Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast, we’re talking about my number one secret weapon for calming down extensor tenosynovitis in runners.
If you have pain, swelling, or irritation on the top of your foot that gets worse when you pull your toes upward or tighten your laces, you may have extensor tenosynovitis.
This condition happens when the tendon sheaths around the extensor tendons become inflamed.
And when those tendon sheaths swell, every movement of the tendon becomes more painful.
The extensor tendons run across the top of the foot and connect to the toes.
They slide through tendon sheaths that contain lubricating synovial fluid.
When those tendon sheaths become inflamed, the space around the tendon narrows and irritation increases every time the tendon moves.
That repetitive friction can make running extremely uncomfortable.
One common trigger is excessive pressure from shoelaces.
Other runners develop irritation from repetitive toe motion, overtraining, or shoe pressure combined with swelling.
If you keep irritating the tendon sheath while it is inflamed, it may never calm down completely.
Oral anti-inflammatory medications may help somewhat, but often are not very effective.
Corticosteroid injections may reduce inflammation quickly, but they also carry risk around tendons.
For runners, tendon weakening or rupture is obviously something worth avoiding whenever possible.
One treatment Dr. Segler frequently recommends for runners is the contrast bath routine.
The process alternates ice water and warm water immersion to create repeated constriction and dilation of blood vessels.
The goal is reducing inflammatory fluid around the tendon sheath.
The routine described in this episode follows this sequence:
The full process takes approximately 19 minutes.
The goal is not simply masking pain.
The goal is calming the inflammation enough to reduce mechanical irritation while maintaining as much fitness as possible.
If you want help figuring out what pieces are missing in your return to running journey, you can jump on a 10 minute strategy call with me.
Block my calendar for your 10 minute strategy call here.
https://www.docontherun.com/talk-to-the-expert/
If you are dealing with pain on the top of your foot, extensor tendon irritation, or extensor tenosynovitis that is slowing down your running, this episode will help you understand one simple strategy that may help calm the inflammation faster.
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