On Your Marks: Strains and pains could be down to flat feet

So this week I had an assessment with Jonathan Gaffney, associate osteopath at David Such Osteopathy, based by the gym at K2 Crawley.

Before going in, I was genuinely worried I might not be able to complete the Run Gatwick Half Marathon (May 13), which is the whole point of me going on this journey and writing this column.

I am not going to lie, I have been a bit down not being able to go for long runs over the past two and half weeks. The gym based stuff is fine and important, but I really had started to enjoy my runs.

But anyway back to assessment. Jonathan took a brief history, how I got my injuries etc before looking at my posture.

And he instantly commented on my flat feet. He asked if I had insoles I used, which I don’t. He also noted I have lateral calves.

He then got me to walk to him and away from him. He commented that I walk on my heels rather than toe leads (suppose it depends if I am doing a Foxtrot or Tango - one for the Strictly fans there).

After that he had a good prod at where the injuries were (the left calf and the right hamstring if you have been keeping up).

Starting with the calf, as he prodded it felt okay, and I thought maybe the pain was just in my head.

But then he hit the spot. The good news is the injury is in the belly of the muscle, rather than where the tendons are.

This is called a peroneal strain and that is possibly due to my pronated feet.

He then moved to the hamstring and again it was fine until he go right to the top where the leg joins the buttocks. This is a proximal hamstring strain apparently.

But what this all means is that I should be fine to do the half marathon as we still have around seven weeks. I just need to give it a little more rest.

But the important thing is to carry on the cardiovascular training. I will avoid the treadmill but I should be okay to use the cross trainer and static bikes (ie the spin class) as long as it’s not causing extra pain. I can continue to use the free weights as well, as that helps with my strength and stability.

Since I have started this training I have learnt training for a marathon is not just about running, it’s about working on the whole body and building up strength. And Jonathan reiterated that to me.

Seeing Jonathan has reassured me again I can complete this goal and I am grateful to him for giving me his assessment.

If you have any injuries, you can contact Jonathan at David Such Osteopathy, based at K2 Crawley on 01293 540340, email [email protected] or visit

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