Neuroma vs Neuritis vs Neuropathy for the Runner’s Feet

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese….because there is a jacket involved.  Not to mention the 5 medals, 5 shirts and some kind of display board…BLING!!  As mileage is cranking up, 13 miles was on the docket this past weekend.  That’s a half marathon (well, almost anyway)…and yet NO medal waiting for me at the end.  Bummer.  Hasn’t the weather been amazing for running this week?? Last night I went out for a long
run again and worked really hard against the wind in about 2 of the 4 directions.

But I was in shorts, in February, in Cincinnati!!!

I was running with a friend Saturday and she thought the following topic would be
of foot-care-interest: neuroma vs neuritis vs neuropathy.

Neuroma–an inflamed nerve at the bottom of the ball of your foot.

• feels like stepping on a lamp chord; sometimes feels like a click occurs
• usually a tingling into the 3rd and 4th or the 2nd and 3rd toes.
• worse w/ tight shoes or shoes w/ a higher pitch.
• often alleviated w/ change of shoe-type and calf stretches.
• rapidly treatable if addressed early on–don’t let symptoms linger.

Neuritis–this usually occurs in BOTH feet simultaneously

• usually feels like a tingling or numbness in the entire forefoot
• frequently occurs during repetitive motions (think treadmill/elliptical)
• symptoms should resolve within 15 minutes of stopping such activity
• this is all about shoe fit/ sock selection/ foot slippage in footwear.

Neuropathy–by definition this is “nerve damage”

• if the cause is systemic (diabetes, alcohol overuse, nutritional issues) then the symptoms are in both feet symmetrically
• if the cause is spinal (herniated disc, degenerative disc) then symptoms are usually in one foot.
• systemic nerve damage feels like a numb, tingling that starts in the great toes and moves then to the lesser toes and up the foot.
• neuropathy is a medical concern that must be diagnosed and treated in the early stages to prevent worsening which could lead to loss of sensation or loss of muscle strength.

If you have a foot-care topic you would like to see in my “blogs”, please let me know….you are likely not the only person wondering about it.  Have a super week and run healthy!

Runner’s treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese training continues for this avid runner.  The mileage is ramping up and hill repeats seem to be on my list of favorite things to do right now.  My legs are finally catching back up to where I was before my injury in November (yes, I’m that old that recovery seems to have taken that long) and so I’m feeling really good. For the past few runs I got to hang with some new faces and so of course I push myself so as not to always be the last one done.  Erie Avenue has an amazingly long and fun hill challenge.  And I have really lucked out this past week in the weather category…thankful!

I was asked by a fitness center to give a presentation last week on plantar fasciitis and that went very well…so I thought I might share just a few quick tips on that topic with you today.

Typically plantar fasciitis will feel like a sharp pain in the bottom of your heel when getting up to walk after periods of rest (presentations will vary of course.)

OTC insoles and stretches tend to help quite a bit in the early stages of this condition…but the longer symptoms last the more damage may be occurring to your fascia (a band running from your heel to your toes) making relief harder to achieve.

Sometimes medication by mouth or injected into the heel can be helpful.  Non-painful laser therapy can make the fascia healthier and less likely to get re-injured.  It is very important to realize that heel pain which won’t go away, especially in an endurance athlete can be caused by several other conditions that are NOT plantar fasciitis and treatment widely varies. Stretch your calves and your arches and get out there and conquer some hills!

Runner’s treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Flying Pig 4-way with Cheese training continues for this avid runner.  The mileage is ramping up and hill repeats seem to be on my list of favorite things to do right now.  My legs are finally catching back up to where I was before my injury in November (yes, I’m that old that recovery seems to have taken that long) and so I’m feeling really good. For the past few runs I got to hang with some new faces and so of course I push myself so as not to always be the last one done.  Erie Avenue has an amazingly long and fun hill challenge.  And I have really lucked out this past week in the weather category…thankful!

I was asked by a fitness center to give a presentation last week on plantar fasciitis and that went very well…so I thought I might share just a few quick tips on that topic with you today.

Typically plantar fasciitis will feel like a sharp pain in the bottom of your heel when getting up to walk after periods of rest (presentations will vary of course.)

OTC insoles and stretches tend to help quite a bit in the early stages of this condition…but the longer symptoms last the more damage may be occurring to your fascia (a band running from your heel to your toes) making relief harder to achieve.

Sometimes medication by mouth or injected into the heel can be helpful.  Non-painful laser therapy can make the fascia healthier and less likely to get re-injured.  It is very important to realize that heel pain which won’t go away, especially in an endurance athlete can be caused by several other conditions that are NOT plantar fasciitis and treatment widely varies. Stretch your calves and your arches and get out there and conquer some hills!

Foot Conditions Common to Runners

My training for the 4-way with cheese at the Flying Pig continues.  In the past week
I have had the opportunity to run with a couple of new partners.  New friends means new discoveries and often new courses and things to see.  It also seems to bring more questions … seems it doesn’t take long– once my running buddies find out I’m a podiatrist– for a variety of foot and ankle issues to make their way into conversation.

So I thought I’d share one from last week.  “I get this white stuff between my 2 smallest toes … what’s that?”  (notice I’m not using any names here so as to save embarrassment–but I know you will smile when you read this)  Of course I never SEE the issue, so I’m left to guess.

One of 2 things comes to mind.

1: A soft corn (heloma molle) usually occurs at the base of the web space, but can occur closer to the end of the toes.  It is caused by the 2 toes getting squished together (in tighter toe-box shoes), rubbing each other, and a build up of skin occurs in response to this pressure.  These are usually most painful in shoes, better when barefoot and feel like a burning sensation.

2: athletes foot (tinea pedis) is caused by moisture building
up between the toes (usually if your toes are curled up tightly) making the environment fungus friendly. This may look like a crack in the skin, itches or burns, and tends to be bothersome whether wearing shoes or not.   The treatments are vastly different. Home treatments for #1 are: wider shoes, gentle filing, NON-medicated padding (I never recommend acid patches/liquid on toes), toe spacers.  Home treatments for #2 are better drying b/t your toes, baby powder in your shoes daily, OTC fungal creams. high tech wicking socks. I hope you find this information usable, informative, or at least worth filing in the memory bank.

Keep running healthy!