This Is Not My Foot, Part II

The saga continues.

In the last ten days, I have done several things, including power plate therapy:

In case you--like me--had never heard of this: the bottom section vibrates really rapidly. I put my foot on it, and it shook it all about. The general goal is the same as the shockwave therapy--to activate the body's natural anti-inflammatory response. Verdict: my foot still hurts.

I've also undergone more massage, and yesterday, I was dry-needled. This was a first. I had been told how much it hurt, and I can say without equivocation that it was a field day compared to shockwave therapy. Of course, perhaps shockwave therapy only hurt as much as it did because . . .

I evidently have bursitis on my heel. Super. Check it:

See the bursa that sites behind the achilles and the heel? It's swollen, and it hurts. I'm not sure if this is the source of my foot/ankle pain or an additional effect. But it sucks.

Speaking of the causes of my foot pain, I've received two additional diagnoses. My massage therapist told me that it may be plantar fasciitis. That would be a surprise because it's not hurting in the place where plantar fasciitis normally hurts. However, my plantar fascia is super tight, so . . . ?? And the physical therapist that did the dry needling yesterday said that it may be related to my posterior tibialis mucle, seen in the middle here:

By the way, do NOT search for images on "posterior tibialis" unless you are ready to see some pretty disgusting stuff. (Of course, I suppose a surgeon might find it "interesting.")

The posterior tibialis sits behind the gastrocnemius and the soleus, and it is responsible for holding up the arch. (Before yesterday, I didn't realize there were any additional muscles in the calf.) I have very high arches, so supporting them in a tough job, and it's possible that the posterior tibialis is just not up to it right now. Without a doubt, the muscle that got the biggest response from the dry needling (and was sorest afterwards) was the posterior tibialis. The physical therapist taped up my arch, and I'm thinking that I'll start doing that for the next little while.

And so it goes. The past two mornings, I have felt very good. Right now, it's bothering me a bit, which is why this blog entry might sound a bit morose. I have until the end of next week for it to get better, and I won't start getting nervous about my CdA prospects as long as I can run by March. What I've found, though, is that being prevented from doing one of the three sports actually has a very negative impact on the other two, as well. It's been difficult for me to motivate for cycling and swimming when I can't run. I'm not sure why that is.