Injury, Orthopedics and Prosthetic

Injury can be really dampening and that too if you are sportsperson. Understanding one's body and knowing its limits becomes very tricky and as a runner I know what I can what I can't.

Injury and Diagnosis
After the Gokarna trek, I've been nursing an injury on my left leg around the ankle region. Initially consulted a sports medicine doctor to confirm if there were no fractures and it was diagonised as possible grade-II tear (aka partial tear). The only solution was rest and walking was getting painful. Even after a week there was considerable pain and the swelling persisted. Things like "Combiflam" did not work as I was also suffering from bouts of fever. My dad asked to go for an antibiotic course immediately.

As a second opinion I consulted Dr. Rajaram (MS Ortho) at the Apollo Clinic in Koramangla. His diagnosis after was also pretty similar but he gave me a magic pill, a "Painkiller" which also reduces inflammation. This gave results immediately. A "Gout" was suspected.

What is Gout
Gout is typically experienced by people in the age group post 50. It is a swelling condition where the pain is unbearable. A swelling condition wherein one feels pain even when slightly touches the area around or on the swelling.

This is formed when the Uric salts (or uric acid) contents are above the normal range. So these salts get deposited in around joints and thus causing a swelling condition. Read more about it at Wiki. Luckily this was not the case with me.


Back to Pain
But the pain persisted and the bulk of it moved towards the heel and whenever I started to walk (i.e even when half of the body weight fell on it) I started to feel the pain and limp around. The Doc asked me to comeback if the pain is unbearable. So I went and met him again and he advised further rest.

I was suggested two thing:
"Silicone heel cup" when I'm wearing shoes and "MCR" footwear when I'm not wearing shoes. Both are for heel related issues. These act as added cushion and absorb further pressure from the surface. In fact for people looking cushion for the entire foot there is Silicone cushion for the entire feet.

Silicone heel cup

You just need to slide this into your shoes and it feels very cushion-like abosrbing shcoks when we walk.

Silipos is the company that has mastered it and in India it costs around 1400 bucks. If you know your size you can get it from the US where it could it be little cheap.

Where do you get it: Endolite:
"Endolite India" is the company that does lot of Ortho and Prosthetic stuff in India. I visted their office at Victoria Layout (3rd Phase) in Bangalore. I was surprised see the so many people with their limbs cut or deformity because of polio and other disorders. All of them can get custom made legs, arms, fingers etc. "Prosthetic" to be precise. I got the Silicone heel cup from here.

So if any of you out there are looking for some Prosthetic or Orthotic solutions in Bangalore or in India, Endolite India is (one of) the company.

Check out their website for contact and address: Click

MCR Footwear:
If this was one learning experience, then here was another.
MCR stands for Micro Cellular Rubber. Initially started to help leprosy patients now MCR is widely used for heel related injuries. MCR can be used whenever you are not using the shoe. Especially within the house.

The Doc suggested me a place opposite Manipal hospital, old Airport road.

It is called the "Rehabilitation Aids Workshop by Women with Disability". They also make quite many prosthetic. All the women workers here disabled but the products they make are quite astonishing.
If you are looking for prosthetic or MCR footwear do drop in here:
Cheshire House, Airport Road (Opp. Manipal Hospital), Bangalore 560017.
Phone: 25272911, 25269075
The MCR footwear (chappal) costs you 450 bucks.
Their Website: Click

So finally I started to run as my doc suggested. Did a 100 mt (with those Silicone Heel cup) today and there was some pain. Will start off slowly and hope to progress well. Also do vist Dr. Rajaram at Apollo Clinic in Kormanagla (Opp. Jyothi Nivas Colege) for Ortho related problems.

Thanks to everyone who sent their wishes and hopefully will be back to complete running soon ! Thanks to all of you who started to fund my run for Asha, keep them coming.

Keep Running !