In Columbus this time of year, I see many runners trying do all they can to maximize their training time for the remainder of the outdoor track season. The Capital City half marathon is this Saturday, May 7, 2011. And earlier this week the world record holder in the 800M race, David Rudisha has recently been forced to sacrifice some precious training time to deal with a minor injury in his foot.

As the 2010 Athlete of the World declared by the International Association of Athletics Federations, David knows that taking care of a foot pain in running as soon as it starts is the key to a quick recovery. He is taking a week off of training after realizing he had peritendonitis in his foot. Tendons, which connect muscles to bones, are surrounded by a sheath of connective tissue which can become irritated or inflamed in peritendonitis. Tendons themselves also commonly become irritated leading to a similar painful condition called tendonitis. Achilles tendonitis is a common ailment of athletes. As David’s condition has been described as affecting the flexor muscles of the foot, it is likely that the Achilles, or other tendons coming down from the calf muscles to attach and flex, or push the foot downward are involved.

Common symptoms of Achilles tendonitis include:

• recurrent heel pain along the back of the foot where the Achilles tendon attaches
• swelling near the back of the heel
• stiffness in your ankle that lessens as you warm up for physical activity

Runners suffering from tendonitis should make sure they are wearing running sneakers that are the best fit for their foot. They may also want talk to their podiatrist about orthotics that could help alleviate the irritation of the tendon, and thus a possible part of the underlying mechanism of their tendonitis. The Achilles tendon is both the largest and the most commonly ruptured tendon in the body so it is especially crucial to identify and treat the cause of pain near it in the heel! Heel pain can not only hamper running training, but it could indicate a more serious problem, such as a ruptured tendon, that would require more invasive treatment.

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.