Elliptical Tentative

As I said in my previous post, my husband started triathlon training about 3 weeks ago. Because he was running on the treadmill at the gym, and I was feeling particularly great and wanted to spend more time with him, I decided to follow him in his debut of running, by using the elliptical machine.

I figured that the reason I can't run is because of the impact it has on my joints (ankles and knees), therefore the elliptical should be good for me! The first couple of shots were great, as I was going for about 15-20 minutes at a generally slow pace. I felt the new range of muscles working, and of course I liked it!

Then the first disappointment came.

When I started to go over 30 minutes, the ball of my foot was starting to be painful, and if I continued, it would evolve in a throbbing pain where my toes would become numb. So I did some research to find out what I could do about it. I got inserts for my shoes and tried them the next day. I saw the difference in my left foot. But for my right foot, nothing improved. The pain disappears after the workouts, but on the mornings, I generally felt like I had been hit by a car during the night. This is typical of arthritis flares, and is something I didn't experience so much lately, due to a very good medication and a good level of fitness. That told me it was enough.

There are a couple of problems I see, some I could do something about it others I can't do anything.

First, my shoes are totally inappropriate for running, which I just found out. I know elliptical is not exactly like running, but the movement is very similar, and with my sensitive foot, I need a rocking shoe.

Second, my feet are so different, that insoles are no good to solve the problem on both feet at the same time, I would need orthotics (read more $$$). If you want an idea about how different they are, my left foot is about 3/4 inch shorter, and with a pronounced arch, and claw toes, thanks to arthritis! My right foot looks totally normal, with a normal to low arch.

Third, one of the first joints that got diagnosed with arthritis when I was 5 years old, were the metatarsal joints (ball of the foot joints). There's nothing I can do about that one. There might be permanent damage in these.

For these reasons, I decided to give up the elliptical until I can talk about it to my Rhumatologist (arthritis specialist) in July.

The good news is that I was able to continue with my training, and I started to do yoga regularly again, as it helps a lot with my joints.

Oh well, another learning experience! I'm getting to know my body's limits better!