bruised heel?

[Becky]

I have what feels like a bruise on the inside corner of my left heel. I don't think it's plantar fasciitis- the pain isn't centered on my heel, or anywhere near my arch. I recall striking my heel during a lapse of form and judgement while running the other night. Old habits die hard!

So, how long can I expect this to take to heal? Are ice, ibuprofen, and rest the way to go? I traded in today's planned run for a bike commute instead, and will probably do the same tomorrow and Saturday as well.

Thanks in advance!

[zia]

Oh, that's something I *always* do about 3 days before a big race: step or drop something and bruise my foot. It usually takes about 7-10 days to completely heal, depending on what I step on/drop. I use lots of ice immediately after and try to stay off it. In my more desperate moments, I've also cut elaborate moleskin pads with holes in the center to take the pressure off the bruise while I get my running fix.

Can you actually see a bruise, or is it too deep? There are some old wives tales about wrapping the bruise in cabbage/banana skins etc to hasten healing, but they've never worked for me!

[Becky]

Can you actually see a bruise, or is it too deep? There are some old wives tales about wrapping the bruise in cabbage/banana skins etc to hasten healing, but they've never worked for me!

Glad to hear that it's not just me!

I didn't even think to look for it! Duh! I'm icing it at my desk right now- I'll check it out when it warms up. It feels like the fat pad shifted when I landed on that heel, and I caught the edge of the heel bone somehow.

Is it better to wear shoes around the house (which seem to encourage heel striking for me), or is barefoot better, if only because I'm less apt to heel strike when there's no cushioning? I don't want to make it worse!

[zia]

Ah, yes, The Klutz Club. Welcome!

Is it the bone that's bruised, or the tissue? Bone is different. I bruised mine (ahem) digging with a broken shovel, and that took about 6 weeks to heal. I barely ran the entire time, except on a nice, soft rubber track.

Footwear, you want whatever is going to put the least pressure on the bruised area. Slippers? Or maybe buy one of those thick Spenco insoles and cut out the area where your bruise is?

[OakLeaf]

Ouch.

My warm-up is a half mile of rather large crushed stone, so I bruise the ball of my foot a couple of times a year. No way to avoid it unless I drive to the end of my lane to go for a run, and I'm not that wasteful. It usually takes 3-4 weeks to heal completely. Arnica and gentle massage helps. I don't like to ice any place that doesn't have much circulation to begin with.

Do you have anything you can wear around the house that cushions your feet but doesn't lift your heels? Memory foam slippers, a flatter variety of Crocs (the iconic Caimans have a pretty tall heel, but their flip-flops and sandals are flatter if also thinner and not as soft), or something?

[Becky]

Zia- Good question. I have no idea if it's tissue or bone. It's not super-sore- maybe 3 or 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. It's definitely on the outer edge of the inner side of my heel (if that makes sense).

Oakleaf- Where does one get arnica? Does it really help?

*grumbles* I was hoping that this was the kind of thing that would resolve itself somewhat quickly, and I could get back to learning how to run again. On the other hand, this might be a good excuse to wear my slippers around the office

[OakLeaf]

Any natural food store, and many drug stores, will have arnica cream or gel.

This article cites a couple of recent small studies that found it effective for arthritis. Trauma isn't the same thing, obviously, but historically arnica has been used more for trauma than for arthritis.

My preference is for Traumeel, a German combination medicine that has arnica and some other ingredients, but plain arnica is a lot less expensive.

[Maddox]

Its seems good and I hope you will keep it up