Foot/ankle pain

[JBlatt]

I've been using C2 ergs for years without any trouble. A couple weeks ago I was 15 minutes into a routine workout when I felt a twinge in the top of my left foot above the ankle. I felt it after I completed a pull & was returning to the catch position. After a few more pulls it got worse so I stopped rowing. The pain was there for several days especially when I extend my toes. I took a couple weeks off. Tried some light rowing yesterday & felt like it was about to start hurting again. Any ideas re what this is & how to prevent it?

[max_ratcliffe]

Usual disclaimer about not being a medical professional, and advice to seek the opinion of someone who is...

Not experienced that pain but two possibilities come to mind.

Have you moved your foot stretcher position? That can change the angle of dorsiflexion subtly (although imo is more likely to cause problems in the Achilles).

Are you pulling on the footstraps? It's unlikely you're really yanking on the straps as you've been at this a while, but perhaps trying to row strapless would alleviate the problem?

Good luck.

[Ombrax]

This may be a boring and unhelpful answer, but I'd go see a podiatrist.

There are so many different things that can go wrong in your foot it isn't even funny, especially as you get older and your various bits and pieces of connective tissue just aren't as good as they used to be. (not sure if' you're old or not, but I thought I'd mention it) Last fall I messed up my left foot simply because I had been walking too far, too fast and too often. (the gym was closed due to COVID, so I couldn't use the Model E there, and it wasn't convenient to use my Model C at home, so I'd been walking instead) Had it been up to me I would have probably continued to exercise and made things even worse. My doctor set me straight on that, and when the gyms reopened a while back I was able to go back to erging, and the problem has not returned.

[JBlatt]

The pain does occur when I pull against the straps. It's never been a problem before, and I never knew you could row strapless, but that seems worth trying.

[Dutch]

If the pain is on the inside of the leg just above the ankle it could be your tibialis tendon, if it is a bit higher on the outside of the leg it could be the tibialis muscle. But look at the link and do seek a medical opinion.
https://www.thecenteroregon.com/pain-in ... endonitis/

[Dangerscouse]

The pain does occur when I pull against the straps. It's never been a problem before, and I never knew you could row strapless, but that seems worth trying.

I almost always row strapless BUT be careful when you first try it as you are liable to end up flying off the back of the erg if you're not careful. You need to centre your gravity, and keep pushing the force into the stirrups, and not let it drift backwards.

It will feel strange to start with but it does get easier with practice

[Ombrax]

The pain does occur when I pull against the straps. It's never been a problem before, and I never knew you could row strapless, but that seems worth trying.

In that case, there's an easy fix - as was mentioned above - just go strapless. I do 99.99% of my erging strapless.

Furthermore, if you're slamming into the straps that's a red flag that you're not doing things quite right, and that you can improve your technique. Applying any significant force to the straps is inefficient, and a waste of energy.

Done properly you don't need them to keep from flying off the end of the rail, nor do you need them in the recovery get back to the start of the stroke, unless you're going super-hard, for example in a race.

Try it, carefully at first, and you'll soon be able to do it without even thinking.

[JBlatt]

Thanks for the input on rowing strapless. Who knew? I'll definitely give it a go. I'm especially interested in the notion that over-use of the strap is an indication of poor form/technique.

Thanks also for the link re tendonitis. That definitely sounds like the culprit. RICE Protocol here I come. Will see a doc if the problem persists.

[nates]

I row strapless now because of arthritis in my great toes. But I wonder if my erg is ever so slightly unlevel because I have to pull myself forward and the C model foot rest is just gnawing at my heels, even after smoothing the plastic with an emery board.

[Ombrax]

I row strapless now because of arthritis in my great toes. But I wonder if my erg is ever so slightly unlevel because I have to pull myself forward and the C model foot rest is just gnawing at my heels, even after smoothing the plastic with an emery board.

One way to check this is to see how the seat behaves with nothing on it. With it totally free to move give it a very gentle tap with a finger at the back end. It should either slide on its own to the front stop, or if it doesn't, only require a small force to get there. I've heard that in general if the erg is on a level surface the rail will be sloped just a bit to the front. Not having ever measured the slope myself I can't confirm that, but I do know that when rowing strapless it takes me very little effort to return to the catch and even in the days when I rowed just wearing socks, I had no problems with my heels.

[nates]

Socks alone aren't enough. Shoes works but my wife is OCD about shoes in the house. My preference would be barefoot but I usually have to use socks and bandaids

[Ombrax]

Would she mind some minimalist shoes like FiveFingers? That's what I used to use, but my podiatrist has told me that I should only exercise (and walk) in lace-up shoes with a stiff sole aft of the forefoot.

https://us.vibram.com/shop/shop-all-pro ... fingers-1/

[jackarabit]

Built in incline of slide toward handle 3-4°. Place 1/4” shim under rear feet or get a cheap inclinometer to see what’s what with the slide and shim as necessary.

[Erik A]

Would she mind some minimalist shoes like FiveFingers? That's what I used to use, but my podiatrist has told me that I should only exercise (and walk) in lace-up shoes with a stiff sole aft of the forefoot.

https://us.vibram.com/shop/shop-all-pro ... fingers-1/

how did you find them? i have had issues with extensor tendinitis and i have it narrowed it down to the new shoes i got recently. i can walk ok in my older Nikes but when i walk in my new UA shoes i get the pain on the top of my foot which gets worse the longer i walk. i am mostly barefoot when it comes to day to day stuff and really dont like wearing shoes. so maybe something like these could be an option. everything i have heard about them so far seems to be good.

[Ombrax]

how did you find them?

I'm not sure where I first learned about them, but I got my first pair at REI (a US camping / outdoor sports chain).

I really liked using them in the gym and will probably go back to wearing them on the erg when my current foot issue (not caused by the 5F shoes) is resolved.

The brand is relatively common, and I'm sure you'll be able to find either some FiveFinger or other minimalist shoes in NZ or Australia. As a head's up, they're somewhat controversial for activities like running (some folks love them, others say they're terrible for you) and may also not be a good idea if you're lifting really heavy weights while standing, but for the basic gym activities I did (kettlebells, rowing, etc) I thought they were great.