Run Run Away

Question:

Walking is fine.  When running, there are moments when both feet are off the ground.  The pounding comes from landing your entire weight on one leg and then the next.  When walking, you always have at least one foot on the ground, so your legs are not having to absorb your entire weight with each step.  So walking is OK. Your style of running could have something to do with it as well, as you want to land your weight between the ball of your foot and your heel.  (There have been many posts on this subject on rec.running.)   Part of what I did during my "down time" was to evaluate all the things I might have done wrong that brought about my injury.  I also had been prescribed orthotics which I think contributed to my fracture.  I have since discarded them and I’m just using a motion control shoe.  After a while, I’ll try just a normal shoe to see if I can get by without a motion control.  What it all comes down to, as Ozzie Gontang on this newsgroup says continuously, is that you have to try things for yourself.  Experts aren’t necessarily so when it comes to your body.  Only you can determine what’s right. Regards, Bruce – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just remember, your muscles develop much faster than your bones.  So while you feel as though you can increase your workouts, your bones may not be ready for the pounding. OK..I will definitely stop running. But is it ok to just walk or is that doing me harm too? Thanks, Brian

Response:

Just remember, your muscles develop much faster than your bones.  So while you feel as though you can increase your workouts, your bones may not be ready for the pounding.

OK..I will definitely stop running. But is it ok to just walk or is that doing me harm too? Thanks, Brian

Response:

I’ll relate my experience with a stress fracture.  I started running in February, 1997.  After feeling very good about my improvement over the course of several weeks, I decided to start training for the Chicago Marathon to be held in October, 1997.  In the middle of July, during a long run of 18 miles, I experienced a great deal of pain while running. When I walked, it wasn’t too bad, but if I started running, I couldn’t keep going. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a stress fracture of my tibia. The fracture went all the way through the bone.   My doctor was a sports orthopedic surgeon.  He told me I could recover his way and be just fine, or I could do it my way and be back within a few weeks.  I decided to do it his way from the very beginning. His way was to not run for 13 weeks.  Not a single step.  I was not in any type of cast.  He did say I could bike or run in the water after 6 weeks, which I tried.  Neither activity got me close to the aerobic heart rate I wanted, so I stopped doing either and just concentrated on weight training (none with the legs).  He showed me X-rays during the 13 weeks and I could still see the fracture up until the last one taken in the 13th week.  He released me to run, but very cautiously.  Any pain, I was to stop immediately.  I ran a mile the first day, and it felt as if I had never run in my life.  I did experience a little tenderness in the leg, but this went away the next day and I have never had pain since. I didn’t run more than 10 miles in any week for the first 5 weeks.  I then started increasing my mileage by the 10% rule, but I was very careful to back off every third week.  I am now up to 42 miles per week and plan to run the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego in June.  I’m probably still pushing it too hard, but I need a goal like a marathon to keep me running at a physical level I want to be at. My comments to you, based upon the information you gave, is that you, like me, have tried to go too fast too soon.  Now that your body has said to you that it can’t keep up, you are ignoring it and want to continue as if nothing has happened.  I would recommend that you back off and give yourself plenty of time to recover.  I know I never want to experience another fracture, as I was climbing the walls with depression because I was losing my physical conditioning while not running.  So I’ve been very careful.  I take calcium supplements, as I’ve found through research that the amount of calcium one takes can be a greate predictor of bone problems.  I was getting very little calcium before my fracture. Just remember, your muscles develop much faster than your bones.  So while you feel as though you can increase your workouts, your bones may not be ready for the pounding. I hope this information helps you. Regards, Bruce Poston Pendleton, IN – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Last fall I started to run and developed a stress fracture. I went to a doctor in March and he put me in an air cast. He also recommended motion control shoes since I tend to run with my toes pointed outwards and come down heavy on my heals. After about 6 weeks of resting, icing, and wearing the air cast my leg felt much better. About 3 weeks ago I started to run again…lightly. I am very careful this time..I warm up, stretch before and after, I wear my air cast while running, and I run on a soft, dirt trail. Also, I am only walking and running, not running the entire time, and I only run about 1.5 miles total 3 times/week. I’ve been increasing by 10% more or less. But I am still having pain afterwards. Now it’s not nearly as severe as before and it only hurts when I tap on the area of my leg, not at any other time. After 2 days of rest and icing the pain is gone and my leg is back to normal. Last Friday I saw my doctor again and he said that it’s normal and cleared me. I wanted to know if this is normal or if I am just aggravating the injury. Should I continue to run or give it a couple more weeks rest. Is it possibly due to my shoes? I’m using Asics Gel-Kayano motion control shoes now. Also, what is the normal healing time for a stress fracture? My doctor told me 3-6 weeks and a couple weeks of rehab. Thanks in advance for your help. Brian

Response:

Hello, Last fall I started to run and developed a stress fracture. I went to a doctor in March and he put me in an air cast. He also recommended motion control shoes since I tend to run with my toes pointed outwards and come down heavy on my heals. After about 6 weeks of resting, icing, and wearing the air cast my leg felt much better. About 3 weeks ago I started to run again…lightly. I am very careful this time..I warm up, stretch before and after, I wear my air cast while running, and I run on a soft, dirt trail. Also, I am only walking and running, not running the entire time, and I only run about 1.5 miles total 3 times/week. I’ve been increasing by 10% more or less. But I am still having pain afterwards. Now it’s not nearly as severe as before and it only hurts when I tap on the area of my leg, not at any other time. After 2 days of rest and icing the pain is gone and my leg is back to normal. Last Friday I saw my doctor again and he said that it’s normal and cleared me. I wanted to know if this is normal or if I am just aggravating the injury. Should I continue to run or give it a couple more weeks rest. Is it possibly due to my shoes? I’m using Asics Gel-Kayano motion control shoes now. Also, what is the normal healing time for a stress fracture? My doctor told me 3-6 weeks and a couple weeks of rehab. Thanks in advance for your help. Brian

Response: