charley horse & foot pain problems

G

ginger

Member
Cathe and everyone,

I've been doing your step aerobics tapes for years and loving the challenge. I exercise barefoot, and now the top of my right foot is quite sore, even when I walk on it. Maybe I've hurt my foot with the high impact. I don't know. This soreness has been going on for about a month.

My second problem is that this past week in the middle of the night, I had a charley horse spasm in my left calve. I've had a few of those and usually my leg feels normal afterwards. However, this time, my calf is now quite sore even when I just touch it. I'm trying to massage it and that does seem to be taking some of the pain away.

I'm just wondering if you, Cathey, or anyone has any suggestions about what I can do to get rid of this pain on the top of my foot. Also, why would I feel the effects of charley horse for days? I know I should wear shoes when exercising indoors, but I just don't like that feeling.

Thanks!

Elizabeth (my user name is Ginger)
 
RE: where on your foot does it hurt?

Hi Ginger,

Just curious where your foot hurts. Is it where your toes meet your foot? The reason I ask is because I had that problem for a couple of months and finally saw a doctor. There was some swelling so he thought it might be a stress fracture. Thankfully, it was not but he wanted me to take it easy for a couple of weeks, take some anti-inflamatory medicine, and gave me a boot-type shoe to wear. The problem appears to be a very tender and inflamed joint in one of my toes. The high impact I was really pushing just got too much for it. It is feeling a little better and I see him tomorrow but I will probably have to lay off the high impact for a while yet.

Since your foot has been hurting for a month now, I think your best bet is to see a doctor. I am glad I finally did.

Don't know much about Charley-horses except I remember them during my pregnancies. It might be an old wives tale but I was told more potassium and water was beneficial. Just a thought.

Good luck.

Lynn W
 
RE: where on your foot does it hurt?

Thanks for this advice, Lynn.

My foot actually hurts on the top of it in the center.
It's sort of soft there (above some bone, I guess)?]
As you can see, I'm no doctor!

Anyway, I appreciate your sharing; I'm pretty curious about all this especially as it has started to hinder my exercise which I've been a slave to for the last 5 - 10 years. I'm only 29, and I want to keep on exercising!

Elizabeth
 
I've heard that leg cramps can be brought on by lack of calcium. Something you might want to consider.
You might want to try doing some extra leg stretches before you go to bed, to get the muscles to relax.
 
Thanks, Kathryn.

I've read a little about charley horses online now, and I realize that they are a bit more complicated than I thought.
When I used to get them very occasionally, the next morning
I would have no problems at all. So I thought they were just
temporary painful muscle spasms. Now after some investigating, I understand that an actual injury may have been caused while pointing my toes and stretching (something I seem to do involuntarily while sleeping or awakening). This can put a stress on the muscle, it's been overstretched and then there is muscle tenderness, I guess because there is a possible tear of the muscle and/or a blood clot (or something regarding blood)there.

I obviously don't know much about it, but searching through some sites I found through Google.com about charley horses told me that they can actually take a few weeks to heal. I never realized they represented an actual injury or overstress to the muscle. I've read both that I should massage and not massage the area. I'm trying to slowly start stretching and massaging the area anyway.

I don't know what to make of the sore area on the top of my foot (on the other leg). My mom thought I could have a broken bone from all the high impact. I haven't called a doctor yet; the pain seems to be less today. We'll see :)

Elizabeth
 
Hi Elizabeth!

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-01 AT 05:25PM (Est)[/font][p]Good luck researching charlie horses. I hope I don't come off sounding like your Mom here, but it is VERY important to wear shoes for exercise, ESPECIALLY tapes as intense as Cathe's. It hurts me thinking of you working high level in barefeet! The proper shoes will give you the lateral support you need not to mention the shock absorbtion for the impact. Is it possible that the shoes you tried to workout in did not fit properly? I hope I don't offend you but just thought Id' share with you. Be sure that your shoes fit properly and that they are designed for the workout you do. I hope your foot heals quickly!!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Hi Elizabeth!

Debbie,

You don't sound like my mom and I'm not offended!
I know I should wear shoes; I just feel so much freer without.
Also, when you've worked without shoes for so long, suddenly it sounds loud to use them and I do my aerobics early in the morning and have to think about who I might wake up in the house. Anyway, I'll work this out. I now use three levels underneath the basic step and this extra height for the past 2 years on my barefeet, I suppose hasn't helped. I know you are right.

Thanks for caring!

Elizabeth
 
Whew!

Thanks for responding back, Elizabeth! I feel better now. I never want to offend anyone but I just don't want you injured! Sometimes, putting a very thin towel between your platform and the 1st. riser can help with noise. See if that helps. Just be sure the towel is thin enough so your platform and 1st. step are still locked in good & will not slide. Just an idea. Keep us posted on your foot.

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Whew!

A towel - well, that's an idea I never thought of.
Thanks for that idea. I guess it would have to be pretty thin so that the step would stay together. The noise I mean, really, is my tennis shoes tapping the step over and over, you know?
However, I know if I continue stepping, I'm probably going to have to get used to wearing them.

I will let you know eventually what happens to these "appendages" of mine :) Thanks for all your concern.

Elizabeth
 
Elisabeth,
I've got some more info that might help (straight from my "Sports Medecine Bible"). Oddly enough, they use "charley horse" to describe a bruising of the thigh. I've never heard of that. I always use it to describe a calf cramp. Anyway, under "cramps", they say "The cause of muscle cramps is mysterious. Contributing factors may include fatique, dehydration due to perspiration, adn poor synchronicity between the muscles. When yo get a cramp in the calf, stand up and try to relax the muscles. If the cramp does not go away, lie down and pull the foot up toward the knee while simultaneously massaging the calf (do this for 6-10 seconds)"[This would probably work best, as your cramps come at night. I used to get charley horses, and I know it's hard to try to stretch out the calf, since it immediately makes it feel worse, but I've used this technique and it helps a lot]. The most effective way to prevent muscle cramps is to be fit for your spot and warm up properly before activity. It is also important to make sure you drink enough water before and during exercise, and ensure that your diet contains adequate minerals, especially potassium [bananas or o.j.] and calcium."

When I read your post before, I 'missed the part about not wearing shoes. Girl, you've GOT to wear shoes, especially when doing exercises like step (you can go shoeless with yoga and pilates). I bet if you started wearing shoes, your foot pain would go away (there are 20-some bones in each foot, and they are getting an awful lot of pressure put on them when you don't wear supportive footwear).
 
Thank you, Kathryn. I will try to do better.
I did wear shoes today. I appreciate all this info
that you gave me on what to do when a cramp starts.
Usually it's so debilitating that I just have to wait
for it to pass!

Anyway, I'm going to note what you've said :)

Elizabeth
 
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