred while wearing the blue newtons in a 10k. I usually wear the base model Sir Issacs and have had nothing but great things to say about these shoes. Anyway, too much lug without a proper break-in I suppose. I have metatarsyl lifts and tape per my doc but I am showing no progress. Any suggestions?
