An Open Letter to My Running Brothers and Sisters (Re: Running with injuries)

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Dear fellow runners:

My heel? Yeah, it hurts when I run. Hell, it hurts when I walk. I started running on a regular basis roughly a year ago and it’s been a relatively injury-free journey. Until now, that is.

The injury bug finally caught up to me about a month ago and, well, I’m pretty ticked off about it (to put it politely). Logic says that I should stop running and give my heel some rest, but I reeeeeally want to get outside and pound some pavement. In my mind, every day that I don’t run is another day of gains thrown right out the window. You know what I mean? Of course you do.

So what’s a wannabe runner supposed to do? My wife thinks that I should go see a doctor (she’s such a worry-wart), but my dad (a 58-year old triathlete and avid runner himself) has instructed me to pour some salt on the wound and essentially suck it up. Of course, this is the same guy that has had two knee surgeries and countless number of rotator cuff surgeries, so I’m not sure that I should be taking his advice any time soon.

So consider this a call to all of the runners out there. How did you respond to your first running-related injury? What remedies worked and what didn’t work? Are there any tell-tale signs that a heel injury is more than just a bruise and worth a trip to the doctor? Also, is mint green really the can’t-miss color trend for the 2012 spring/summer fashion season?!

*Ahem*

Please advise.

Sincerely,

- Michael (and his injured left heel)

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About Mikey

Social media manager and copywriter. Craft beer lover. Bibliophile. Abraham Lincolnophile. Punk rock disciple. Hoosier transplant. Runner-in-training. Favorite quote: ”Although I might like it for one afternoon, I don’t want to live on the moon.” – A wise sage



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  • Joey sano

    Mikey, I have the same problem.  Mines is a result of overpronation.  My feet are so flat I actually make suction cup sounds when I walk on tile.  My wife calls me the suck foot.  Anyway, for the last 2 years I have been having pain behind the calcaneus bone which is where your Achilles tendon attaches at the heel end.  There’s a bursa their and when it gets inflamed it looks like a bump.  So, recap your Achilles goes down the back of your leg and attaches to a bursa behind the calcaneus bone.  This is aggravated by uphill running, increase in speed and distance and by squats, go figure.  For me it was marathon training.  As my distance increased so did the inflammation and pain. Symptoms: Hurts in the mornings. Really hurts the first few miles of any run.  A bump with swelling and bruising behind the heel.  And finally, difficulty raising yourself to the tips of your toes.OK., things that help or relieve pain; HEEL LIFTS, I do ‘em everywhere all they long. Lunges. Ice is a must. NSAID’s like Ibuprophen. Stretching. But most important… most important, an MRI.  It’ll rule out calcaneus or heel spur.  You need to make sure your Achilles tendon is not torn or unattached where it connects with the Calcaneus.  I went to sports orthopedic specialist, but since I’m not an NFL player or an elite Kenyan, I had an uphill battle trying to get them to take me serious enough to send me for an MRI.  I found an ankle doctor in my neighborhood and she sent me for an MRI.  The results, no tear.  She put me in a boot for 3 weeks and physical therapy for 8 weeks.  PT had me running in 4 weeks and in March I ran a 15k.  It still hurts and it still swells.  But it’s manageable.  One more thing if you do any treadmill running, make sure it has a sturdy platform.  The brooks beast is a good shoe for overpronators and heel strikers.  Also the New Balance 1011 as well as the assics gel kayano have worked for me.  I hope this helps.– Joey Sanohttp://www.run-u-nut.com/contact.html

  • mike

    michael,
    I am not qite sure what part you have injured.  I had an inflamed achilles (about 4 inches ablve my heel, almost even with the two ankle bumps on the sides).  I tried stretching, ice, extra days rest and found that nothing kept it from swelling after runs.  I finally had to take about 12 weeks off (No running)  to let it heal.  Once you can run pain free build slowly.  no more than a 10 percent increase in speed or distance til you get back in condition.  then listen to your body.  I still get tenderness (slight swelling) from time to time if I run too much uphill, fast or far.  Repetitive use injuries like this require time to recover and close monitoring or a good medical policy like your dad’s as it’s rest or surgery, your choice.