The Forum of Benfleet Running Club

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

anyone on here use them ?

if so any recomendations where to get them locally ?

booked in at the footfunction centre on monday so they can have a look , fingers crossed it solves all my calf problems

mikey · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:00 am Post subject:

Try Nigel @ Benfleet Phyiso ( there's a link on the home page )

Don't use them myself, but know a few runners in the club who have got theirs from him.

Mike

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 953 Location: Hockley

David, hi. I got a set made from the Benfleet Physio people.....a podiatrist that Nigel has. However, I have to say that I use infrequently as my compartment syndrome appears to have passed with stretching and not overtraining. And I never really did the wear them in gradually routine. However, as Mikey says there may be others who use more regularly and will extoll the virtues. They are not cheap so have a few opinions from podiatrists first as well.....

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

thanks lads

after lasting just 2 minutes on a run this morning and only having run 5 miles since christmas eve something needs to be done.
so ill see what happens on monday at the footfunction centre , sounds like theyre very thourough as ill be there for about 80 mins doing a variety of tests . just hope my ?><:@ calf holds out so they can look at it properly !

then ill probably go along to benfleet physio for a second opinion

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 953 Location: Hockley

David, is it over pronation? Is it foot strike? One leg longer than the other etc? Will be interesting to hear their analysis. Look out for the 'inflexible toes.' I had this and one of my mates up north has similar.....don't believe there is much you can do about it.

But in terms of recovery from calf problems I cannot recommend Nigel Kimpton and team too lightly. From the stretching, ice baths or bucket well it's a flaming Rubbish bin you stand in, to the Compex electro-muscle stimulation to the real deep tissue massage. None of that namby pamby stuff - real sweat generating scream making kneading...But it was great.

So regardless of root cause I would recommend a quick session with Nigel. As a triathalete (ok so the cycling and swimming is a bit namby pamby - oh dear I expect this will generate some replies) he understands the real issues and the need of runners not to hear the dreaded words - 'sorry mate you will need to rest that....'

Plus say hello to Gemma for me - I need to go back again...

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

erasedcitizen · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 47 Location: Benfleet

Have you had your back/core looked at?
From my expreience, the root of lower leg/foot injuries can often be due to a back/hip misalignment, which can be put right and followed up with core exercises. I have two pairs (one is years old!) of orthotics also which seem to be working ok at the moment (apart from horrible blisters at first!).
They're not custom made though. You can pay anything up to £700 for those!

Shocked

Good luck with the recovery!

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 953 Location: Hockley

Dear erasedcitizen, excellent response. In fact so good I am pleased for you to take my vacant race place in the Benfleet 15. Let me have your address and I will post off the race number immediately. Well done and please wear with pride!

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

erasedcitizen · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 47 Location: Benfleet

Haha! The day I run 15 miles is a day in the very distant future!!

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

i think the route cause may be from where i broke an ankle when i was about 19 , my runnings never been the same since.
before that i used to run 2-3 very intense track sessions a week including steeplechase barrier training , race at least once a week sometimes more etc
now i can barely run 18 miles a week at virtually all low intensity without getting some sort of reaction from the calf and when i try to start picking up the pace it pulls ..............
going to try and get an appointment to see nigel later this week and ill let you know how i get on today.

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

session went well the bloke who saw me was very thorough , asked me loads of questions , looked at the shoes i was wearing and then checked out my feet , legs and hips. and i then had to walk up and down a special mat that was 30 metres long about 7 times(sort of like the adidas footscan only much longer). then i had to run up and down the same mat firstly bare foot then the last time in my running shoes. and my calf pulled on the very last one !
he then talked me through what he had seen and through the digital images of my footstrike.
lots of small problems
1)need to change my shoes from stability to neutral as the stability ones are giving far too much controll and use customised orthotics.
2) both of my big toes dont work properly , they dont bend as they should
3) need to improve core stability a bit more
4) see an osteopath about hips and shoulder which could both work better along with my left knee.

all in all a very interesting afternoon well worth the trip hopefully all this will get me finally going in the right direction.

anyone do any pilates courses/know a good instructor ?

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 953 Location: Hockley

David, good luck. Don't forget a second opinion may be beneficial. I had the reverse first guys said inflexible toes don't worry, the next offered orthotics.

For Pilates you need to contact Pat M from Muldoons Island fame...oh wait a minute that was Pirates... Smile

)

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

has muldoons island gone below the ever rising sea levels ?

is pat m an instructor ?

Karl C · Joined: 11 May 2006 Posts: 1691 Location: Rayleigh

yes, alas I have just deleted him. Looking forward into 2007 !

Lucycat · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject:

Hi David
I run in orthotics have for years.
I think the concept is that the orthotic is designed to reduce either the angle at which your heel strikes or the angle in which you pronate to what is seen as perfect.

I had loads of problems with my shins and ankles and legs generally about 10 years ago and had some insoles which are like weak orthotics for a while. I went initially to the sports injury clinic at Northampton where some students hand made me some for free. Then about 3 years ago I had some proper ones custom made including casts taken of my feet by a guy called Simon at Orthosport.com or co.uk. He was recommended by Karen who runs for us in the cross countries (Kristian Whitmarsh's girlfriend). I didnt know Benfleet physio did them as I had asked several years ago when I knew mine needed redoing.

I had to have my left one adjusted and need mine reassessing but I wouldnt be without them.

What I was always impressed with podiatrists is the level of detail they look at your leg structures and angles to actually work out why rather than treating the end result. Also measuring the angle at which your legs stretch to and then spotting if you havent really bothered to do your extra stretches Very Happy

Good luck PS I recommend the Gel Nimbus as a neutral shoe with enough depth for orthotic. Remove the insole from shoe put the orthotic on top of insole on a table lining the heel with the heel cut along insole where orthotic reaches insole halfway up and put the toe bit you are left with in your shoe. Much comfier than insole free
_________________

Lucy and Paddy

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

cheers lucy , i got mine made by the foot function centre , just west of ipswich. similar sort of set up to what you described. had them in for about 5 weeks now and everything had been going fine until i pulled my right calf whilst doing intervals last satarday.
thats a bit more unusual as its normally the left thats the problem and that has felt fine.
2 possible causes are that id had a very sore blister under my arch of the right foot and although its now gone maybe it caused me to run slightly differently ?
and also did the xc at weald and then a tough session at one tree hill on the following wednesday in my spikes in which i havent got the orthotics.
or maybe id just gotten overconfident and overdone it a bit ?
still that pull wasnt as bad and my physio has given the green light to run tomorrow so ill see how it goes.

Lucycat · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:26 pm Post subject:

david thomson · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 192 Location: thundersley

pulled it yet again on satarday during a track session. really peeved off as everything had been going well since the end of april and i was just starting to feel comfortable running for the first time in years and the weight seemed to be starting to come off aswell.
cant really understand it as i was taking it easy with some races coming up this week id just got up to doing 20 miles in a week and increased from 3 days a week to 4 with no problems. but maybe it was a build up of too much fast stuff over the previous few weeks ?? though that was only one a week with the rest being easy jogs.
going to see if the orthotics can be adjusted further and have ordered some compression socks (its just an excuse really i love the look of them !) and maybe ill have to keep off the fast suff for longer or keep it to 3 days a week ?