Nov 29 2011
Muffin Top
I took this picture last night (13wks).
I ski’d reasonably hard on Sunday. Wore my Sketcher Shape-Up’s all day Monday. And then, went speedskating. I quit skating early, because I was getting sore, and seemed incapable of doing much. This is what I saw when I took my skate off.
I’m not concerned; I just thought it looked kind of funny/ridiculous. Keep in mind, the (rigid carbon) skate was custom built around a mold of my non-injured foot, so it’s very effective at squeezing any extra fluid up and out of the area.
5 responses so far
You give new meaning to the phrase “muffin top”! Thanks for the visual. But…isn’t that swelling. Maybe a little bit too much for one day? Take care of yourself! You’re my inspiration I don’t want you to backslide.
It’s super swollen. Swelling comes and goes, depending on my activity level. For some reason, the “shape-up” shoes, really seem to trigger it, even though they don’t cause pain or other problems. I haven’t had a real rest day in a while- so I’m trying to make today one. Perhaps a little swimming later, which is very easy on the Achilles.
Ryan - That is some bad swelling but understand why and I know it will go down. I still get some swelling after a big day but I find it worse if I am standing more than walking. Still not enough flexion in the foot to get that pump working properly. Not sure about the shoe thing. Never worn shape ups but know that Ali and Norm do. I would have thought they would do the opposite.
The shoes force me to work the weak/injured muscles in the area. I’ve gotten much more used to them, but for the first few days, they worked me over pretty good. It’s not too surprising to me that the inflammation response from working the injury is overwhelming the “calf-pump” benefit they may also be providing. At first, I thought they might be “too much”- working the area a little too hard. But, as I said, they’re not really causing pain or soreness anymore… the inflammation response just hasn’t subsided as much.
Like many things with this injury, figuring out just how hard to push things is the tricky question. Shape-ups at 12/13 weeks (for me) is apparently near that ragged edge. But, I still think, overall- they’re a good thing for me. Maybe, for a while, I just need to spend half days in them though…
Ryan, I have 2 pairs of Shape ups, I wear them nearly all the time, with inserts. Don’t know if this is what I am supposed to do but its the most comfortable combination I can find at the moment. What I like about them is the ‘wobbly’ base - I think helps take the pressure off the AT and heel (I have plantar fasciitis on the none op. side just to add to the joy!). Just my experience. I don’t know if you wear any compression socks/flight socks but they do help manage the oedema when doing a bit more activity.