[bikegirl72]

i was talking with another runner today discussing my heel pain and she said it sounded just like hers and it was her soleus (sp) giving her the trouble. She said the best thing for her was an ice bucket and stretching.<br><br>
Has anyone else dealt with this?<br><br>
I'm going to the dr on Monday to get checked out. i was just curious.

 

[Hippo]

I would suspect that the heel pain is PF and the cause is a tight soleus. Even just loosening the soleus a little might relieve the pressure and the pain, although it may take the PF a long time to heal fully.

 

[bikegirl72]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Smile"><br><br><br>
you are my hero

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

Dude, dude and dude again. It seems like my constant mantra in here - the soleus is evil, and even if you dont think it's tight, it is. If you want more info or a website for pics, pm me.

 

[Nettie]

Yeah, I had no idea my soleus was tight until it started hurting like a mofo. I was having some PF issues for a while, but it took about 6 months for the soleus to make me painfully aware of what was going on.

 

[bikegirl72]

ugh i'm so worried.<br><br>
there are days where i can barely walk.<br><br>
i haven't run in a week hoping to heel a bit and i am just as bad as i was on sunday.<br><br>
i'm losing out on so much training for this marathon.

 

[Nettie]

Have you tried putting a heel lift in your shoe? I used a gel heel cup from Bunga Pads during a marathon once when my PF got really bad and it seemed to help.<br><br>
Also, for your soleus, stretch it (obviously) and while seated put the affected leg's calf region over the other leg's knee and just start pressing into the soleus area and massage it. It might hurt...a lot, but it oughta help.

 

[bikegirl72]

I went to the dr today.<br><br>
No running for a few weeks and the marathon is a no. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Sad"><br><br>
He wants me to stretch 3x a day and ice at night.<br><br>
I'm supposed to get those shoe things.<br><br>
I also got a cortizone shot in each foot.<br><br>
Lucky me.

 

[Hippo]

Really think about a Strassburg Sock. I've been using one recently and it has been amazing.<br><br>
What I learned was to start the first night with it set so it only barely prevents the worst ballerina-toe position. Then as I got used to sleeping with it I gradually started to cinch it up just a little each night.<br><br>
And contrary to what Toejam says, my problem has always been the gastrocs (the other calf muscle.) Unlike the soleus, the gastroc crosses the knee and can thus create some upper-leg involvement too.<br><br>
Either way, we all need to keep on working on lengthening our calf muscles, even if we're not currently injured.

 

[bikegirl72]

cool. i shall look into that.<br><br>
luckily i have my stationary bike to keep me sane for the next few weeks.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

Bikegirl- the cortisone shot is ok as a quick fix just to make the pain go away but it is definitely not a solution or something you want to do again in the same spot!! Additionally, a heel lift, though it will alleviate the pain in the short term will only exacerbate the problem and make your calves EVEN TIGHTER. It is like running in high heels--not good!

 

[bikegirl72]

i know but ugh this stinks.<br><br>
I figure I have until January to heal and take care of my body before marathon training again. I don't want to deal with the pain of all of this again. Some pain is okay but the whole I can't get out of bed for 2 days crap needs to stop. LMAO

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

<a href="http://www.tpmassageball.com/footinjuries.php?sym=8" target="_blank">http://www.tpmassageball.com/footinjuries.php?sym=8</a><br><br><br>
read this and let me know if you have any questions..... the web site sells their products but it is one of the more informative websites.

 

[bikegirl72]

thanks. I'll check it out.

 

[fox-runr]

interesting. The reason that I was dxd with a torn soleus vs gastroc was because I could stand on my toes, but if I dropped my heel it was a mutha'...which would hold true that it's the soleus that goes with PF. but who knows my PF and my torn calf are different legs.

 

[phillytom]

I've been working thru a little bit of a strain in my left soleus too. Some ideas:<br><br>
* As pointed out above, remeber to stretch the soleous and the gastroc. I like the stretches from here (<a href="http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm" target="_blank">http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm</a>). Mentally, if I just push my heel down I don't get as good of a stretch as if I think about also pushing (gently obviously) my leg forward and contracting the shin muscles while I'm doing them.<br><br>
* Also, as was pointed out, tight calves can also be tied into tight hamstrings, so keep working on those too.<br><br>
* Ice, but be careful. For me at least the nerve is really close to the skin on my achilles and I ended up with some short term damage from too mcu ice (numbness in the skin on the calf). Doc said 10 on, 40 off for me. (The nerve issue cleared up fine).<br><br>
* I've had good luck with massage and the stick.<br><br>
* I've cut my training volume and no fast running / racing.<br><br>
Good luck.

 

[fox-runr]

I had a square on my calf for a long time from icing too much, it was almost like a chemical burn (raised and red), it took longer for that to heal than the torn calf.