The past month or so I've started to run. I'm experiencing pain in my heels that lasts for a couple days.
Is this just something I need to toughen up or could it be my crappy shoes?
I've never been so sore in my life. LOL
I'm diggin it though as I get better.
Is it a sharp pain or just a soreness pain?
If it's sharp it could be due to heel spurs which are very painful.
Its a sharp pain like stepping on a nail or something. That doesn't sound good.
Is there anything I can do to alleviate it?
The only way to tell is to go see a doc and have them x-ray it.
If it's a heel spur, which it sounds like it is from my experiance, your doc will try a cortisone shots first. If that doesn't work then minor surgery may be required but that's last resort.
Def get it checked by a doc if it persists. I waited a long time to get mine taken care of and they got worse over time.
Shoes would be the first thing I'd look in to... you should have one pair for nothing but running. People that run hardcore say you should change every few months or so, there's an exact number of miles you should put on each pair of shoes before changing but I don't know it. I'd get some proper new running shoes and see how that goes, and go from there.
Do you have any specialist running shoe stores near you?
Most will carry out an inspection and analysis of your running technique for you and tell you if there's something you're doing that's causing it
The only way to tell is to go see a doc and have them x-ray it.
If it's a heel spur, which it sounds like it is from my experiance, your doc will try a cortisone shots first. If that doesn't work then minor surgery may be required but that's last resort.
Def get it checked by a doc if it persists. I waited a long time to get mine taken care of and they got worse over time.
You don't necessarily need a shot of cortisone. I had a heel spur and just got a custom gel pad to put in my track shoe. Eventually the spur went away, but it took about 9 months.
BTW, when you're running, your heel shouldn't be touching the ground. Your heel has virtually zero shock absorbing capacity. It's not designed to be a shock absorber and what will eventually happen is that the heel bone(s) will transfer the shock upward and you'll get injuries to the ankle, shin, knees, hips, and the lower back.
You don't necessarily need a shot of cortisone. I had a heel spur and just got a custom gel pad to put in my track shoe. Eventually the spur went away, but it took about 9 months.
BTW, when you're running, your heel shouldn't be touching the ground. Your heel has virtually zero shock absorbing capacity. It's not designed to be a shock absorber and what will eventually happen is that the heel bone(s) will transfer the shock upward and you'll get injuries to the ankle, shin, knees, hips, and the lower back.
The past month or so I've started to run. I'm experiencing pain in my heels that lasts for a couple days.
Is this just something I need to toughen up or could it be my crappy shoes?
I've never been so sore in my life. LOL
I'm diggin it though as I get better.
So what's the status? Have you been staying off of it and icing?