Big swollen left foot...

[withnail69]

I bought a concept tower late may. I’m trying to remember whether this problem pre-dates this but I thought I would post here in case anybody had had a similar experience. My left foot sometimes swells up this is noticeable around the ankle and on the top of the foot just below the toes. I never painful whilst rowing but sometimes the is a dull ache in the ankle. General googling says it’s water retention in the foot due to high salt diet or not moving much during lockdown. I’ve been to the doctor who did an ultrasound and said it wasn’t water but inflamed tendons probably from rowing. It doesn’t swell often but when it does it seems to be at random intervals. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced anything like this and what they did to make it go away

[Ombrax]

I'm no expert, but I'll throw this out there just the same:

1) Do you have the problem after going for a longish walk? Or at the end of the day, even if you haven't rowed lately?

2) Could it be related to the shoes you wear while rowing, or the erg foot-strap?
(fwiw, I use minimalist 5-Finger "shoes" and 99.999% of the time row strapless)

Good Luck

[withnail69]

Thanks so much for your reply. If anything.. Exercise.. Walking/rowing etc seems to make it better.. But it just seems to happen randomly. Especially in this massive UK heatwave. Might try the strapless rowing.. Never even thought of that. The doctor thought the straps was causing the tendon problem

[Dangerscouse]

Thanks so much for your reply. If anything.. Exercise.. Walking/rowing etc seems to make it better.. But it just seems to happen randomly. Especially in this massive UK heatwave. Might try the strapless rowing.. Never even thought of that. The doctor thought the straps was causing the tendon problem

Just be careful to start with when you're doing strapless rowing. You will be relying on the straps quite a lot without realising, and you will need to use your core muscles a lot more to stabilise yourself. Remember to plant your feet in the drive phase of the stroke as this transfers the power and centre of gravity to the front rather than what you're probably doing atm; using the straps to slow you down.

Start slowly as you will fly off the back of the erg if you don't. You will need a few minutes at least to get used to it, but it does get easier.

[Ombrax]

The doctor thought the straps was causing the tendon problem

If that's the case, then definitely try going strapless. There's lots of discussion on the forum about that. As mentioned above, be careful at that start. The better your technique the easier it will be to not use them. (In fact rowing strapless is often used as a check - banging into the straps at the end of the stroke is a waste of energy that you want to eliminate.) In my case I don't use them unless I'm trying for a PB. That and racing are IMO really the only times the straps are needed. For the vast majority of the training I do they're totally superfluous, and if they were to cause me pain that would be yet another reason to not use them.

Caveat: The fact that you are having issues suggests that you might be relying a bit too much on the straps to stop your motion. With some practice you'll find that you don't really need them unless you're going super, super hard.

Good Luck

[mict450]

Mighty strange that this is occurring in only your left foot. The swelling in your instep above your toes could be logically related to the straps, but the ankle swelling seems unrelated. I hope rowing strapless will solve your problem. Perhaps also try rowing barefoot.

If problem keeps recurring, perhaps further diagnostics will be required. Including referral to a foot specialist focusing in sports medicine.

[Popcorn]

It does seem odd that this would happen on one foot only if it is somehow caused by the straps! Are you noticing that you are pulling or pushing asymmetrically? (I definitely have one side that is weaker and I tend to favor it if I don't pay attention.)

I have had some issues with a previously sprained ankle that gives me a little trouble on the erg sometimes but it does not involve the foot swelling up the way you are describing! When my ankle is acting up, I can feel it as I push with the legs. When the legs are flat, the top of the foot in front of the ankle feels it. Everything improves if I work on ankle stability and flexibility (basically all the usual ankle physical therapy exercises) and it also really helps if my shoes are snug around the ankle. I warm up strapless always and try to be aware of not using the straps to yank myself around but even so it bothers my ankle if my foot moves around inside my shoe.

Also try adjusting foot stretcher height. My ankle/top of foot also feels better with a bit more height under the heel, like a running shoe with a significant drop, instead of a flat sneaker. (You could also put some kind of wedge there.) When the top of foot/ankle is not acting up, a flatter shoe is fine and is usually recommended for erging.
I also use ankle compression sometimes and that helps.

Obviously if this continues, you need medical help, but in the meantime, try a few changes, don't overdo it, see if anything helps. Of course with any kind of inflammation, it is best to let the inflammation subside. Don't keep aggravating it. Good luck!

[withnail69]

The doctor thought the straps was causing the tendon problem

If that's the case, then definitely try going strapless. There's lots of discussion on the forum about that. As mentioned above, be careful at that start. The better your technique the easier it will be to not use them. (In fact rowing strapless is often used as a check - banging into the straps at the end of the stroke is a waste of energy that you want to eliminate.) In my case I don't use them unless I'm trying for a PB. That and racing are IMO really the only times the straps are needed. For the vast majority of the training I do they're totally superfluous, and if they were to cause me pain that would be yet another reason to not use them.

Caveat: The fact that you are having issues suggests that you might be relying a bit too much on the straps to stop your motion. With some practice you'll find that you don't really need them unless you're going super, super hard.

Good Luck

Thanks I tried strapless and was actually ok as I have been working on technique recently. I guess faster times will go out the window as I can't do as long a stroke as with straps (not yet anyway). So today blood tests have indicated gout. Which is a bit of a u-turn on the strap theory by the doc. Not sure whether to row or not now. Might give it a rest until swelling goes down a bit. Gout is supposed to be very painful though and this mostly feels like an invisible belt is being tightened around my ankle.

[withnail69]

Mighty strange that this is occurring in only your left foot. The swelling in your instep above your toes could be logically related to the straps, but the ankle swelling seems unrelated. I hope rowing strapless will solve your problem. Perhaps also try rowing barefoot.

If problem keeps recurring, perhaps further diagnostics will be required. Including referral to a foot specialist focusing in sports medicine.

Yes you are correct. I tried to attach a photo of my feet but it says the boards attachment limits have been reached

[Bob Evans]

Some thoughts for your consideration. At 67 after rowing rowing hard, I'll get some numbness in some of my toes on my left foot for the past couple of years. No notable swelling, however. My nurse practitioner said as we age, the padding on the bottoms of our feet start to wear out, subjecting nerves to more exposure. So why the left and not both feet? I have had scoliosis (a curvature of the spine) all my life -- hence my left leg is "slightly longer" than my right due to the tilt of my hips. I'm surely putting slightly more pressure on my left foot during the drive. Also in 1987 I badly ruptured two disks resulting in very painful sciatica down in my left leg and tingling in my toes that I've managed well through the years with stretching -- but there may be residual nerve damage that is getting stirred up. Finally, my left foot has always been about a "half size" bigger than my right. Are any/all of these factors related? Don't know but probably. Don't know if any of this might apply to you or give you some ideas. Hope you figure it out. The erg is fantastic for the body and soul!

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Hello,

I've had gout in a heatwave with rowing and cycling.

It has taken me ages to get rid of it. It arose because i became dehydrated whilst losing weight. It means you wee out ketones rather than urea.

Need to flush your body out with water and reduce the intake of foods that promote gout.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

I got gout first in my ankle joint and big toe. Cold really makes it worse. Wear loads of thick socks.

You get gout from urea crystallisation then the crystals get covered in white blood cells after inflammation then you get gout when the white blood cells peel off and the crystal dissolves.

So my pathway to gout was row 20km per day for a month, then ride 40 miles a day 3 days a week in a heat wave whilst having spicey food.

Lost weight , made myself ill. Took ages to fix it and had to be super careful about hydration, feet temperature and weight loss .