pain in left foot and near right knee

[ghulstyle]

hey all,

i started running barefoot a year ago and i absolutely love it, its only that i always need to stop running after a while. so here is the problem:

everytime i run the longer the run progresses i have increasly more an uncomfortable feeling in the joint where the top of the foot meets the leg on my left leg, i am not very familiar with all the names of the bones but i think its at the at of the tibia and near the talus bone

and on my right leg at the muscle ( or tendons sry i am dont know) and the back side just below my right knee , so the upper part of the calves

also my right knee and right hip "crack" sometimes



i think my posture is a bit "off" but i dont know in what way and how to improve it



any ideas what the cause could be and how to fix it, i really wanna go for longer runs buts thats always stopping me

 

[Dr. Gangemi_SockDoc]

That sounds like your gait is

That sounds like your gait is significantly off (imbalanced). Here's what I think is good to explain, and what I actually explained to a patient today: Running barefoot or with minimalist type shoes is always best, but it doesn't mean you switch to these shoes (or no shoes) and all your problems go away. Actually, if you have imbalances that your old shoes were supporting, you'll feel much worse going to a more min-type shoe. But if you stay in oversupportive, cushioned, "typical" running shoes you will never have a normal gait. You will never be able to correct muscle imbalances. You will never have excellent proprioception. In essence, wearing these types of shoes (orthotics too - you all know I hate them) will never let you optimally develop - physically, and even to some extent, mentally.

But, going back to what I first mentioned, losing the shoes, or wearing less shoes, unfortunately doesn't heal everything. Sure, a lot of times it does, or at least makes some improvement, but often always. This is when certain interventions are needed. Maybe you need to see a physician who can help you balance the imbalances. Maybe you need to see someone to help with your new "unsupported" running gait. Maybe you need to change your diet, your job, or some other stressor in your life. (I discuss how diet affects your gait here: http://sock-doc.com/2011/03/diet-vs-gait-what-you-eat-affects-how-you-run/). But once you figure out what/where/why the problem is there then what's so nice about going barefoot or wearing min-shoes is that not only are you no longer screwing up your gait and muscles every time you run and walk, but you are actually naturally rehabbing and enhancing your gait and muscles with each step - so you get stronger, more efficient, healthier, and fitter every time you stand/walk/run in your bare feet or min-shoes. But again, often you need to figure out and fix the problem first.

A good analogy is this: Say the power went off in your house and at the same time, a fuse blew in the breaker box controlling the lights in your kitchen. Eventually the power comes back on, but the lights in the kitchen don't work. You obviously need to change the fuse. Well the power going out is like bad footwear. Power comes back on - you're going barefoot. All good. But you still can't see in your kitchen because that problem is isolated and therefore needs to be corrected. That light fuse is your gait - those muscle imbalances that are causing your multiple aches, pains, and poor posture.

Did I help you out or just confuse you more?

 

[ghulstyle]

thx for your reply Dr. Gi

thx for your reply Dr. G

i think i can relate to what you are saying, i never really liked shoes and i only ran occasionally many years ago with shoes (think they were converse), that time i had discomfort in my right knee. going barefoot whenever i can and barefoot running (even though just short runs) and other exercise definitely helped with the symptoms but as you said there is a point where i need to do something else to correct the underlying imbalance.

i ve been to quite a few doctors , but what they seem to do is only X-ray the isolated area and then they say "everything is ok and nothing is wrong with your knee " for example. thats really frustrating cause that doesnt really help me

Is there a specific kind of physician/expert that would be worth going to? (like someone who can see the whole picture)



i just dont have enough information about muscles , tendons and bodyparts... is there anything (e.g. stretches etc) you would recommend or some good sites/ books so i can help myself spot the imbalance or slowly correct it?

 

[Dr. Gangemi_SockDoc]

You're welcome. You can visit

You're welcome. You can visit the sites of the docs on this site, including mine. We all have plenty of information. The videos I have on the SockDoc site may help you too. You can personally email me and if I know of a doc close to you I can refer you over to him/her.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

We also have a stickied

We also have a stickied thread with a Map of Barefoot-Friendly Docs & Specialists under the Health & Injuries forum, so check there if Dr. G. has no one in your area.