Hi~

I'm new to Portland Fit this season and loving it. Thanks for the great program. I have two medical questions. Several years ago I was diagnosed with a small herniated disc. Over the years I have found no problems with it if I kept my core strong. Most of my weekday runs are on a treadmill so I can prevent strain on my lower back and keep Saturday runs with the group. So far so good. There have been times when after the run I do have pain in my lower back. I can't remember which disc was herniated but it's low. Do you have any suggestions.

Also, when running longer than 4 miles I always end up getting blisters. They develop between my toes.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm not a medical person, but have been plagued with blisters on my toes. I've found that wearing Injinji socks eliminates them for me. Injini's fit your toes like gloves fit your fingers. They feel strange when you first put them on, but for me at least, once I get my shoes on, I'm not aware of them.

Rose

Hi Traci
Great to have you in Portland Fit this Season! Couple questions and comments here: It is fairly important to know what discs were involved with your low back. Try to find out what levels were involved. Did you have physical therapy or Chiropractic care for you low back? What did it consist of?
How old are you shoes? Are they running shoes? Were you fitted for them? Are you getting blisters on both feet?

In the meantime consider this.....your goals of a half and/or full marathon will be performed on the street. We will need to get your body conditioned for the street...i.e. treadmill running is good, but not an equal to road running. You want to train as closely to the stress that will be demanded of you "on game day" If there is difficulty or deficit in stabilizing your low back, you may need to increase, or get more specific to running, core conditioning.
Blisters between the toes sounds like friction rubbing due to the toe box of your shoes being too tight. Try to loosen the lower part of your shoes strings a bit and see if it helps.

I look forward to hearing from you.

So the injured disc is L5 S1. I did receive physical therapy before I had an MRI and they discovered it was a torn disc. No therapy after wards. I also tried chiropractic treatments before the MRI but it made my lower back to loose and I had worse problems. The last few years I haven't engaged in any consistent running or exercise. Prior to the injury I was working out 5 days and running almost every week day.

Today I decided to hit the streets verses running on the treadmill but I am worried about my back holding up. Tomorrow I think I'll go back to the treadmill and Thursday the street again.

I know I need more core strength which I plan on looking up a workout online.

Again, any information on my back would be great. My daughter did decompression therapy with great results when she ruptured her disc. I want to do that but I know her Doctor said no running and that is something I don't want to give up right now. I'm up to six miles and really want to keep up the goal.

I just went to Portland Running Company and have my first new pair of Brooks! I also picked up some glide to prevent the blisters.

Thanks,
Traci

Hi Traci
Did your physical therapy actually consist of physical exercise? More than stretches? Did they create specific core exercise/therapy/maintenance home care program for you to perform regularly? Or was it primarily all passive treatment, i.e. heat, cold, muscle stim, ultrasound, etc?

Are your blisters on one or both feet? Did you have a strength deficit in your ankle/calf during PT? If so, which side was involved? Any surgical procedures to the area?

All of these questions will yield a much clearer picture as to your situation. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr.Greg

Hi Dr. Greg,

From what I remember it was just stretches. They did not recommend any core exercises/therapy/home maintenance care. I believe they did some heat/cold, massage, and no ultrasound. After the MRI came back, I called to make an appointment with the back specialist my regular Doctor recommended but was told based on the MRI I didn't need surgery and care for it would be with my regular Doctor. Most of the time I don't really have an issue with it so therefore hardly bring it up. Sometimes during my cycle or traveling I ask for some pain killers because I struggle during long flights and our my periods. I thinks it's just the inflammation at those times.

I get blisters on both feet. I never struggled with blisters before and I think its my skin getting thinner with age. I'm trying the glide this weekend for my 7 mile run. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again for your time and advice.

Traci

HI Traci
A core strengthening program, specific to the region of your lumbar spine in question is/will be key to your success. Internet programs may be helpful for general conditioning, but treating specific segmental joints, it musculature, and key movement patterns are truly the responsible of health care providers. Get some help.
You are not alone, there are many runners with acute, sub acute, and chronic lumbar disc issues training along side you. They are caring for their backs appropriately and able to continue their training. You can too!

Side note: NSAIDS and Narcotic based pain modulators should be minimized, or even better, omitted during aerobic training as they can interfere with performance and general health.

The blister issue sounds friction based. The lube may help. Try to loosen the toe box laces as well.

Have fun out there. Keep us in the loop.

Dr. Greg