Feet pain especially in the heals.

by Chris
(Valencia, ca, USA )

I am training for an ultra marathon. I run anywhere between 21-38 miles a week and also so 2-3 insanity workout videos. My feet hurt all the time especially my heals. I walk on my tip toes now. It seems to be on the outside of my feet/heals and sends shooting pains up my ankles. I can't stop training and rest. What else can I do?

RESPONSE

Hi Chris,

Your dilemma is a problem faced by many patients that I see in the office. They are training for something, (usually a marathon) and they are having some sort of foot, ankle or leg problem that is impeding their training. So in theory, at least, if you were to stop running/training and rest your feet, the pain would go away. The twenty thousand dollar question becomes, how long would you have to shut it down? The answer would vary depending on a number of factors; the major factor being the severity of the injury.
Suppose you did rest your feet for a period of time, felt better, and then started training again; more than likely you would end up with the same problem.
Unless you actually traumatized your feet, say by falling for example, rest would certainly help. But you do not mention any history of trauma, so I suspect your problem is related either to the way you are training, actually over training for instance, or there could even be an issue with your warm up or cool down. I would even go so far to say that it might be a problem with your running shoes or even the surfaces that you are running on.
The fact that both feet and heels hurt leads me to believe there is a common denominator. Stated the other way, if you have the same pain in both feet then there is a common source for the problem.
So, in answer to your question, the best advice I could give you would be to see a local foot specialist who could examine you (bring your running shoes with you) and allow the doctor to assess your gait, question you on your training habits, etc.
I suspect a good doctor will be able to determine why you are having pain. Once the problem is identified the solution and resolution of pain should follow. Again, I am saying this because it is both feet that hurt so I suspect a common denominator.
Once changes are made to either your training protocol or your running shoes or the surfaces you are training on, the pain should start to diminish. In conjunction with some anti-inflammatory medication or physical therapy, I would hope that you would be able to continue training without having to stop. That is the only way you will be prepared for your race.

see related article....heel pain

Marc Mitnick DPM
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