Foot pain (Read 1304 times)

Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is an overuse injury causing heel pain which may radiate forward into the foot. Plantar fasciitis can also be known as a heel spur although they are not strictly the same. I had the same problem. I bought some new shoes with good arch support. After every run ice and pain reliever and I was better after a couple months. I just ran easy. There is no easy fix according to my doc. He said if it hurts just stop running on it. I laughed, I couldn't seem to take his advice seriously since he weighs approx. 300 lbs.

Stretching exercises tend to work the best. Try putting a frozen water bottle (or a tennis ball) on the floor and rolling your arch over it. Also, you really, really need a pair of shoes that has some decent arch or to add some arch to your existing ones. And just take it slow...

Not sure about what is causing your pain. BUT, when I have pain in my foot (right foot has some issues from soccer) I soak them in water with a handful of ice-cubes. It does wonders. Of course I end up sharing the foot space with my 5 y/o who thinks it's a game to see how long he can stand keeping his foot in the cold water.

I dealt with some PF last year, and it was a real nightmare for me. I finally got over it after about 2 months of doing the following: 1) Stretch regularly over the course of the day. 2) Massage the foot early in the morning to warm it up. My foot always hurt worst in the morning. 3) Ice after run if needed. 4) Anti-inflamatory (advil) after run if needed. All those things helped me out, but I couldn't completely get rid of it. I finally talked to a Dr. about it, and he said often people get better running shoes/practices, but neglect their normal work shoes/activities. On his recommendation, I got some over the counter arch supports for my work shoes, and made sure to stretch/massage foot in the middle of the day, and the issue finally resolved itself in a couple weeks. He stressed not walking around barefoot very much until it healed as well. That wasn't an issue for me, but may be something to keep in mind, depending on your inclination.

Are your feet fairly flat? I have very minimal arch, so my feet flex and pronate more than someone who has higher, stiffer arched feet. Sounds like you might have similar issues.

Road Runner Sports has a decent guide for picking the right shoe based on your arch. One good way to check your arch is to get your bare foot wet and make a footprint somewhere where you can see it. Then go from there. Having the right kind of shoe for your foot can make all the difference. Good running stores will often have a treadmill set up in their store where someone can watch you while you run to analyze your gait. (our local one even videos your feet so they can review it in slow-mo and freeze frame.) Maybe this is an option for you as well. You may also want to make your log public (under options-->my log preferences) so we can see what you're doing. Good luck, Jeff

TOTALLY SUCKS that you have those different issue's Kirsten!

I had PF flare up about 8 months ago - I took care of it by replacing my work shoes (which had virtually no cushion at all) with old running shoes, buying some inserts that push heel impact to the outside of the heel, and making sure my feet are warm before I start running in the morning. I don't have any pain now, but if I run without inserts for a couple of weeks, it will come back.

Michael, what kind of inserts did you buy? How long did you deal with PF? I had no issues until a few weeks ago, then my more stable shoes seem to have really helped, but I can't run in them too much before the rest of my lower half starts to protest, unfortunately. I definitely think I need to wear shoes all of the time, though. I have a lot of twinges as I walk around the house barefoot. k