Peroneal Tendonitis/Foot tendonitis

So, on feb 19th, despite my foot feeling slightly achey, I thought it'd be safe to take part in a cross country race which I was competing in. Although I have run with achy feet in the past, after the race, I could barely walk as the hilly and uneven terrain aggrivated whatever was wrong with my right foot

After seeing a physiotherapist, I was told I had peroneal tendonitis and that it would probably last for 3-6 weeks. However, despite being able to walk properly now and everything, I still have a dull ache left in my foot and the pain is constantly moving! I haven't been for a run now in almost 10 weeks and I'm majorly depressed I had to miss out on a half marathon which I had been training for and I have another one in June but at this rate, I doubt I'm gonna make this one either!

 Has anyone out there ever experienced foot pain/peroneal tendonitis? And if so, how did you recover from it?? Really desperate for some positive stories - at the moment this injury feels never ending

 Thanks guys!

Tendonitis is frustrating.  Tendons take a long time to heal because they don't have much of a blood supply.  Not sure where your area of pain is but from my experience:

• Find someone who can do deep tissue manipulation of the area e.g. sports injury therapist 
• Keep the area warm and the tendon gently stretched, and try to avoid resting it too much.  If you can run without acute pain I would try to, but at a much lower intensity than normal.
• Avoid actions that contract the tendon
• Be patient

Sorry it's a bit general.  I had tendonitis in the achilles and along the top of the (same) foot for a total of 15 months, including all of 2011, but they are both now completely healed.  I posted my story on here a couple of months ago.  Wasn't able to train much but just about managed to complete all my events including a 100-miler.

thank you ever so much for your reply!

15 months though?! jeeeez. that's ages i hope mine doesn't last that long. I've been warned my doctors that if I were to run on my foot, it'd make the injury worse and I don't want to end up with something chronic so I'm too scared to run on it to be honest. Didn't you find running made it worse at all? Do you get any problems with your achilles now? I'm scared that once I do recover, I'll end up getting the same injury again, swear foot injuries are the worst!

 Thanks again for your reply - and congrats on completing all your events! I'm gonna read your story x

So  did you not run for a whole 4 months, Debra? And did you wait until there was no pain left in the foot at all until you began running again?

My physio has advised me to massage with my fingers the side of my leg where the pereoneal muscle is but I don't feel like that's doing anything especially as the pain from the injury is translated into my foot - can't feel it in the side of my leg above my foot at all despite my physio insisting that it feels tight!

 I'm also worried about losing loads of my fitness - was it hard to get back into running after 4 months? Please say no! I've been swimming 5 times a week and riding my bike everywhere to help to try and maintain some fitness. I hope I don't have to start back at square one again with the running and find it really difficult

xxx

Emma, if you try massaging/pressing on the muscles on both legs at the same time with the same amount of pressure, just to the outside of your shin bone, you should be able to feel that the injured side is tighter - work all the way up to you knee on the outside of the leg - it was just below the knee that mine hurt. If you don't think it hurts, try using a rolling pin like a foam roller on one side then the other (i.e. put the rolling pin on the ground and roll your leg along it using your own body weight to push your leg into the rolling pin) - you should feel a difference then!

I didn't run from mid-February to near the end of May. I think I wasn't allowed to run until the pain had gone - or gone except for the odd is it/isn't it? twinge. I kept positive by volunteering at my local parkrun. Luckily I was able to keep cycling (as a means of transport, mainly - I don't cycle for fun). Since you've been swimming and cycling, your general fitness should be fine.

Getting running again -will- take some time but not the same as starting without having run before. Looking back at my running diary, I re-started with 20 mins twice a week, gently, on grass (orders from physio). Two weeks later it was up to 30 mins three times a week. After six weeks, I'd reached one hour for my Sunday long run and by 11 weeks, 90 minutes for that run. I then just kept on increasing (with occasional drop-down weeks) all the way to my 50K in February.

If you can't find my story I'll try to find it and boing it for you.

Low intensity running did not make the injury worse, rather the opposite.  Forcing myself to keep moving with a proper running action was a vital part of the recovery process.  Resting I found to be actually harmful.

It is unlikely that you will have the courage to massage yourself hard enough for the ideal treatment you need. This was certainly the case with the achilles, and also the extensor longus, for both of which I had regular deep tissue massages with my sports injury therapist.  The pain was immense and at first took several days to recover from each time.  I interspersed short runs between my visits, which also took several days to recover from at first.  Massage starts with the muscles connected to the tendon (in my case the calf) before finishing off around the tendon itself.  In the soft tissues all sorts of scar tissue builds up - "crystals" - which need breaking down and dispersing.

If the area is inflamed and swollen treatment is a very slow process but eventually you get there.

But bit by bit I improved but it did take 15 months altogether for the achilles tendonitis to clear up.  Bad foot now as strong as the other one with not even a hint of trouble.

My Dr said AT "comes when it feels like it, and goes when it feels like it, regardless of what you do. You might as well resume your normal level of activity."  I didn't like to tell him that my "normal level of activity" he might not regard normal!!

thank you both ever so much again for your replies! I've been so depressed over these past couple of months - this injury feels never ending!

Debra - did you find that your injured foot felt constantly heavy and achy? That's what mine feels like! And the pain always moves around my foot too - it's mainly achy underneath the foot on the arch, but it sometimes hurts midfoot on top as well.

Also, did you ever use the eliptical trainer whilst injured? Although my physio advised it was safe, my podiatrist advised me against using it as I reported it made my foot ache more after using it but then again, my physio said my foot was gonna ache no matter what I did so I don't know whether or not to use it anyway!

T-Rex - that's really encouraging that you were still able to run with your achilles tendonitis! Did you just wait until it had reached the point whereby you could walk normally but it just constantly hurt? That's the stage I'm at at the moment anyway!

xxx

Emma, I'm trying to think back. Achy I think yes - in that when the pain finally went it was a real "Oh! - That's what not hurting feels like - I'd forgotten." But I don't think like you're describing, and my pain was in specific places. Midfoot on top of the foot sounds like either extensor tendons or a pressure point (e.g. from laces) - the other possibility is of course a metatarsal stress fracture, but I presume you've had that ruled out? My peroneal tendonitis was more on the outside of the foot, where the tendon attaches to the fifth metatarsal bone; I also had the extensor tendonitis affecting the tendons on the top of the foot. Complete story dotted around the thread called "Possible Tarsal stress fracture" started by Magpie37 on 09/04/2011 - I came in as the third post on page 2 - you might find it useful.

Never used an elliptical trainer - don't have access to a gym.

Well my physio's examined my foot and I've had x-rays and everything and there's no fracture there. It's just generally achy all over but my physio and podiatrist are adament that it's peroneal tendonitis. Maybe people get affected differently depending on the severity of it? But thanks for the recommendation, i'll read that forum did you find that the pain went away gradually or it just suddenly seemed to go at once? I feel like this injury is never ending because the pain always seems the same to me! Thanks again for your replies!

xxx

Hey guys just an update on the foot situation! I went to my physiotherapist today and she says that there's no more tightness in the peroneal muscle but she could feel some tightness in the bottom of my foot so she massaged that for a while - she's now recommended that I re-introduce running again despite the fact that the pain's still there. I'm really scared that this will make it worse though! She's convinced though that the pain will be there regardless of whether or not I run so it's just a matter of time to let it heal. What do you guys think about this? In particular to you T-Rex - as I remember you saying you still continued to run with your achilles tendonitis?

Lemme know your thoughts!

Thanks!

Emma, I have had achilles, peroneal and patellar tendonitis' whilst training for my first marathon (London) this year - so frustrating!! I took 1-2 weeks off running with each. I found the ibruprofen gel to be fantastic. And keep stretching the foot/anke/leg. I physically couldn't run when I first got it, so was sensible and took the time off, but still on my first run or two back each time it did hurt a bit, but it definitely eased. I saw a sports medicine doctor, and he reminded me of the importance of proper stretching and weight training if you are running a lot, as I had just been running and running and running but nothing else!! I had about 6 injury-free weeks before the marathon, in which I reduced my running sessions from 6 to 4 times a week, and did 2 gym sessions (with weights etc) and 2 swim sessions. I finished the marathon, in 3.28, so not too bad despite what felt like continuous injury. Stick in xx

Emma, tightness in the bottom of the foot souns more like plantar fasciitis to me? In which case I think many people do return to running and just cope with the pian. That seems to clear up when it wants to, from what other people have told me... Sorry I can't be more helpful; my injury was obviously different. However, I know that if the physio had told me I could run I would have run, pain or no pain...

Thank you both for your replies! Yaz - did you run the marathon with your foot still aching then? Did running make the ache worse at all? I just hope I've reached the stage now where I can run (even if it hurts) without it getting worse. I've been doing other exercise whilst I've had this injury such as swimming, cross training and cycling and my foot aches even more afterwards but I guess that's inevitable seeing as I'm putting pressure on the affected area. And Debra - think there is some tightness in the plantar fasciia - I've been massaging the arch with a rolling pin/ice bottle of water so I hope that helps!

Just don't want to make my foot any worse - these past 3 months have been a nightmare!

Thanks again for both your replies!

xxx

Hi guys, interesting threads, I started running 10th Jan 2012 as part of my New Years resolution to loose weight ! Good news I have reduced my weight from 15st 10, to 14st 4lb. I`m a 39 year old 6foot bloke. My best 10k is now at 43.10. However 2 weeks ago BAM !!! my regular 10k was done and my left Achllies was so painful and I could hardly walk !!! My regular training pattern upto that point was 10k each day Mon - Fri on a treadmill, Weekends off to rest. (no problems whatsoever) I have done the RICE bit and have attempted a couple of runs over the past 2 weeks, alhough pain is still present it is bareable and I can notice the difference, so I guess as per T-Rex, moderate, sensible activity is good for recovery. I hear what you say, it is depressing when you get the `Running Bug` and you feel all your hard work is slipping by as each day passes. Another thing I was ignorant to, was the fact that I had`nt replaced my running shoes, they look brand new (never been outside with them) but if you work the Maths out and add up the distance I have covered, they should have been replaced by now and perhaps they could be a factor in the injury occurring? Just a thought? 

I`m sure over time, your problem will resolve itself, happy running!

Hi guys,

Sorry to read about all the injuries and the ensuing frustration caused by forced rest.  I ran a marathon last weekend on some very challenging terrain and believe that I am now suffering from peroneal tendonitis.  I have not run since and have been taking Ibuprofen and the affected foot has also been strapped up.  Does anybody now how long it might be until I can start running again?  I know it is very difficult to know and that there seems to be such variation in the above posts.

It really is very frustrating.  

I have been suffering from foot pain since May -  I have tried resting it and it still felt the same,  I have joined the gym and tried cycling, swimming and cross trainers.  Sometimes it hurts worse sometimes the same but it is not getting better.  I have had it diagnosed as PF but I feel it is PTT.  It is so frustrating after 8 years to not be running.   If I could see a light at the end of the tunnel it would help.   The pain under my foot is a soreness, not a stabbing pain.  My foot doesnt feel worse first thing in the morning but wearing trainers is so uncomfortable.  If anyone has any advice It would be great.  I have read some of the above so I am tempted to visit a Podiatrist?