I’ve had a weird feeling in my foot the last few days. I went running on some slushy/snowy/icy roads last week and since then my foot has had a little twitch in it. When I’m pivoting on my toes sometimes I get a little tight pinch in the middle of my arch, like I have a piece of really tight tape and it doesn’t want to stretch. It doesn’t really hurt, its intermittent, and it hasn’t bothered me while running (yet).
So is this something that could turn into a problem? Or should I just ignore it til it goes away?
Hey rpeterson,
Sorry to hear about your foot pain. I too have been dealing with all the snow the latest winter storm has brought. My guess is you’ve strained the Plantar Fascia, the tendon like band of tissue you feel running from your heel forward, below the arch of your foot. This is one of the most common sites of injury in runners and would be best if you didn’t ignore because there are some really easy ways to treat it.
First, the strain happened from either over using your calf muscle to maintain traction and keep from falling, which pulled on the achilles, which connects to the plantar fascia. And/or you were gripping a lot with your toes, inside your shoes, to also have more control of your foot on a loose surface. I mention these causes so you can be conscious of them in the future and potentially prevent a reoccurrence of the injury.
Second, get a golf ball or similarly size hard ball and while sitting in a chair, roll the ball along the bottom of the foot to help stretch the fascia and free up areas the tissue might be sticking to other tissues (called adhesions). It best to do this when your foot is warm, like when getting out of bed in the morning or after a shower.
Third, try some foot exercises like flexing all your toes up and down, to help strengthen the muscles of the foot. (There’s plenty online if you’re interested).
Fourth, if immediate comfort and relief is desired and taking time off from running is out of the question, you might try and plantar fasciitis support sleeve like the one made by the sock manufacturer Feetures (http://www.feeturesbrand.com), or other products your local running store might suggest.
I get the same issue. Ultrasound picked up nothing. Not plantar fascitis according to physio. I use the golf ball thing and it seems to do the trick pretty well…it seems to arise when I am doing big miles plus some speed work…
Symptoms don’t fit plantar faciitis. Sounds more like mild nerve compression, possibly a branch of posterior tibial nerve. I would advise against grinding out imaginary adhesions with your lacrosse ball.I’ve had a weird feeling in my foot the last few days. I went running on some slushy/snowy/icy roads last week and since then my foot has had a little twitch in it. When I’m pivoting on my toes sometimes I get a little tight pinch in the middle of my arch, like I have a piece of really tight tape and it doesn’t want to stretch. It doesn’t really hurt, its intermittent, and it hasn’t bothered me while running (yet). So is this something that could turn into a problem? Or should I just ignore it til it goes away?
I googled these identical symptoms and was led here. Not a triathlete but training for marathon and have these exact same symptoms. Tightness/pinching sensation but not exactly painful, towards the rear 1/3 of my arch. Happens when I’m turning or on downhills. No snowy roads here… Just started happening 10 days ago and it’s more frequent now.
Would be interested in hearing if this was resolved while continuing to train through it, any successful therapies? Thanks
It went away on its own, I think I had just bruised or stretched something while running on the thick slush. I did run a little less intense for the next few weeks, but it went from happening a few times a mile to a few times a run, then once a run, and then every other run, and then finally just went away. I also made sure to run flat nice roads rather than trails or hills during that time just to play it safe.
I think its important to note that everyone immediately jumps to the plantar fascia online diagnosis or culprit. Yes, the PF can get injured and painful in the area, but TRUE plantar fasciitis does not generally “go away on its own” as its an acute/chronic inflammatory process that is extremely painful with almost clockwork symptoms, none of which you have alluded to.
There are a great deal of other muscles and tendons in our feet. What happens when we strain any other muscle or get cramps or twitches? We feel it and sometimes they go away on their own during the exercise. Based on your description of discomfort when pivoting on your toes, might also consider some of the digit flexors or intrinsic muscles. IMO its more likely that you’ve aggravated some of these muscles as often happens after long training blocks, and it is getting to the end of the season for many. Also evidenced by the fact that it hasn’t bothered you while running yet. Maybe when youre warmed up the muscles are looser but we all know that when we cool down we feel compromised muscles later on.
I’ve had my foot intrinsics act up before and wasn’t jumping the gun to PF. Ways to treat are similar, lacrosse ball rolling is a great option but as is restoring proper motion to your feet in all directions. Don’t sweat a PF injury just yet. Do what you’ve been doing, massage and stretch and if you’re really concerned go to a qualified specialist…they’ll be able to differentiate cause of pain.