Injuries from Step

[Justagirl1]

Dear Cathe,

I wanted to ask if in all of your years of step aerobics have you ever encountered an injury or pain in the ball of the foot? If so, do you have any suggestions on how to aleviate the pain (other than not using the step)? I haven't been able to do a step routine in three weeks and I've been sticking to Kick Max for the whole time, but as you can imagine, it gets boring not being able to shake up your routines and I do miss doing your other routines. Can you shed any light on this type of injury?

Thank you in advance,

Karla

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Karla!

Actually, no, I have never had pain in the ball of my foot. I do get achilles tendonitis flare ups from time to time, but nothing in the ball of my foot. If you are having pain in the ball of your foot, you may need a shoe with a wider toe box. Sometimes this area gets sore if you have too much constriction in the wide part of your shoes. It can also occur if you wear high heels often.

If the pain doesn't get better after a week off with stretching and possibly even an anti-inflammatory medication, then I would definitely see your doc for some further input.

I hope you feel better.

 

[debbydarestobefit]

Not Cathe, but have had a bout of pain in the forefoot --- two possibilities --- neuroma (sp?) or metatarslagia (sp?) - do a search on the internet for foot problems. Then see your doctor or a podiatrist. I was dx w/ metatarslagia and have found Earth shoes to be helpful, and shoe inserts for my other shoes. Good Luck! Deb

 

[Justagirl1]

Cathe -- Thank you for answering and I will take your advice and seek out a shoe that is wider in the toe box. I actually think that my current shoes are to narrow and I think that buying a new shoe is great advice. Thank you for your time.

Deb -- Thank you so much for giving me a name to what I might have. I'm a big believer in 'knowledge is power' and I had searched for a clinical name but couldn't find one. I actually read up on metatarslagia and the treatment for symptoms and I'm going to incorporate the new shoes with some additional shock absorbing insoles and arch support. If I don't get better after switching up my gear, than I'll go to the doctor. Thanks again for your time.

 

[SRP]

I have had a pain in the ball of the foot - I'm fairly certain it was a bruise from too much high impact. This probably came about because I used to do step on a slab concrete floor with tile over it - no give whatsoever. All the jumping off the step, etc., like in Imax 3, wasn't the best thing to do on that sort of floor!

If you think your problem is a bruise (mine felt like it was on the bone/ball of the foot), make sure you have plenty of cushion in your shoes. Also, if your floor is too hard, get a bunch of those puzzle mats. They're great. Also, once it starts feeling well enough to do step, try taking all the leaps out and keeping your routine to low impact to make sure it's healed all the way.