PT Question -- I'm a little scared about this

[Wahine]

OK, now I have to say that this really doesn't sound like a stress fracture or a tendonitis. Both conditions are quite painful. I'm sticking with my first thought and that is nerve damage. Ask your PT if that's a possibility when you go. If it is nerve damage you should be getting nerve conduction studies done to see how much damage there is and where.

Please let us know how it goes.

[VeloVT]

So I had my PT appt today. My university athletic medicine dept is severely understaffed right now (one person left right before the school year started and another is on maternity leave, so there's only one physical therapist on duty), so they couldn't get me in for like three weeks, so I was referred to a private practice... Which ordinarily would be fine but my university health insurance benefit for non-university physical therapy totally sucks -- 80/20 to $500. Arrgh.

Anyway, the PT thinks it's a muscle strain and has prescribed rest, icing, stretching, with a few ultrasound sessions and some massage, and some strengthening as function returns.

It actually has improved a little bit in the past week since it happened, but it's still significantly not normal.

He looked over the notes from my dr appt, then observed me walking for quite a while, on the floor and on the treadmill, barefoot and with shoes. Then he measured range of motion and strength for dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion and eversion on both sides with me sitting on the table, and pushed around on my feet and ankles (I think to get a feel for how the joints workd) then massaged around in my right calf, which is actually pretty tight. My peroneal tendons/muscles and anterior tibialis are especially icky tight on my right leg (not so bad on the non-injured side).

Apparently I have very unusual feet (symmetrically unusual). The university PTs noticed this two years ago when I had peroneal tendonitis on the other leg... I guess my rearfoot is valgus/wants to turn in, but my forefoot tends to supinate, and I have high and somewhat rigid arches. I guess if you look just at my forefoot motion my foot looks very neutral, but from the rear I have a pronounced heel whip and overall there's a lot of compensation going on that leads to a lot of muscular tension in my lower leg, which in turn predisposes me to lateral injuries.

So he basically thinks I overdid it and in the context of already tight muscles caused a sudden strain.

I have some lingering doubts about this diagnosis, but if he's right, it seems like that's a much better and less serious scenario than I was expecting...

I asked if he felt like a strain was consistent with both the suddenness of the injury and the lack of pain, and he didn't seem to think that it wasn't... To those who know about these things, does that sound plausible or not?

Thanks!

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I know what you mean about that doubt. I've been sitting on my butt for over a week now, and I don't feel that much better.

What has helped me the past couple of days has been icing it and of all things, taping it. I lucked into finding someone that knows how to tape arches and he taped my foot and ankle. You would not believe how great it feels. The stupid arch supports in shoes have nothing on taping. But it's a pain but I will take what I can get.

If it's feeling better with rest, it could be tendonitis. But see, mine just feels the same or worse, so what's up with that?!

I'm going to a couple of more PT appointments (I hear you on 80/20 that's what I'm paying bc I have out of state insurance) and then I'm going to find a podiatrist. Or maybe I should just find a podiatrist anyway...

[malkin]

Ice and tape are simple miracles!
Don't underestimate them! btdt

[Zen]

btdt

Huh?

[Tuckervill]

been there, done that.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I hope yours has resolved. I'm going on my fourth week of not riding. I think. I lost track of how many. I thought it was getting better then it got worse. Really bad including nerve 'problems' (ie sciatica and peroneal nerve problems).

I am in the middle of finding a podiatrist and also going to accupuncture this week. I also bought the Walk Fit inserts for my shoes. They actually help but it's like all the inserts. They seem to feel a little weird at first and then feel good and then start to feel like I'm walking on the outside of my feet.

Needless to say I had to cut what I eat in half because I'm not riding and don't want to turn into a blob. I did start paddling at the pool in the a.m. and working on upper body strength weight training wise. Just waiting to get a foot doc appointment.

I am missing good riding weather. I'm so down...and my headlight AND packing cubes came in to do some commuting! GRRR~