Last year I suffered badly from plantar fasciitis which cut short my running and could only do relatively short dog walks. Have managed to overcome it now and back running again.
However 3 different people have commented to me recently that they knew it was me “because they could tell the way I walk”.
First thing in morning I can hardly walk on my left foot but gets better once I have footwear on.
My left walking shoe wears away quite quickly on the back outside heel but interestingly my running shoes don’t.
Who should I go to to get my walking/running style analysed? Is it a sports physio or more chiropractor type? Or neither of the above? I am just wary that I might be stirring up problems for later in life if I have somehow a twisted skeletal shape?
Anyone else experienced similar. Or know where I should be turning?
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A good starting point might be a specialised running gear shop. Mrs Aston had a gait problem a couple of years ago and was pointed to a good shop. They had a machine to analyse gait and sorted out with a pair of reasonably priced trainers that proved very suitable. Hopefully there will be somewhere local to you that does this.
That aside you are then into sports physios who will cost more but, in my experience, are worth every penny if you get a good one. Compared to the 10 minutes a doctor gives you its refreshing to get half an hour with a sports expert who has the time to analyse the problem and recommend exercises.
You are right to do something early. I ran for a few years on off the shelf trainers and ignored the occasional injury and my knees now are not great. I wish I had taken action twenty years ago.
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"had a gait problem a couple of years ago "
The gaitgate scandal?
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I used to suffer from "policeman's heel/foot". A sports physio and his recommended exercises worked well. A tin of beans, or soup, kept in the fridge, rolled backwards and forwards under the foot - that was one. Do the exercises he/she recommends and keep doing them.
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>> I used to suffer from "policeman's heel/foot".....
....booting out time at 'spoons....?
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Wed 30 Mar 22 at 07:56
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Loads of stuff on t'web. This is for starters.
tinyurl.com/t6fydxnm
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Plenty of specialist running shops and sports physios round my way offer gait analysis, in various depths of discovery. Its a matter of how much you are willing to pay, depending on how much they have invested in the tech*.
So do a little research into the machines available, and then who is using what round your way.
The tech varies from simple treadmills with pressure point analysis, to pressure with full blown 3d movement analysis.
It should also be said that a good physio can make some great diagnosis, just by looking at you standing and walking. expect to pay 50 to 100 quid for that and an exercise regime. My wife physio had me good enough to compete at a dog show final 6 weeks after my broken hip/implant.
You could also try pilates - which has the advantage of seeing lots of bendy ladies.
As an interesting aside, an acquaintance of mine was doing a course in dog gait analysis, and she could pick some dogs for her course subjects, so she had my older girl. A specialist machine in an equine vets out Newbury way was chosen, the dog had infrared/laser receptors place on strategic skeletal joints, and it was 3d scanned standing, sitting, - walking and running on a treadmill with pressure sensing. It also has the advantage that she was fit, and we now have a baseline to compare for the future.
I have had PF - left foot. Orthotics fixed it, and then careful choice of shoes with good arch support since has kept it at bay. Hotters / Eccos mostly.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 30 Mar 22 at 09:10
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"My wife physio had me good enough to compete at a dog show final 6 weeks after my broken hip/implant."
Did you medal, as they say these days?
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>> "My wife physio had me good enough to compete at a dog show final 6
>> weeks after my broken hip/implant."
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>> Did you medal, as they say these days?
We did. 3rd best in country in class. The dog helped.
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>>Last year I suffered badly from plantar fasciitis
I had that. An NHS physio gave me the exercise of rising onto the balls of my feet (effectively standing on tiptoe), holding the position for a few seconds before dropping. I do ten reps every morning when I get out of bed. It hasn't returned - so far.
As has been said, there's lots of info on t'interweb thingmy.
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Apart from exercise and palliative treatments like painkillers and ice packs there’s no really successful treatment for plantar fasciitis, which is extremely painful. Rest and hope it goes away is normally recommended.
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Almost certainly selective perception of sorts on my part I suppose, but it does often seem to me that some families seem to have a lot more wrong with them than I would have imagined was normal.
My wife’s lot are a classic example, they all seem to have “got” something most of the time, whereas my family just seem to bowl along through life without too many problems. Until they die of course.
Her crew are at the doctors or hospital so often it’s a wonder they don’t get invited to the Christmas party!
;-)
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Haha I know what you mean, except in my case it's my daughters. The oldest is 35 and single with no kids and has used the NHS far more than I have in my 66 years, and for ailments rather than accidents. The younger can't be far behind. It's not something they've learnt from us that's for sure! SWMBO and I have never been in hospital overnight yet (except her with the first) and I have only been to A&E I think once, maybe twice, in my life. I have been referred for tests on this and that in recent years but fortunately nothing serious.
And I suppose that is a point - there must be an element of good or bad fortune in play too.
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>> And I suppose that is a point - there must be an element of good
>> or bad fortune in play too.
Before my recent medical issues, for 63 years Hospital (casualty) was a place I only ever visited to fix broken bones. Not that I have bone issues per say, just a result of reckless carelessness.
There is much to be said however for having regular in depth checkups. Without a surveillance scan for my bowel cancer, the Bladder cancer would have gone undiagnosed, with - it has to be said - me ignoring the now patiently obvious symptoms.
And thats the point, more than enough stories of "Pftt I dont need a hospital" people ignoring symptoms that get bad enough to kill them.
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>>
>>
>> My wife’s lot are a classic example, they all seem to have “got” something most
>> of the time, whereas my family just seem to bowl along through life without too
>> many problems. Until they die of course.
>>
>> Her crew are at the doctors or hospital so often it’s a wonder they don’t
>> get invited to the Christmas party!
>> ;-)
>>
We thought about moving to Ireland a decade ago, but with having to pay for doctors appointments Mrs O'Reliant would have bankrupted us in no time so I scrubbed the idea.
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Cheers for advice so far.
I took up running in the first lockdown and then when the shops reopened I got a proper pair of Brooks running shoes from a shop in Glasgow who got me to walk up and down and visually checked my gait.
It was a few months after that when I developed PF. The PF is pretty much gone now as long as I have footwear on. I cannot walk in bare feet without pain but any footwear, as long as it is raised slightly, seems to be fine. As I WFH the comfiest “slippers” I have found are actually crocs! I do still have my little foot roller that I can use if I do sometimes get pain and it works very well to make it subside. In fact I brought it in the case to Tenerife with me.
When I return I might enquire at the running shop that I got the trainers from to see what their advice would be. Might be a starting point anyway.
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>> a shop in Glasgow who got
>> me to walk up and down and visually checked my gait.
>> It was a few months after that when I developed PF.
>> When I return I might enquire at the running shop that I got the trainers
>> from to see what their advice would be.
based on the top paragraph, I would say the last place I would go to would be the one that gave me PF!
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Ha ha not sure they can be blamed for that!
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Are you taking a statin?
I suffered with a "heel spur" about sixteen years ago. I was in agony for about two years and my GP recommended wearing trainers with a gel insert. On holiday in France, I read an article in the Sunday Telegraph by Dr Le Fanu about problems with the use of statins. I was taking Simvastatin so I decided to stop taking it. In two days, I was pain free. I decided to try them again to determine if it was caused by Simvastatin. Within a couple of days, I was back with my heel pain. I stopped the Simvastatin altogether and saw my GP when I returned home. He agreed that Simvastatin was to blame, and he prescribed a new statin that had recently been introduced, which was Atorvastatin. Needless to say, my "heel spur" was no longer.
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Running shops are not experts and their sole (geddit?) reason for offering "gait analysis" is to flog you more expensive shoes. There's not necessarily any need to correct over/under pronation etc.
If you have a Nuffield gym near you with a physio centre attached then give them a call. Some of their physios are qualified for sports performance training and can help.
I've had a few sessions with the one in Harrogate and it's definitely worth it. Functional tests with the physio, then into the gym to be filmed on the treadmill, followed by some recommendations on strength training to improve running.
Personal opinion as a fairly experienced competitive runner: if you're getting plantar fasciitis then consider the following in order:
0. If you've rapidly increased mileage, back off for a week or two to recover.
1. If your shoes are old, replace them. Generic neutral Nike running shoes work fine for me.
2. Increase your cadence (easier said than done, admittedly). The higher the cadence the more spring energy is stored in your Achilles instead of being dissipated through your sole.
3. Concentrate on where your foot is landing. It needs to be directly below or slightly behind your knee. If it's forward then not only will you be landing on your heel and mid-foot, but you'll be loading the tendons in both directions with braking and acceleration forces. Make small changes. If you try to change overnight to landing on your forefoot you'll end up in agony.
I think it probably will get easier with practice. Humans the the most efficient runners on the planet.
Last edited by: Fursty Ferret on Wed 30 Mar 22 at 13:43
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My daughter is a student Podiatrist and they do a lot of work on gait analysis. These days podiatrists work from the pelvis to the toes. Apart from potentially making custom insoles they wont have a commercial interest in selling goods. It may be worth you looking through the Institute of Podiatry for a practitioner in the Glasgow area who specialises in gait analysis.
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I dont think plantar fasciitis has anything to do with a bad gait. Main causes are I believe strain caused by overuse, - a lot of runningor walking and walking on hard floors without decent footwear. Exacerbated by being overweight.
Decent supportive shoes help.ease tha pain. its always worse in the morning when you get up. Eases after a little walking but returns if you walk very far.
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>> I dont think plantar fasciitis has anything to do with a bad gait.
It is a repetitive strain injury, and most certainly can be caused by poor gait and weight distribution when running which results in poor foot placement. Especially give the strain on the foot when caused by running.
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It’s a bit chicken and egg. More likely to be the cause of a bad gait as the pain causes you to transfer your weight to the side of the foot. No matter it’s really painful and stops you enjoying a decent walk.
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FF, still out in Tenerife.
Did a 10k this morning. Do you know how difficult it is to run whilst looking to see if your foot is landing in front of or behind your knees!:)
So where should my foot be landing? I’m pretty sure it felt as if it was landing on heel then launching from toe?
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Analyst running/ walking gait - martin aston
