January 2012 - Here We Go Again

[El Gordo]

It doesn't seem long ago that you were constantly beset by injury, beating yourself up and doing all your runs on a treadmill. Remind me -- what happened? How did you get out of that grim cycle?

A good question EG. As usual there is no one simple answer, but in thinking about it I’d say there were three main things:

1. I had my podiatrist carefully fine tune my orthotics so that they did their job really well. This virtually eliminated the shin splints, plantar fasciitis and illotibial band strains I was suffering in one fell swoop as well as reducing much of the impact pressure on my knees.

2. Daily supplementation with glucosamine increased my knee cartilage significantly, and ginseng which improved the circulation to my toes (eliminating arthritic pain and stiffness) and my hands (reducing the swelling and numbness I was getting whilst running).

3. Altering my gait over the last few years to more of a mid-foot strike with a higher cadence has lessened the impact on knees and hips, further reducing the pain I was getting in those joints.

It’s probably also worth mentioning again that I largely replaced sprints and intervals with hill climbs, which give much the same benefit but without the heavy impact on the joints of sprinting.

Not sure how any of that helps you with your calf problem, but what I’d suggest to anyone with chronic issues would be to not give up: focus on what you can do, rather than what you can’t, and keep talking to the professional medicos until someone starts making sense and actually identifies the real issues and can go about fixing them.

Believe me, it’s worth it!

Thanks very much for the info (and for the additional mail).

I've avoided the orthotics route so far -- partly because they can be expensive and come with no guarantee -- but mostly I suppose because I've never been told that they are the only, or the best, answer. Had a podiatrist expressed that very firm opinion, I'm sure I'd have done it. Most of the help I've had has focused on trying to address [what I've presumed to be] the underlying issue through stretching and exercises etc. But ultimately, orthotics might be the answer.

Glucosamine / nutrition. I am also, or have been, a Glucosamine man, though in recent times, I've frequently forgotten to take the stuff. I've never been sure if it has had any effect on me, but I will give it another go. I have plenty of supplies here. I take note of what you say in your email about potassium etc, and will look into this.

Altering gait -- this is the tough one for me. I've read the literature about the benefits of front-foot running and the wickedness of the shoe industry etc, but the problem I have here is that moving pressure to the front of the foot (as I often do on the treadmill and even the elliptical) just seems to increase pressure on the calf, which isn't what I want. But I'm giving it a go.

At the moment, the main thrust of my plan is a combination of weight loss, stretching, and core strengthening. I'm certain that the first of those is highly significant. It can't be reasonable to expect a 54 year old body to deal with all that plodding while carrying at least 30 pounds of excess weight. Things are proceeding well on that front. I've got rid of about 10 pounds since mid-December and about 20 since I was at my heaviest, a few months ago.

I've been doing quite a lot of gym work recently to toughen up generally. Trouble is, my routines are probably a bit hit and miss, and largely based on stuff I've come just arbitrarily stumbled across. I might have to bite the bullet and shell out to get some specialised advice at the gym. I'm actually quite optimistic as I am at least doing something, rather than pondering the situation over a glass or two of wine.

Anyway, I'd been struck recently by how much your fortunes have changed over the last year or so, which has given me even more cause to remain positive. Thanks for the unconscious encouragement.