Wasn’t sure where to post this exactly… With all the importance stressed on function, balance, and real world application of muscle development, I wonder why we have forgotten the feet. The feet, and ankles too, seem extremely important to me. Maybe b/c I am having some problems w/ inbalances from them. After focusing on bulking the past three years my feet have a hard time supporting all the mass I have accumulated. When I engage in sport activities that involve explosive movments my feet feel as if they are going to buckle under the stress. More importantly, and extremely frustrating, is that the muslces that run from my heel to the ‘ball’ of my foot feel as if they are going to tear, and hurt like a son of bitch. (Heavy calf raises have greatly contributed to this problem, and I can no longer do them as they hurt too much!) Anybody else have this problem, or can comment?
do you have flat feet?
Do some renegade rope training. Your feet will be in excruciating pain the first few times but it’ll help.
I was getting ready to post about this soon myself.
I am flat-footed and I believe it’s starting to cause me problems. Doing calves is becoming hellish. The muscles in the arches of my feet start to ache extremely bad after doing any kind of calf raises. You know that kind of pain where you get the chills that run up the back of your neck and you feel like you’re going to puke. Yeah, that’s what I feel when I finish doing a set. Also, I noticed they started to ache while jumping rope this morning.
Will arch supports help me out at all? I don’t what to spend the money for a decent pair unless they’re going to help me out. Also, if I should get a pair, is there any specific brand out there that you would recommend? My cross country coach used to recommend a certain kind to us, but I can’t remember.
Sounds like you have an achilles problem. Have you been to a phsyio to get it checked out. I am no doctor but whenever there is pain there is an underlying reason and it needs to be fixed.
Groove
My feet tend to be flat-ish, and my arches seem to have fallen some over the last few years. I tried arch support a few years back, but that caused pain, too. No, I do not think it is an achilles problem. It is mainly the muscles under the foot. It seems to me that running backs experience this problem throughout the year: Trung Canidate, Eddie George last year, and TJ Duckett towards this seasons end.
What is Renegade rope training? Like jumping rope?
most of the running backs that you refer to play the majority of their games on turf, i would think that the turf plays a mojor role in their case. are you doing any running on hard surfaces. from what i recall a lot of athletes such as football players have flat flat, (could be a myth that i heard somewhere though.) i also have flat feet and when i train calves my arches burn like a mutha. i feel my arches more so than my calves while im training them, however my calves still get sore the next day. on occasion i have jumped rope and done some plyos barefoot, to maximize calf stimulation. my arches really get sore the day after such training. i think a good pair of cross training shoes such as “new balance” seems to help some. however i think it is just something we will have to live with and hope that it doesnt cause any future problems.
Just wanted to throw out this little excerpt from an old compendium I put together for an athletic training course. It’ll at least give a little background on what you’re dealing with:
Pes Planus-Also known as ?Flat Foot,? pes planus a condition characterized by an absent or insufficient arch of the foot (flat soles). Although it may originate from genetic factors, pes planus can also emerge later in life due to prolonged standing or from excessive weight. Pes planus only needs to be treated if it causes pain (due to lack of flexibility). For feet that are painful, orthotic inserts may provide relief. In serious cases, surgery may be necessary to either separate fused bones or completely fuse several bones in a physiologically appropriate position.
On a side note, the muscle that is likely the most painful for you is the posterior tibialis. In addition to contributing to plantarflexion and inversion, it also is responsible for maintaining/supporting the longitudinal arch of the foot.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance, but I think that seeing an orthopedist or podiatrist would be the way to go. Good luck!
Thanks to all that replied. Pdog? Do you have problems ‘pushing off’ or taking those first couple of steps when sprinting? That is when it feels as if something could rip in the sole! Do you have this occurence?
not at all, ive always had pretty good acceleration/deceleration, and np pain while running. my flat feet have never really had any negative effects other than getting sore on occassion and burning during calve training. hopefully it wont get worse in the future.
also, it sounds like you may have something a little more serious.