16 weeks ago I first noticed the pain in my left foot that led to the diagnosis of a 4th metatarsal stress fracture. In these past four months I went through a period of exercise “depression.” I lost my motivation, felt pretty hopeless and any signs of encouragement were followed with two steps backward. Only within the last month have I seen significant strides toward recovery, and I owe it all to time and complete rest.
Complete rest means exactly what it sounds like….actually resting 100% and not just taking it down a notch from normal.
I was in the boot for a month, and during that month I admittedly walked around way too much. Finishing up my last semester in college and being on campus all-day required more movement than was good for me. That was pseudo-recovery in my mind, but unfortunately I couldn’t do much about it because school was my priority.
Note: During and after the boot I did upper body strength training. I can’t say for certain but I don’t think that hindered my recovery. If anything it helped me mentally so I probably wouldn’t take that back.
After my last injury update, still discouraged from wavering improvement, I started doing even less than I was doing. I stopped the 10-15 minutes of non-impact cardio that I had just introduced. I had a handicapped parking pass that I used religiously to limit walking. I cut out random trips to Target and the mall because I knew I would wander around way too much. I sat on my couch/bed with my feet elevated to eliminate any pressure. I exercised even less than I had been (which wasn’t a lot).
It was only after true, complete rest (around 2 weeks, so not that long) that I felt strong enough in daily life to try cardio (Spinning) and then running. I first ran on the Alter-G for two weeks, then on a regular treadmill, and then outside. Always following the 10% rule and never running on back-to-back days.
If we were wishing for things, I’d wish for two: 1) that I took recovery more seriously A LOT sooner (and got my MRI right when I noticed pain), and 2) that there was a concrete formula for how to recover from an injury. This process has been trial-and-error to a T for me. I’ve struggled with being both too ambitious and too cautious. Sometimes wanting to run more but hurting and sometimes holding myself back in the absence of pain.
I’m hesitant to say that I am fully recovered. I’m still very leery of any successful runs and I think pain-free exercise is too good to be true. I might forever be cautious of my foot now. A stress fracture isn’t like a wonky knee acting up and any pain is a bad sign in my mind. I know that bones heal so maybe with more time I will start to feel relaxed in that sense.
In summary, my advice for stress fracture recovery:
-Stay off your freaking foot and sit on the couch (and don’t you dare feel guilty).
-Don’t cheat your recovery and walk around too much in the boot like I did.
-Find access to an Alter-G when you’re ready to run. It was a great way to ease back into it, physically and mentally.
Where I am now:
-Wearing new inserts for my extremely high arches (recommended by my orthopedic).
-Working on correcting my foot stroke (I under-pronate and land on the outside of my foot…aka where the fracture was located).
-Still icing my foot after runs. If anything this just eases my mind.
-Up to 15 miles/week :)
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It feels pretty darn good to be (mostly) back. I’m sure I’ll do another update with workouts and such soon.
Run happy, people!!!!
I definitely relate to your hesitancy. While not “injuries”, per se, my iffy joints make me a cautious exerciser. But it’s excellent that you’re feeling better, listening to your body (so important), and upping your mileage! And I have the flattest feet ever.
I’m sure I would be cautious about that too. With my foot and my stomach (which I know you can relate to!) it’s been A LOT of listening to my body.
Yay for being back to running!! So exciting. I’ve been told I have both high and normal arches so I’m not sure which it is, but they’ve never really given me any trouble! I (luckily) have never had a more serious injury but even just my shin splints have made me so paranoid about any abnormal pain in my legs!
Sami recently posted…Marathon Training Recap Week 8
Knock on wood, but I haven’t dealt with shin splints (yet). I know those are so painful though!
So glad to hear you are back running and that your full rest period is paying off. I think I have average arches? I have never had any issues with them and whenever I get fitted for running shoes they never mention them, but I have been told I overpronate so I try to find running shoes that help with that. Luckily I have never had an injury besides dealing with shin splints and I pray that it stays that way!
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Mango Energy Balls
I’d do anything for average arches ;)
Ahh that’s exciting that you’re making some definite progress! That’s awesome. In middle school and high school when I played soccer, I sprained my ankle countless times. Now, if I step on a sidewalk crack a weird way while running I instantly panic. I tend to be overly cautious when it comes to injuries, and I agree, I think it’s something that will always be in the back of your mind.
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Thanks, Amanda! I’m overly cautious in general so I foresee myself being extra careful in this case.
I have normal arches and wear minimal shoes. I do like support shoes sometimes because they feel like walking on a cloud. Running in them for too long though can make my ankles weak. The last injury I had was my fall on the ice a few weeks back and I couldn’t run for a couple days. The depression was real man. I get you on that. It’s really incredible how much you figure out about yourself when your passion gets taken away for a brief time.
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Ouch! That sounds really painful (and scary). Time off really gave me some good perspective.
Same here with high arches and significant under-pronation! We are like running twins :)
A mixture of the under-pronation and worn out trainers caused me to strain a ligament around my ankle joint back October and I still try to avoid walking on slanted pavements as this was one factor that hindered my recovery process.
Glad to hear you are back running though and I hope you stay injury free.
xx
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Ok, we are running and LIFE twins :) Good point about the slanted pavements, I’ve been trying to be cautious about that too.
so happy for you ! i agree with trial and error. sometimes thats what it takes. i have very very flat feet and i over pronate. basically i step down well but my arch collapses so my foot is almost flat to the ground in bare feet. so im your opposite i guess ? i am very very careful which shoes i buy and have lots of trial and error with that. i use inserts too and concentrate on my form. i got advice to strengthen up small muscles in my hips like glute medius and roll my IT bands more which has helped. i guess the idea being if you have strong hip muscles it helps the leg to whip into place and you have less of a “lazy” step ? ive had issues with plantar fascitis, mortons nueroma, and pulled/sprained small tendons and such in my feet/ankles. i hate it. but i am bad and hate resting. luckily lately i have been pretty pain free but many times i have phantom pain where i swear ive pulled something again or i can just feel something odd. its been years of this for me so from my experience you are right to assume you will be hyper cautious for a while. good luck !
Thanks, Tara! I’ve been told that my tight hips and hamstrings can lead to lower extremity injuries because it can influence my gait and stride. Always something to work on. Oh the phantom pains…those drive me crazy!
I know exactly how you feel – I am just coming back from an injury and wrote a post a week or two ago about #recoveringrunnerproblems AKA the fear you have on each run that you’ll get injured again, your worry about doing too much too soon, etc. It’s such a hard and annoying process but we will both get through this! Good luck and I hope all of your runs from now on are pain free! :)
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I’ll have to look at that post because the fear has been consuming me! Thank you for your well wishes.
Injuries suck :/ They are so hard and I wish there was a formula to fix them :/
But so glad you’re making your come back!! Slow and steady WINS the race ;)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Introducing The Freedom Feature
SO true! Thank you :)
Such great advice, and something I wish I’d known when I strained my hip flexor summer before last. Because I tried to just ease up, but continued to jog a few miles here and there, and walk a lot, it took 5 months to get back to normal when it could’ve been 2. Lesson learned!
I really had to separate myself from fitness on social media because “resting” means different things to different people. To me, it means zero exercise, and it’s what I needed to fully heal! Glad you’re back to normal :)
I’m definitely more cautious about injuries than I used to be. I used to be way too cocky about them, and God humbled me through a few injuries that sidelined me for about 8-10 weeks. It gave me a bigger respect for just how fragile our bodies are and how they need to be taken care of in a mindful manner. I’m glad that you are healing, and that you are being really smart about recovery. <3
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Thanks, Em! That’s a great way to look at it…our bodies are gifts and injuries can be reminders of how precious they are.
Yay for being allowed to run again! It sounds like you’re definitely all set to train in a way that suits your body – and in a way that will hopefully avoid future injuries!
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Oh goodness I hope so! Thanks, Kristy :)
I find out about my MRI tomorrow morning! Will keep you posted :) I’m glad you’re getting back into the swing of things. I’m sure it was hard to sit still (cause i definitely havent lol), I’m so proud of you!
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PLEASE let me know! Thinking about ya xo
Girl you don’t know how much I can relate to this. I was STUCK in a state of quasi-recovery for most of this year until I decided to COMPLETELY REST during May and June. At that point my injuries FINALLY healed. That and keeping up with my physical therapy exercises daily are what I attribute my healing to. Sometimes we have to make the hard choices to be healthy in the long run! Happy you’re doing better!
Yes! Even though I wasn’t doing any cardio for 2 months, it was the third month of extremely minimal movement/walking that sealed the deal. Plus the PT exercises, like you mentioned. Thank you! :)
Stress fractures, well, they suck. I wish MRIs were the same cost as they are in other countries so that we could use them instead of xrays aka right when we have the problem. I wonder/am certain that all of the chiropractic work that I did in November before the MRI exacerbated my injury. I’ll take a few running steps every now and then, but I know that my back just needs more time.
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Uh I’m SO thankful for insurance because I can’t imagine dealing with the full cost of MRIs. (But cheaper would be welcomed…). It really was time that healed me. My mind was just getting ahead of my body.
I’m so glad you’re back to running and (almost) fully recovered. It sounds so frustrating/painful. I also have extremely high arches and would probably have issues if I ran more than like 2 miles at a time haha. I got injured really bad one time and basically sat on my ass for a few months which worked wonders, but it did get boring!
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You know how people sometimes jokingly ask “what part of your body would you change if you could?” My answer has always been my feet. So lame but true.
“-Stay off your freaking foot and sit on the couch (and don’t you dare feel guilty).” <- Love that! We exercise lovers are so addicted to our endorphins that it's hard to take time off but I'm sure that was SO helpful for your recovery. Proud of you for doing it, Em!
Liv @ Healthy Liv recently posted…Single-Serving College Girl Pasta Bowl
I had many a Netflix-marathons during that time but it was great for my mind and my foot :) Thanks, Liv!
I have a much more minor thing going on on my right foot right now (removing a painful wart on the bottom of my foot – ew, I know) and I looked back on all of your old posts about dealing with injury and exercise when you couldn’t do any weight-bearing exercise.
I feel like we’re mentally so READY to be back to normal but our bodies are like “sorry, I’m not there yet”! Hard to reconcile the two. Glad to hear that you’re back up and running again though!
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Well said. And even when we are ready there aren’t any concrete signs that say “go!” It’s really slow and steady. I’m still taking things easy, even though I’m back to running/cardio.
I completely understand your pain. I actually had a second meta fracture a year and a half ago and it took me a while to come back. (Mostly because I just took time off and was lazy). Good for you for listening to your body and if you ever want to vent I’m here!
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I’m going to look through your old blog posts because if I can have half as good of a comeback as you, I would be thrilled!
Foot injuries are really tough because to get through life, you’re ALWAYS on your feet. I’m glad you’re starting to see improvements!
[email protected] is Sweet recently posted…Day in the Life Winter 2016
Yes! For some reason it didn’t dawn on me how much it would effect my life.
That’s so exciting you’re getting back into things! I feel so lucky I’ve never had a stress fracture. I remember when I broke my arm in elementary school how slow I had to take things when the cast came off. I imagine it would be really hard if it were a more minor fracture that could be easily aggravated. Good job listening to your body!
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I’m very glad I wasn’t in a cast but I can see how that would have solidified the healing. It’s aggravating it even so slightly that scares me!
SOOOO happy you’re feeling better! It can be so hard to give your body such a huge rest (we aren’t used to that!) but it’s definitely worth it in some cases! I try to give my body a break from all exercise for a week or two a year! Can’t wait to see you get back into everything!
Thanks, Heather! It’s been such a process but I’m getting there :)
You’re right about the need to take recovery seriously soon after an injury. It’s unfortunate that you were not able to get around to Target and the mall as much, as you’re used to doing.
Christina recently posted…Ankle Injuries: Stress Fractures