Foot pain, Extensor digitorum brevis, EDB pain

[piotr]

Hi there,

Wonder if you could help/recommend a treatment. 30yo active – i cycle to work and back – plus play Ultimate Frisbee 3x a week, means i run a lot and i know my joins are in constant use but i would say i am definitely a fit bloke. Every now and then i feel some ache from though training or long tournament but that is always a temporary tiredness not an injury. Somewhere around September i came back after training with soar Extensor digitorum brevis or at least i think it is EDB. Usually i stretch properly b4 and after and those aches are nothing new to me but with this one i went for 4days mountain hiking. Since then it is permanent – i mean it isn’t a pain that i need painkillers but it is ‘annoying’ – it feels like i didn’t stretch and run a marathon and forgot to warm down.
I still train 2-3 times a week and usually i don’t feel it while i play but comes back to me in the morning or when i walk around the day after training. It isnt swollen but it sort of hurts when i press it hard esp close to the hill. Any suggestions. I did try to massage it/used some hot compress, wonder if there is anything else i can do about it?

Thanks

Pete

[Heidi]

Hi

I wouldn't worry about which specific muscle it is. I would focus more on what may have caused the injury so that you can correct it.

If you never felt an incident where it started hurting then I would suggest it is an overuse injury. These tend to linger on like this as the cause of the problem is still there.

Firstly....rest from training! You can't expect it to get better if you do not allow it time to heal! Use this time off to stretch all of the muscles of the leg and make sure you have good flexibility. Also look into your gait cycle....get a professional analysis if possible and adjust shoes or introduce insoles if required. This is a common cause of foot and lower leg injuries.
Also, use cold therapy rather than hot, or alternate the two. Conside anti-inflammatories but check with your Doctor or pharmacist first.