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Re: Goosebumps on warm days

guest — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:37:35 GMT

I think you are lucky to have an early warning sign of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Lucky, because your skin is still moist. Please get a belt to hold a water bottle and sip every mile or two if you are out for 20 minutes or more, as I always do. While it is true that it normally takes about 20 minutes to absorb the water (making it seem silly to drink during a 5k), it will still take 20 minutes after your run, meaning you have gone longer than you think without water.

Please view these links:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/484847-goosebumps-when-running/

http://www.fitsugar.com/Signs-Heat-Exhaustion-7416704

Re: Weird Lateral foot pain

guest — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:44:29 GMT

The best place to start in search of a solution, is to get a professional look at your biomechanics. Even if you had some need to overpronate your foot, another adaptation to foot instability or pain might be to oversupinate, which would put much more pressure on your 4th and 5th metatarsals during repetitive (sustainable) motion. Your biomechanics for hopping or running may be quite different.

Stress fractures are a possibility whenever there is too much stress on a part of your anatomy not designed for it. If you had six months off, and plunged back into 18-mile+ weeks, you could be just as vulnerable to damage as you were before the long layoff. You had rest and recovery, but lack of conditioning as well. You need to make a gradual comeback after 6 months off, planning about a year to get back to where you were.

Back to a stress fracture, it's not the only possibility, but what can happen when an unconditioned part of your anatomy is subject to repetitive stress. Tendon pulling the periosteum, or the "skin" of your bone, off the bone as a result of repeated use, is an example of a type of stress fracture called an avulsion fracture. It's not like a simple fracture where the entire bone is cracked, or necessarily in danger of breaking completely, but does weaken the bone's integrity. In the case of an average stress fracture, it does not happen all at once, but is a gradual weakening process. Similar things happen in aircraft or other machinery subjected to repeated stress, except that you as a human can feel the pain of it coming on. In addition to forms of tendinitis, periostitis can present before actual separation occurs. Great to have these early warning signs.

I believe though, that you may be supinating to avoid pressure on the rest of the foot, at least during a walk. This would focus pressure down there, and eventually would hurt during a slow, weight-bearing process like walking. As Freud used to say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. What I was trying to say before, is that your biomechanics when running or hopping could be quite different, not putting the same stress on the same places. A treadmill analysis of your gait while running or walking could reveal this. In that case, it needs to be determined what structural or muscular insufficiency you may be compensating for, and to attack this problem from the angle of reducing the need for the kind of biomechanical overcompensation that overwhelms your anatomy.

Outside Foot Pain

guest — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:16:00 GMT

Ok, it sounds like you have tested the shoe theory somewhat, having them fitted, changing the insoles, trying a different pair. I don't think enough time has gone by to tell anything for sure, though. You haven't been running very long, and a few months of a shoe problem would not likely reverse in a few days.

What worries me some is your mention of "supportive" and ankle pain. There are some aches and pains that attend a new sport, but you have not been aggressive enough in this short span of time to run into abnormal symptoms, yet, it sounds like you are. I'm going to guess that the need for supportive footwear and special insoles means there is something about your feet hitting the ground that is inherently unstable.

While there are some doctors who specialize in athletics and biomechanics, most do not. Many would approach this problem in a way that might end your running dreams. Sports docs and many physical therapists, on the other hand, see bodies in motion as an integrated concept. A lot of running stores do a good job of fitting shoes to average biomechanics, but I'm willing to bet you do need someone with advanced training to sign off on your footwear, any orthotic appliances like superfeet, etc., and to hand you a definitive diagnosis of how well your anatomy and biomechanics are matched to your chosen sport. Something is not right.

I have seen over and over again, anatomical differences that are important to whether and how a runner will experience unusual pain. The structure and stability of your foot, as well as everything from the spine down, can affect what you feel where the rubber meets the road. Outside of the practice of medicine, there are many competing theories about how to run and what to wear to make it easier. Everything from barefoot running, to negative, neutral, and positive heels, supportive vs unstructured footwear, has adherents that swear by their theories. It doesn't help that almost every approach seems to help someone, no matter how opposite they are. This is why a professional understanding of your particular anatomy is so important.

In my case, I had an issue with the angle of my lower leg bones being different from the other side, due to breaking them in an accident years ago. There are also slight but important differences in how the metatarsal bones line up that, though common, are seen as abnormal. I experienced ankle, foot, leg, and hip pains during my early running years, without taking a serious look at how I was built. It took years to figure out how to adapt to these problems in a way that allowed me to run freely, but I was able to do so. If you persevere, you will get there too.

Weird Lateral foot pain

guest — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:19:32 GMT

If your location of pain is that specific, and you have ruled out blisters, rocks in shoes, etc. it is more likely to be a stress fracture than something insignificant. You may also have strained a ligament or encountered some form of metarsalgia. I know of no myofascial pain patterns that confine themselves to so small a spot, but there is the possibility of a neuroma in that location, which may get your bones off the hook, but can be tough to manage.

I'm going to take a wild guess that you have high arches, which divert more pressure onto the smaller 4th & 5th metatarsals, which obviously break more easily. Maybe you pronate a bit more when running to absorb shock, taking some of the direct pressure off these slender bones. Either way, unless you suddenly picked up your mileage, or provided some other unusual stress, there probably is something wrong down there that needs to heal right. I'd stay off it if I were you, and if gentle ambulation still hurts, you may have to shell out for an exam.

Meanwhile, a look at your shoes is required to see if anything has gone wrong there. Do you feel pain in all footwear? Or, just when walking in the running shoes? Were there any recent equipment changes, or changes to the running surface? Are you using a treadmill? How long have you been running?

Can't shake the pain no matter what

guest — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:30:08 GMT

The only time I ever encountered anything close to that was in very hot weather during a very long run. The temp was in the 90s and I had no business running. I also felt close to blacking out, which you did not report, so I don't think your itch is heat-related. Perhaps exertion opens your pores and there is some discomfort because your body is not accustomed to this.

Then again, I wonder if your itching is more like a numbness due to a circulatory problem such as Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) in the early stages. I think you should get clearance from a doctor before continuing to run. It's always a good idea to get clearance when transitioning from sedentary life to athletics anyway.

Other symptoms to look for are swelling, inability to sweat, low skin temperature in the context of exercise, or lack of sensation in the skin. These can help in your diagnosis and should be discussed with your doctor.

Sure, there could be things like allergies, and some have reported allergic reactions when running, but I don't think such a problem would start and stop with running the way you describe. I'm wondering if there could be a kind of benign hypoxia that sets in when your muscles start sucking up the oxygen from your blood. Running tends to shunt bloodflow from less critical areas like the skin to feed the muscles. After you become acclimated, you may experience better peripheral circulation so you can stay cool. In other words, this may be temporary, but better safe than sorry. Get some tests done, because this may not be as trivial as it seems.

The feeling of itchiness is an interpretation of nerve input that takes place entirely in the brain. For example, watching a video of ants crawling on someone's arm can make the viewer spontaneously itch. I don't think this problem is of that nature in your case, but you could try some mental tricks when starting out to see if you can control it. Music, reciting mantras, or other forms of self-hypnosis might get you over an exercise-induced allergic response. If you aren't thinking about it, don't expect it, and it still happens, it is probably real, and it is time for action.

Please get everything circulatory checked out, including an Ejection Fraction test and a PAD test. It also might be a good idea to get checked for Peripheral Neuropathy, considering your health history and risk of diabetes.

In any case, any exercise you are cleared to do will eventually most likely help you more than sitting around, but you want to know your limits while you are waiting for those benefits to kick in. Don't give up, because this could be your wake-up call. Get checked, get cleared, and stay active!

Re: Cramps...argh!!!

guest — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:39:21 GMT

Following up on what NzAndy mentioned, magnesium imbalance is an important factor when treating muscle cramps. I have read figures on magnesium deficiency in the US population hovering between 60-78%, but this number does not take into account the increased need for magnesium among the exercising population, people under severe stress, those with insufficient sleep, and coffee drinkers. Sounds like a lot of Americans, doesn't it?

Magnesium helps to counter what happens in muscle when too much calcium accumulates in muscle tissue. Often times, it is not that we are completely lacking in minerals, but that they are not in balance. The same chemical interactions apply in human tissue as in technology such as batteries. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, all play a role in how and when muscle tissue contracts. It is easy for these chemical processes to be thrown out of balance, even when the minerals are well represented in the diet. Not only will certain types of stress deplete important minerals, but the fact that we eat them in balance does not mean we absorb them equally. Magnesium is an example of a mineral that is notoriously difficult to absorb, and unlike iron, is easily and frequently eliminated via excretion. In fact, this is why it is often used as a laxative.

So, the use of supplements with a balance of nutrients does not ensure that you will either absorb or retain them. Your net retention of these vital electrolytes is more important than dietary balance, especially under the stress of exercise. You may need to skew your nutritional intake to achieve that net balance.

Let's look at a mineral that is well represented in the US diet: Calcium. Though Calcium is a vital electrolyte that has been highlighted by a trendy focus on bone health, it is only one of many minerals involved in bone-building. Yet, it is added as a supplement to almost everything, from bread to orange juice, despite the fact that it is not hard to absorb from a balanced diet. Calcium can be difficult for the body to manage in excess. It is an important component of arterial plaque, bone spurs, stones, brittle bones, and muscle tightness. Keeping it in balance can be complicated by medical conditions and use of certain medications.

Because calcium is abundant in the human body, and highly alkaline, it is an important buffer in the highly acidic diet we are accustomed to here, rich in grains, sugars, and flesh foods. In addition to concerns about bone health in the aging population, that's probably another reason why it is added to so many foods. There's a good chance we need more of it, but I believe that ironically, dietary balance has been a casualty in this battle to correct the inherent imbalance in our diet, activities, medications, and habits.

In short, I would not be surprised if you find yourself within that conservative 60% of Americans deficient in another important mineral, magnesium, the absorption of which can be blocked by an excess of calcium. When it comes to diet vs. supplementation, clearly diet is a better way to acquire and absorb minerals, because of the tendency of minerals in elemental form to compete with each other for absorption.

Here is an interesting discussion of magnesium imbalances by a UK doctor.

US doctor Mark Hyman on Magnesium

Running Injury

guest — Sat, 04 May 2013 17:57:54 GMT

A portion of the muscle is probably starving for circulation, which is why many sedentary activities set it off. The circulation of exercise seems to help, but it is more important to know why the problem exists.

In 8 months of running, there has been enough time to develop tightness in the hamstrings and in some cases, actual injury. I'm more in favor of tightness and spasm, which can be quite painful, and would probably respond better to exercise than a tear or "pull."

Resting activities, however, are much more tricky. Sitting or laying with knees bent can shorten the muscle and aggravate the problem. Car seats can pinch off circulation in athletic hamstrings, just when they need more breathing room.

I often approach my own hamstring soreness with self-massage in a chair, by lifting the leg slightly, cupping both hands under, and sinking the fingertips into the rear thigh to probe for sore spots. A basic muscle flush would glide from knee to butt, and encourages lymphatic flow. This can also be accomplished with soaped fingers by lifting the leg slightly in the shower.

Ease up on your running a bit, and let the hamstrings heal, with a bit of help as described above.

You'll bounce back within a few days to weeks, and good luck!

Running through an injury

guest — Sat, 04 May 2013 17:45:16 GMT

Yes, after 7 months of solid running with an eye on competition, you are not completely built yet, and would probably benefit from backing off this run. You are probably suffering from overtraining.

We've all seen boxers keep boxing until they get beat up badly, and the same Peter Principle applies to athletics. We tend to keep promoting ourselves to the point of breakdown, then wonder what happened. Fortunately, in running, even if you make the ill-advised decision to force yourself through this run, you will probably eventually recover. The question is, how long do you want to suffer?

There needs to be a point to this. If you are trying to become a better runner, learning the hard way actually takes longer. Instead, you can take our advice and sit this one out, recover more quickly, and experience earlier success in what could be a long running career ahead, filled with many personal bests. This race, on the other hand, could just wind up being a cautionary tale that sets you back. No point in subjecting yourself to that.

Tight hip flexors can come from overtraining and from too much time in chairs. This recent a runner, yours could be a result of both. The main hip flexors attach to the lumbar spine, and can cause pain there. They could be knotted up and hypersensitive from too much training and stretching. Let them heal. Rest can make you stronger, too.

This might be a good time for a form of cross-training that is less aggressive, but keeps your blood flowing so you can heal better. Don't beat yourself up pounding the streets. Your body gets the message, and will continue to strengthen. This is just a wake up call to how much is too much.

This is a clip of one doc treating the main hip flexor Psoas muscle, which when tight, can actually pull one leg up higher than the other, leading to a dangerous scenario for further injuries. Your friend can help you with this.

Running Health- Avoiding Injury

guest — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:42:13 GMT

Agreed. There is a lot more to successful athletic activity than any one fad. There is also a lot less physical difference between the chronically pain-challenged weekend athlete, and the superstar. It's about tweaking many seemingly small things to produce a finely balanced and self-healing physical machine.

Best walking shoes for me

guest — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:37:38 GMT

A bicycle will give you time to figure out the shoe problem. I'm not sure what your situation is in India, whether or not it is convenient to try out several pairs, but if you are a severe pronator, which I suspect, I still believe it wil take more than a shoe change.

A sports-med doc could be expensive, but there are others well-qualified to evaluate over-pronation, or any other biomechanical alignment problem. In the US, physical therapists ("physio" in UK) can evaluate your biomechanics and develop a suitable exercise protocol. I would be careful, though, about any prescription for orthotic shoe inserts. While they often work well in the short term, the typical orthotic is not suitable for athletic use, or as a long-term solution.

I'm not sure how health treatment and counseling is paid for in your country, but you may have limited choices for insurance or other affordable care. I hope you are not completely on your own, but if you are, there is a lot of information on self-treatment out there. Unfortunately, it is not all scientifically based. Remember to distinguish between merely controlling pain, or controlling movement, and solving the causes of any biomechanical flaws. Everything from back, through hip, knee, ankle, and foot is important to running and walking biomechanics.

Meanwhile, bicycling, other cross-training, and targeted exercises will develop your strength and endurance, and help prepare you for a return to walking, if that is your chosen sport.