I am contemplating scheduling a visit to the podiatrist. I have long suspected that I may have some gait issues, and I am curious to see what a gait analysis might determine.
I made the mistake of looking down at my feet the past few days while I was running. No—I did not trip and fall on my face—but I did discover that my left foot does this weird thing when I run. It swings inward. Not really sure what that’s all about, but I wonder how it affects the biomechanics of my stride and the efficiency of my running.
This year as been a continuous exploration of how to be a more efficient and less injury prone runner. I wonder if a podiatrist might help me on this journey.
There are two things holding me back from scheduling that first appointment: 1) cost (if they suggest orthotics, I know those can be obscenely expensive) and 2) I want to see if I can correct the underlying problem rather than just putting a Band-Aid on it. Know what I mean?
I would love to know about any experience you guys have with the podiatrist. Please share!
Today we enjoyed a beautiful day at Roger Williams Zoo—three hours of running around with mommy’s friends and the boy’s friends. Everyone had a great time. We hit up the YMCA later for more play time and some run time for me. I just did a short three-miler in my Merrell Pace gloves. I love the feel of running in the Pace gloves!
I switch up my shoes a lot (to keep my foot and leg muscles guessing) and the Pace Gloves are great for the barefoot feel and making sure you are striking mid-foot. There is something liberating about wearing them, especially on the trails!
I’m not sure the podiatrist is the first place to start, since it sounds like the issue might not be in your feet, but in something higher up. I am just finishing physical therapy for an ITB/glute/piriformis issue that has focused on strengthening my core to keep my pelvis/back properly aligned. (who knew?). If you can find one, I’d start with a sports medicine doctor — preferably one that works with runners — who can look at the whole picture. Good luck!
Here’s my experience–don’t go to a podiatrist! Many are quite old school and may in fact put you in orthotics, which I think are the worst things out there. They truly are a cast and will just weaken your feet. I was never so injured as when I was in orthotics.
Also, sometimes it’s ok to have a gait that seems “off.” As long as you are running well and injury free, it might just be how your body moves. It doesn’t necessarily need “correcting.”
Ok, that’s my overzealous, natural running rant for the day!
You know I’m a big fan of Dr. Sardella, and I thought the gait analysis he did was really helpful. And if you don’t need orthotics, he will not tell you that you do. I have several friends who went to see him about problems they were having, and they fully expected him to recommend orthotics, but he didn’t. The other reason I like him is that he’s a serious runner, and his orthotics are custom designed for runners – they’re much softer and more comfortable than the typical orthotic. I had chronic injury issues for 2 years, but since seeing him, making some changes to my stride, and getting my orthotics, I haven’t had to take more than one week off from running at a time (even in the midst of training for 2 marathons back-to-back). The orthotics are expensive, but they last for 4 years – and like I said, you might not even need them. If you can afford the gait analysis, I think that would at least be a great place to start. It’s very eye-opening to see yourself running – things that you do with your stride/form that you would never notice otherwise!
So, I’ll start off by saying I work for a podiatrist, no secrets here. My doc is really into the biomechanics of the foot, as well as proper gait analysis. A lot of gait issues start at the feet. Try to find a podiatrist that using some hard numbers gait analysis, like TekScan. I can personally say that my orthotics have changed my life, however in no respect to running. I had back spasms since I was 17. My back was not the problem (the chiropractor never told me this of course) I was over pronating, badly. I have had the orthotics in for about 2 years now, and I haven’t had a single back spasm. Not one. So, in other words, it is defiantly something you should look into. Good luck!