<p>ok, I realize this is an unual post but I am desperate to help my son. He is a runner, has been for years, it is his complete idenity. Labor day weekend while running a HS XC race he became injured. Everyone thought he had a stress fracture but never showed on xray. He lost the rest of the season due to being unable to place weight on his foot without having pain. Many orthopedic visits, xrays and custom orthodotics later and he is not better. He did not run from labor day until March of this year. Slowly began to get back into it again and is right back where he started with the pain. Any one have similiar experiences or any suggestions? He is just so depressed about not being able to run with his team mates and is really concerned his future as a XC runner is over. Thanks for your suggestions</p>
<p>Snowspud - Here are two discussion forums about running injuries that my daughter found helpful (if you haven’t seen yet).</p>
<p>[Community:</a> The Med Tent](<a href=“http://community.active.com/community/coolrunning/medtent]Community:”>http://community.active.com/community/coolrunning/medtent)</p>
<p>[Injuries</a> - Discussion Runners World Discussions](<a href=“Hearst Magazines”>Hearst Magazines)</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I’ve been a runner for 36 years now, and in that time I’ve had nearly every running injury there is.</p>
<p>Foot pain could be a lot of things. The first point is that some stress fractures cannot be seen on x-ray. So he needs to get a bone scan to look for hidden stress fractures.</p>
<p>My son is a runner who got injured prior to senior year in high school, went through a couple surgeries and is still not running (end of soph year in college). He was a college running recruit and hasn’t run a step for his school. It has been devastating. I know what you and your son are going through. We have not given up hope. I would do everything to find the right doctor. Post on running forums, ask at running stores etc. We finally got to the right guy. I want to emphasize that the prior docs, ART practitioners, PTs etc were excellent, but you want that person who can really get at the root of your son’s injury. It might take MRIs, CT scans and more, but there IS a correct diagnosis. I don’t know where you live, but we spanned several states dealing with S’s injury. Ironically, we found the current doc as a result of me breaking my knee (tibial plateau fracture) last February skiing. I came home and landed right in the office of the most incredible orhopedic surgeon I could have asked for. I flew son back home from college as soon as I could. Please keep me posted. I am a runner myself, and can relate.</p>
<p>Hi.
I have a D who is/was a serious ballet dancer and a S who is/was a XC and track runner.</p>
<p>I am with MOWC on this one. Luckily, through D’s ballet company (a professional one in the city) we were referred to a podiatrist who specialized in sports practice…in fact, he is an avid runner himself. </p>
<p>On several occasions, D and S visited him with excellent results. A key here is that a sports practicioner is much more focused on getting the athlete BACK to his activity asap without incurring additional injury. We saw many friends of both D & S who went to othopedists who did not recognize the idea of “just take a break” was not going to cut it, Attitude matters here.</p>
<p>Additionally, this guy also worked with a massage therapist. She, by the way, SOLVED the hip problem S was having with running which we thought might take him out of the game. It too was his identity through high school as ballet was D’s. </p>
<p>SEARCH until you get a REALLY GOOD PHYSICIAN or PODIATRIST (if your son’s injury is specific to the foot ankle area). It makes a huge difference.</p>
<p>Best of luck and please keep us posted.</p>
<p>thanks for the information and support. we did have a bone scan and an mri. Dr. thought bone scan was done to soon after the original injury (showed some hot spots but not a lot of information otherwise) MRi really didn’t show anything either. He received cortisone injections but they did nothing. No one can seem to tell us why his foot hurts, that’s so frustrating and discouraging. Yes, at one time he had dreams of running XC in college, now he just has dreams of being able to run again.</p>
<p>Try to get him a bone scan. It requires a IV injection, then a few hrs later, some xrays taken. My dd is a soccer/bball player and was injured last fall. Like your son, nothing showed up on regular xrays but pain came and went throughout soccer and bball seasons. Has never really been the same. Trying to play soccer again this spring and pain has gotten worse; it no longer subsides with rest, heat, or pain meds. Now the dr thinks she may have stress fractures in her lower spine that didn’t show up on the regular xrays - hence, the bone scan… Check with your insurance company. You may have to get pre approval for this test.</p>
<p>D was a competitive runner until her knee couldn’t take it. Her active participation in soccer and squash were also adversley affected for years. We went from doctor to doctor – including the guys who take care of the knees of the Denver Broncos! – and got no help and no diagnosis, as MRIS, scans etc came up with nothing conclusive. </p>
<p>Until (hope hope) a couple of months ago. A clever ortho in Boston believes D has plica syndrome. An exploratory surgery in a couple of weeks should either confirm or shoot down this diagnosis, but a doc who we went for a second opinion agrees we may be onto something. </p>
<p>Link below. Read on: plica is not common and is usually mis(un) diagnosed. </p>
<p>[Plica</a> Syndrome](<a href=“athleticadvisor.com - Athletic Training Sports Medicine Injuries Knee Ankle Shoulder Hips Fingers Toes Wrists Resources and Information.”>athleticadvisor.com - Athletic Training Sports Medicine Injuries Knee Ankle Shoulder Hips Fingers Toes Wrists Resources and Information.)</p>
<p>My sympathies to your son and his parents. When an athlete is cobbled by hurt, the entire family feels the pain.</p>
<p>My athlete DD fought knee pain from mid 10th grade on- I remember the moment her long time feeling of I can play, but not overdo it went over the line in a varisty bball tourney, when the coach refused to take her out of the game! Grrr.</p>
<p>DD did physio and took 9 months off, it still hurt, but was more bearable, so she played as a three sport athlete in grades 11/12 and had a blast. All the coaches knew she was not to do any extra busy work, nothing to build up her knees by runnning miles…the problem was she liked to run miles (had been XC runner and was the fastest sprinter and distance running girl at the school)</p>
<p>In sophomore year of uni she had knee surgery for tendonitis and played as a junior, I am not sure if she will play again or not, but she has matured a great deal through this experience. We’ve gone through it together, including me staying in her college room for a week or so after surgery to get her to & from everywhere, iced, etc.</p>
<p>It is very painful on many levels when a gifted athlete cannot do their thing. Our thoughts & sympathies are with you!</p>
<p>My thoughts are with you and your son. I used to run, and now am a walker, probably inevitable due to my advanced age… : )</p>
<p>I would listen to the posters who recommend more testing, the bone scan sounds like a good idea. Also, maybe another radiologist to look at the CAT scans and MRI?</p>
<p>Have you considered treating with a podiatrist instead of or in addition to an orthopedist? My son is a high level soccer player and injured his foot / ankle. He has received excellent care from a podiatrist (who is also the team podiatrist for the US Men’s and Women’s soccer teams). What sets this doctor apart from others with whom my son treated previously is that he works with a lot of elite athletes and understands not only common injuries but also the work ethic, desire to get back into training, etc. while balancing it with sound medical advice. Furthermore, his treatment is coordinated with physical therapy. It may be that your son’s training methods are contributing to his injuries.</p>
<p>I do not believe that all podiatrists are better at treating foot injuries than are orthopedists, but certainly some are. You should try to find a doctor (orthopedist or podiatrist) who has experience with and understands foot injuries related to running. And appropriate physical therapy may do wonders.</p>
<p>I mentioned this in my earlier post, but just wanted to concur with pafather about considering a podiatrist to look into your son’s problems. </p>
<p>The podiatrist our kids met with also had experience with elite athletes (dancers, runners, etc) and so has a type of clinical knowledge very specific to this class of patients. Additionally, pafather made an excellent point about training methods contributing to injury…a scenario that S faced.</p>
<p>At the risk of being pushy, I can’t emphasize enough how big a difference going this route made for my son the runner and my D the dancer.</p>
<p>The message board at [DyeStat:</a> The Internet Home of High School Track, Field and Cross Country](<a href=“http://www.dyestat.com%5DDyeStat:”>http://www.dyestat.com), very popular among XC and track runners, has a section dedicated to talking about injuries. While I would not use it to get a diagnosis, my D has used it to get a better handle of an injury that prematurely ended her season last year from others who have been there…good luck!</p>
<p>I agree about consulting a podiatrist. Podiatrists certainly helped me over running injuries. Just make sure it is a <em>sports</em> podiatrist specialist rather than one whose practice focuses on say the elderly or diabetic foot problems.</p>
<p>Has your son been going to just <em>one</em> orthopedic, or has he gotten a second opinion?</p>
<p>My dad’s a radiologist/nuclear medicine doc. When I was in eighth grade, someone dropped a history book corner down on my foot and it hurt like an expletive. I kept telling him it hurt and he was like, take an advil.</p>
<p>(Doctors are kind of bad about thinking of their family as legitimate patients, sometimes…)</p>
<p>Anyhow, it didn’t show up on x-ray (the orthopedist had done an x-ray and had sent me home with… advil!), but when I came home from softball practice in tears one day from the pain in my foot, my dad took me over to the department and did an MRI, which plainly showed a few partially-healed stress fractures. He felt really bad.</p>
<p>An MRI or bone scan would probably be a good idea, but IANAD. Consult a second orthopedist, definitely, if the first one hasn’t done any further scans…</p>
<p>OP-</p>
<p>Not a med pracitioner, but two suggestions: Ditto everyone who said see a podiatrist rather than orthopod, and insist on a CT scan (not MRI). </p>
<p>D had similar experience. We visited 2 orthopods, did X-ray, MRI, these showed nothing but the pain was real. Finally went to a podiatrist who diagnosed it correctly in 5 minutes: Navicular stress fracture.</p>
<p>Once we got the diagnosis, we went back to the orthopod for treatment. CT scan confirmed it. Good luck!</p>
<p>snowspud,</p>
<p>It is so frustrating. I echo the others suggestions to keep looking for the right medical person. The one that worked for my runner son’s knee pain was the right physical therapist.</p>
<p>On depression, what helped my son was finding another exercise (stationary bike in his case) for the key endorphin release.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I am encouraged by your comments. We were referred to a university setting orthopedic from our local one. He didn’t add a lot of new information. In fact, I really questioned his focus on the foot (but that’s another story). I have been looking for a sports podiatrist, I too, had been thinking about this route. Hopefully I will find one that will work soon. (We live in a rural part of Virginia) CT scan is probably the only test we have not had done yet so I will look into that as well. Thanks again, I really appreciate everyone’s support.</p>