I started running “completely” barefoot 8 weeks ago. After 3 weeks I had left heel pain. I took a week off without a lot of change. Now, 4 weeks later it is still bothering me. I have continued running three times a week, trying to land softly and bend my knees more. I ice it two times a day. Am I doing the right things? I am afraid that if I don’t run until it is completely well, which could take several weeks; I will lose all my gains?
My left heel has a dull deep discomfort in the middle that hurts more when I press on it. It does not change throughout the day and it does not radiate anywhere. There is no discoloration. It does not hurt if I squeeze hard on the sides. It does not change with foot or toe position. When I walk on it with shoes I am aware of it on every step, but it is not painful. It does not hurt at all during a run except for the few times when my heel touches down directly on a small rock. The pad on my left heel feels a little harder than my right and the skin is a little tighter.
It seems like it has been improving, but much more slowly than I would like. I don’t know what the mechanism is for something to become chronic. Is it normal for this type of an injury to take so long to heal and should I change what I am doing? I can’t find any barefoot runners talking about the type of heel pain that I have. I only see PF or back of the heel pain.
My left heel has a dull deep discomfort in the middle that hurts more when I press on it. It does not change throughout the day and it does not radiate anywhere. There is no discoloration. It does not hurt if I squeeze hard on the sides. It does not change with foot or toe position. When I walk on it with shoes I am aware of it on every step, but it is not painful. It does not hurt at all during a run except for the few times when my heel touches down directly on a small rock. The pad on my left heel feels a little harder than my right and the skin is a little tighter.
It seems like it has been improving, but much more slowly than I would like. I don’t know what the mechanism is for something to become chronic. Is it normal for this type of an injury to take so long to heal and should I change what I am doing? I can’t find any barefoot runners talking about the type of heel pain that I have. I only see PF or back of the heel pain.