Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › Foot/Ankle › Sprinting Foot/Ankle Pain

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    • 03/10/2015 at 3:36 pm #71287
      AvatarMatthew Slagter
      Participant

      I’m Track&Field athlete, a pole vaulter specifically. Yes the fun one!

      After years of ankle pain and shin problems I’ve started fixing myself with these glorious mWOD videos.
      But I seem to have reached an impasse of some kind. Having always had shin splints on the inside of my tibia (posterior tib issues?) I have compensated by running on the outside of my feet, keeping my big toe fully flexed while running, and having little to no give in my arch. Kind of the opposite of over-pronation.
      As a result my arches are now very stiff, and I have been getting a lot of pain in my feet. From looking at a picture of the bones in the foot I would say I’m getting pain between my Talius and Navicular on my left foot and between my Navicular and Cuneiform on my right foot. 
      I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on mobilizing these areas. Lots of these mWOD videos discuss not collapsing the arch while squatting or running, but I think my arches are having trouble moving through a normal range of motion.
      I want to clarify by saying that I know nothing, and really have no idea what I’m talking about, my feet hurt and I need help!
      Thank you in advance for any advice, y’all are lifesavers!
    • 03/11/2015 at 6:57 pm #75848
      AvatarAnonymous
      Guest

      Was the cause of your shin splints ever determined?
      Has anyone ever looked at/taped your running technique?

      What are you doing to address your feet?
      I’d recommend getting a set of Yoga Tune Up balls these have great grip quality to them.
      Here is a series of videos that hit on a few aspects of standing, running, foot care, leg care. All impacting factors to what is occurring.
      Ready to Run Progression 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyh5ZCLbSSk
      Ready to Run Progression 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJPKu7DUfU
      Ready to Run Progression 3  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4t9OEYoZco
      Ready to Run Progression 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWv5BkxWceg
      Ready to Run Progression 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvZnjkEBGb0
      Ready to Run Progression 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvZnjkEBGb0

      Pro Episode # 37 – User Request Friday – Shin Splints
      Episode 270: MobRx for Shin Splints

      Feel free to message or email [email protected] with any questions

    • 03/17/2015 at 2:17 pm #75856
      AvatarSatya Narayan
      Participant

      I have heard that the new dynamic stretching they want you to do before any exercise is supposed to help prevent all these injuries like ankle and foot problems. having really loose muscles before you stretch is really important and it also helps to prevent injury. I haven’t had any foot problems since I started doing those types of stretches. http://footandanklemedicalcenter.com/plantar-fasciitis.html

    • 03/18/2015 at 10:18 am #75857
      AvatarKatie Hemphill
      Participant

      Hey dturvry,

      Get cracking into those stiff tissues like Kaitlin suggested, but you know you have to address the cause of the problem as well – the very running mechanical problems that you identified. That’s a hell of a tall order, since you have a history as a track athlete, but you’ve got to plug the leak if you’re ever going to bail out the ship.
      If you haven’t already, you should probably greatly decrease your running or stop altogether until you’re pain free when doing it. After that, dealing with the shin splints is probably your first priority, since that’s the pain issue leading to your compensatory movement behaviour, if your deduction is correct. Once the shin splints are under control, THEN loosen up your feet. As the pain subsides, begin reintegrating running into your training with a HUGE focus on technique work (to the exclusion of caring about training volume).
      And you’ll probably want to replace your running shoes before you get back into the game, if they’ve got any mileage on them. The shape you’ve worn them into will reflect and reinforce your current mechanics, and you want to start as fresh as possible when the time comes.
      In the meantime, while dealing with your pain and mobility issues, you can get a head start on rebuilding your running by participating in whatever relevant strength and conditioning work you can without pain. This is the perfect opportunity to look for mechanical issues in your squat, lunge, and hip hinging (deadlifty) movements, and thereafter the single leg versions of those movements where they exist. Use these tools to build the foundation for your running mechanics.
      Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!
    • 03/19/2015 at 4:09 pm #75862
      AvatarMatthew Slagter
      Participant

      Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my post! The videos you posted were incredibly helpful and I have
      incorporated those exercises into my mobility work.

      To respond to your questions:

      My running technique has never been looked at in depth, as a
      division 1 NCAA athlete who wasn’t a football player, I was basically told to
      ice/tape my shins and take lots of ibuprofen 🙁

      I would be happy to take some slow motion video of myself running
      and share it if that would help?

      The exact cause of my shin splints was never officially
      determined, I’m sure that overuse was a contributing factor, I was doing a full
      running warm-up and some form of sprinting at least 6 day a week.

      To address the issue I have drastically reduced the volume of my
      sprint training, I now sprint train 2 days a week, and pole vault 1 day/week,
      my ibuprofen intake is minimal and only on vault days, never on sprint days.

      I have been doing lots of ankle mobility work with a band, and as
      per your suggestion I have purchased some Yoga Tune Up Balls to supplement the
      work I have been doing. I am very fortunate to work from home at a standing
      desk so I have started spending time each day working on my feet with both a
      lacrosse ball and the Yoga balls.

      I have noticed a change in my pain, my shin pain is less, and my
      foot pain seems to have moved from the bones in my feet to my arches, which I
      take as a sign of progress!

      I currently do my sprint training in THESE shoes. They are designed to be
      marathon competition shoes, lightweight with very minimal support. These are by
      far the best shoes I’ve used for my sprint training, having transitioned from a
      “traditional” running shoe. Do you have any suggestions for shoes
      which may be better suited to reducing my issues? I’ve been looking into getting some Inov-8’s with a zero drop.

      And congratulations you have officially sold me on mWOD Pro!
      I will be signing up after my next paycheck, in order to watch Pro Episode #37
      that you recommended.

      Thank you so much for your help and I’m sorry for writing an essay, this is the first seriously helpful advice I’ve ever gotten on
      this issue.

      All the best,

       – Dan

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