Sharp Arch Pain

I've been running in New Balance Minimus trail shoes for about a year. I was in Vibram FF for a few months before I switched to the NB (I didn't like the "toes"). Just this December I started to get an occasional sharp pain in the arch of my left food. It started when I was running fast down a concrete ramp between trails, and typically happens when I am running downhill. The pain feels like a stretching/stabbing sort of pain, enough that I have to stop running or significantly change my gait. It can be mostly alleviated if I do more of a flat-foot strike with my left foot, and will eventually go away until I hit another downhill. My arch doesn't hurt to the touch, and the left arch doesn't feel any different compared to the right when I put pressure on it with my hand.

Something to know about my past medical history that might have something to do with the issue I'm having now: I've sprained my left ankle three times. The first two times were minor, enough to stop me running for a week or so, but nothing too serious. The third time (August 2007) was very severe, requiring a hard cast for three days, crutches for a week and an air boot walking cast for two to three weeks after I got the hard cast off, then a sturdy brace for another two weeks, and no running whatsoever for eight weeks. I did plenty of physical therapy and got the ankle back up to the best it'll be, and it has been well-tested on some pretty rough terrain, though it still makes popping noises and will ache after a long run. I don't know if that has anything to with my foot pain, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.
 
I have this same type of pain

I have this same type of pain and popping in my right foot. My foot size has changed so now depending on the shoes I wear (narrower shoes) my foot will do this. Try a wider shoe and see if that helps. When I'm barefoot or in my huaraches my feet don't do this. Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
Um, I'm not sure I know of

Um, I'm not sure I know of any that are as thick as the minimus on the soles, but maybe check out the Altra Adams or maybe some of the VivoBarefoot line of shoes or maybe the Stem shoes also. I have the Altra Adams and the VivoBarefoot Neos. They both feel better on my feet and may fit you better. I would recommend trying them on first before you purchase though if possible. For all I know it may be a medical issue and not a shoe fit for you so I hate to see you purchase them for nothing.
 
In my mind, all of the

In my mind, all of the imbalances in the leg and foot stem from imbalances in the hips and surrounding area. That was the case for me. I used to get that same arch stretchy thing when I ran, in my right foot, after about 2 miles -only in VFFs (not barefoot). I just lifted my legs faster and bent my knees more and got rid of the symptom. But not the cause. The cause, in my case, came from twisted hips and unstable si joints. Now that I have addressed that problem, I rarely get that stretchy thing.
 
Check the stickied thread/map

Check the stickied thread/map of barefoot-friendly docs in the Health, Nutrition...forum to see if there's one near you. Long shot, but worth a look.

Try running a half mile barefoot, no running the day before, and none the day after, to see if you still have this problem. If you don't then maybe your shoes are the cause.

And hopefully, one of the docs will chime in here soon.
 
YW is maybe 30 minutes from

YW is maybe 30 minutes from the BF/Minimalist friendly DPM I listed on the map. He's like a mile from I-96 in Livonia.

He'd probably even barter for some of her organic produce.
 
With former sprains, you may

With former sprains, you may have muscle imbalances and faulty movement patterns in that foot, ankle, knee and hip that lead to over prontation of that foot, in that case causing excess stretching of that plantar fascia. Sprain injuries are notorious for leaving people with weak glutes (bridges and standing hip extensions are good exercises to strengthen the glutes. A single leg balance reaching your foot to the side-glute medius and then back (hip extension)-for glute max...also great for balance and working on stabilizing the ankle. Doing foot exercises may help to strengthen the muscles supporting your foot, I've posted some on my site for members of my center after a recent workshop on foot fitness and barefoot training

http://empoweredwellness.yolasite.com/health-tips.php

You mentioned that it's alleviated when you switch to a more flat footed strike, maybe you're landing too far up onto the ball of your foot?
 
So I got a pretty good idea

So I got a pretty good idea what is going on with you here. This is very common and something I talk a lot about on the Sock Doc site (plug plug). You may think an injury is gone because you no longer have pain there, but they often come back to haunt you if you haven't addressed the cause of the injury. Most people, of course, don't do this, so either the same injury re-occurs or you end up with another injury - anywhere else in the body.

So you've sprained the left ankle 3 times, and now you have arch pain. Basically you've had a foot problem for several years and now you just have a new symptom. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments are weak, so it's great that you're wearing in min-type shoe, but also that is going to really put your body to test, and the ankle especially.

Check out the video on Plantar Fasciitis on the SD site. You are having PF symptoms now and those same muscles are involved when there is a s/s. And of course, as I say with any injury that just "shows up" (meaning you didn't get into a traumatic accident such as step in a hole while running), injuries occur when you're under more stress than you can handle - dietary, lifestyle, training, and footwear of course.
 
Thanks so much for all the

Thanks so much for all the good info!



Would it be advisable to continue running as I have been in my NB shoes, but maybe add in some strengthening exercises for the supporting muscles? I'm just starting to train for a half marathon I'll be running in April. I don't want to start training too hard if the issue will only worsen with more running.
 
NB Min trail or road? The

NB Min trail or road? The road I don't like too much - they're more of a transitional shoe and not as minimalist as the trial. I think the trail are great and should be used on the road over the actual road model. If they're not aggravating your problem they should be okay.
 
I have both. I mostly run on

I have both. I mostly run on trails, as I have 40 or so miles of one-track trails just across the street from my house. Occasionally I do roads, but they're generally dirt roads. For both the trails and dirt roads I use the Minimus trail. If I'm running more than three miles on pavement (which is rare) I use the Minimus road shoes, as I've found that anything more than three miles in the trail shoes (on the road) make my feet unhappy. They offer a little more cushion than the Minimus trail.
 
Since you need more cushion

Since you need more cushion w/ the road shoes that's proof right there that you have foot weakness. So make sure you're barefoot as much as you can be walking/standing; do some foot exercises, work those trigger points.
 
I tried the manipulation

I tried the manipulation (looking for hot spots on the inside of the shin) you demonstrate in the Plantar Fascitis video with almost immediate relief from a similar arch pain that I've been ignoring. It's not 100% gone, but I woke up for the last two morning with almost no pain at all in my arch, for the first time in months.

I guess you guys do know something...

Dr. Gangemi_SockDoc said:
So I got a pretty good idea what is going on with you here. This is very common and something I talk a lot about on the Sock Doc site (plug plug). You may think an injury is gone because you no longer have pain there, but they often come back to haunt you if you haven't addressed the cause of the injury. Most people, of course, don't do this, so either the same injury re-occurs or you end up with another injury - anywhere else in the body.

So you've sprained the left ankle 3 times, and now you have arch pain. Basically you've had a foot problem for several years and now you just have a new symptom. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments are weak, so it's great that you're wearing in min-type shoe, but also that is going to really put your body to test, and the ankle especially.

Check out the video on Plantar Fasciitis on the SD site. You are having PF symptoms now and those same muscles are involved when there is a s/s. And of course, as I say with any injury that just "shows up" (meaning you didn't get into a traumatic accident such as step in a hole while running), injuries occur when you're under more stress than you can handle - dietary, lifestyle, training, and footwear of course.
 
I tried the manipulation

I tried the manipulation (looking for hot spots on the inside of the shin) you demonstrate in the Plantar Fascitis video with almost immediate relief from a similar arch pain that I've been ignoring. It's not 100% gone, but I woke up for the last two morning with almost no pain at all in my arch, for the first time in months.

I guess you guys do know something :) ...

Dr. Gangemi_SockDoc said:
So I got a pretty good idea what is going on with you here. This is very common and something I talk a lot about on the Sock Doc site (plug plug). You may think an injury is gone because you no longer have pain there, but they often come back to haunt you if you haven't addressed the cause of the injury. Most people, of course, don't do this, so either the same injury re-occurs or you end up with another injury - anywhere else in the body.

So you've sprained the left ankle 3 times, and now you have arch pain. Basically you've had a foot problem for several years and now you just have a new symptom. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments are weak, so it's great that you're wearing in min-type shoe, but also that is going to really put your body to test, and the ankle especially.

Check out the video on Plantar Fasciitis on the SD site. You are having PF symptoms now and those same muscles are involved when there is a s/s. And of course, as I say with any injury that just "shows up" (meaning you didn't get into a traumatic accident such as step in a hole while running), injuries occur when you're under more stress than you can handle - dietary, lifestyle, training, and footwear of course.
 
BarefootGburg wrote:I tried

BarefootGburg said:
I tried the manipulation (looking for hot spots on the inside of the shin) you demonstrate in the Plantar Fascitis video with almost immediate relief from a similar arch pain that I've been ignoring. It's not 100% gone, but I woke up for the last two morning with almost no pain at all in my arch, for the first time in months.

I guess you guys do know something...

Dr. Gangemi_SockDoc said:
So I got a pretty good idea what is going on with you here. This is very common and something I talk a lot about on the Sock Doc site (plug plug). You may think an injury is gone because you no longer have pain there, but they often come back to haunt you if you haven't addressed the cause of the injury. Most people, of course, don't do this, so either the same injury re-occurs or you end up with another injury - anywhere else in the body.

So you've sprained the left ankle 3 times, and now you have arch pain. Basically you've had a foot problem for several years and now you just have a new symptom. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments are weak, so it's great that you're wearing in min-type shoe, but also that is going to really put your body to test, and the ankle especially.

Check out the video on Plantar Fasciitis on the SD site. You are having PF symptoms now and those same muscles are involved when there is a s/s. And of course, as I say with any injury that just "shows up" (meaning you didn't get into a traumatic accident such as step in a hole while running), injuries occur when you're under more stress than you can handle - dietary, lifestyle, training, and footwear of course.

I've tried the PF one and the AT one from his videos and nothing. I did make my calf sore from trying to find the stinking trigger points though....
 
I just can't find these

I just can't find these "trigger points" I guess. Nothing that felt like a knot or painful anyhow. I had written a post asking for information on locating trigger points but I haven't gotten much help in that yet.
 
Nick, where is your post

Nick, where is your post where you're not getting any help?

It has nothing to do with being "lucky" you really may not have a trigger point in your calf/foot. All us docs on here do our best to try and help you guys for free. How often to do treat a trigger point to resolve PF when I see someone in my office? - I'd say 10% of the time it is the only treatment needed, 10% of the time the trigger point isn't even there and 80% of the time the trigger point needs to be addressed but the main issue are the other factors resulting in PF - stress, footwear, etc...as I discuss in the post & video.



BTW - if you made your calves sore after working on them then you were working on the trigger points without even knowing it. That and you have a lot of inflammation in your calves; that ain't normal.