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How long to recover from Plantar Fasciitis? And what did you do? (Read 300 times)

bone_china


    Hello,

     

    First some background. I am a male, age 46, been running for  10 years, never raced, very modest running goals to run about 1200 km per annum, have severe over-pronation and wear orthotics with stability shoes.

     

    I have been inured frequently - shin splints, patellar tendinopathy etc, all of which I treated successfully.

     

    No running injury has kept me out of running this long, when 2 months back I got my first episode of Plantar Fasciitis. My doc advised me not to run till the symptoms subside. My last run was on 23 Nov.

     

    I read up a lot on how to treat this - doing the usual calf, plantar fascii stretch, glof ball massage etc. The symptoms have not subsided as yet . It is not painful, however, there are times in the day when I feel "there is something there". This happens usually first thing in the morning when I get out of bed, or when I am standing for long periods of time.

     

    How long does Plantar Fasciitis knock you out from running? How did runners on this forum cure this irritating problem? How long did i take to resume running?

     

    Thanks in advance,

     

    Mohan

    Buzzie


    Bacon Party!

      I ran. Hard. Until my plantar fascia tore from my heel. Now, it's free and no longer a problem. Only took a couple of months.

      Liz

      pace sera, sera

      heelgrad92


        I had it back several years ago.  It's a weird injury.  I remember finishing an 18 mile run, feeling great, but once I stopped I could not take a single step foward and had to crawl into the house from my driveway.  I used a golf ball on the floor constantly and I got relief walking around the house in a pair of Sperry Santa Cruz slider sandals.  For some reason those sandals were just magical for getting out of bed.  After a few months it dissipated and I haven't had it since.

          I've been dealing with a complicated case of PF since September. Its slowly gotten better through rolling my feet with a field hockey ball, stretching my calves, and mixing up my shoes. I didn't take any time completely off running but I did cut way back and built up again very gradually starting at the beginning of November. Its still not 100% but it is much better and still improving.

           

          The most painful days now seem to be the day after a day off from running. So I just don't take many of those.

          Runners run

            The first time I had PF was almost 8 years ago, and the doc put me in orthotics pretty much immediately. Although they fixed the issue, they became a crutch that introduced other issues to a point that I decided to drop them cold turkey last winter. I also switched from stability shoes like the brooks adrenaline and asics gts to more flexible and less cushioned shoes like saucony virata, sketchers go-run, and brooks pure connect.

             

            PF started to come back almost immediately, but I started up the golf ball routine as well as eccentric heel drops as soon as I felt the symptoms. The only thing I would add with the golf ball routine is that I didn't just roll it but stood on it moving it very slowly while flexing my foot to break up the muscle knots. Between that and shoes, I have been able to keep it in check. I use the golf ball almost every day, whether my foot hurts or not. I haven't had to take a day off due to PF in several years, but I am also one of those thick headed runners that runs through pain up until it becomes intense enough to start impacting my form.

            hog4life


              I used a golf ball, frozen water bottle, stretching, anti inflammatory meds (Naproxin), and a night splint. IMO, the night splint is the most important thing to recover. I run through mine, but very slow pace, heavily reduced mileage, and extra rest days. I went from 150-170 miles per month to 35, then the next month was 65-70.

              BeeRunB


                I kept running. I stopped stretching my calves. Started wearing Crocs around the house (some will wear a Birkenstock---just something that supports the arch on hardwood floors). Started running in a flatter running shoe, and when walking outside I do the same. That's all I did and still do. No massage, no special socks.  It healed up. Good luck.

                Runner Mike


                  Unfortunately, I've learned there is no cure all, nor one size fits fall. I had it for about 2 years. i was told all the same things - rest, ice, strassburg sock, rolling on a tennis ball, etc. Nothing worked.

                   

                  The thing that mad it bearable to train was taping my foot. (You can look at youtube for techniques)  Also, for me I ended up getting a couple of cortisone shots. That worked well enough. Once I transitioned to lower heel to toe shoes, my pain dissipated.

                  npaden


                    If possible, try to find the cause.  I'm sure a lot of times there isn't a slam dunk reason, but for me there was once I was able to figure it out.

                     

                    For me it was a new pair of dress shoes that I bought for work.  It took me a couple months to figure out that's what it was, but once I ditched them I was on the road to recovery but it still took a while and I can still occasionally feel a little pain.

                     

                    For me, rolling a frozen water bottle under my foot was the best thing while I was dealing with it.

                    Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                    Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                    kcam


                      I self-diagnosed PF beginning in Aug or Sept of last year.  I kept training as it really wasn't too bad and I had a marathon in early Dec.  The problem stayed at a low level the entire time but kind of flared up during the marathon.  After the marathon it felt 'wrecked'.  I limped my way back to the hotel.  Since then (Dec 7) I've only run about 20 miles total as I decided to give myself a nice long break if not for the PF but just to give my legs a breather.   This entire time from Aug/Sep to now I've been icing (frozen water bottle, frozen golf ball) self-massage of my foot, wider shoes, more cushioned shoes, calf stretches etc and, except for that time period of the marathon and about 3 days after, the PF has stayed exactly the same .... a minor discomfort level.  No real improvement but not really getting worse either.  I can definitely run the way it is but I don't really want to.

                      My next course of action is to consult a specialist about a proper diagnosis and, maybe, a cortisone injection.  My pain is at the very back of the heal, I can feel 'something' there by  comparing it to the other heel.  Any thoughts on this?

                      mikeylikesit


                        I once stopped running for 12-13 mnths bc of PF.  I was a competitive triathlete with years of experience when it popped up.  I tryed neddling, socks, balls, ice, massage, electro shock something, cold and hot therapies.  easy running decrease in duration. No intensity.  Changing shoes. Nothing.  Nothing but rest...

                        Rest is key.  Bc I did not want to have this a problem for the REST of my life.  Just suck it up and stay off it.  You will be glad you did even if it does take 12 months.

                        Mike


                        All About that Pace 2024

                          I suggest a night time foot aid like, Pro-Tec Athletics Night Splint

                          by Pro-tec Athletics.  I get PF off and on and if I can't get rid of it with some of the ideas mentioned here, I go to "the boot".  Do not get the sock device that pulls on the toe.  Awful and not helpful.  You will find with one of these boot devices that they are clunky and about half way through the night you might just take them off but they do work over time.

                           

                           

                           





                          bone_china


                            Folks, I haven’t posted a status update in a while so here goes. First – some cautious good news. My Plantar Fasciitis is on the mend. I am not pain free yet, but my course of treatment was all wrong to begin with. It finally took a Physio to reinforce the message that one needs to build a strong core, flexibility and strength in certain muscle groups (glutes, hip flexors etc) to prevent running injuries. I have been doing these exercises for a while and it has helped. I made a cautious return to running on 20th Jan through a mix of run walk and touchwood my PF has NOT flared up (yet). I hope to build up to continuous running over the next few months. So fingers crossed.

                            Also stretched the hell out of my posterior chain - focusing on calfs and hamstrings. Twice a day. Cannot emphasize enough on how important stretching is!

                             

                            Someone mentioned rest is the answer. I don't think so. Resting for 2 months did nothing for me.

                            kcam


                              I'll update my progress as well ....

                              Had a cortisone injection (first one I've ever had, didn't really want to do it but nothing else has worked for the past 8 months) in my left heel.  Within two days the PF symptoms were gone 100%.  I also have an inflamed bursa in the same heel that, initially, got worse but then felt better and better every day.  Overall, my heel is 97/100.  My heel hasn't felt this good since the whole thing started.  Have not started running again and I'll continue to wait until that bursa goes away completely.  I continue to do the stretches and self-massage.

                              akshayv


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