RunningAHEAD - Topic: How to deal with plantar fasciitis (page 2)

Tchuck

SMART Approach

posted: 6/12/2008 at 11:16 PM
modified: 6/12/2008 at 11:17 PM

Couple suggestions. Always wear supported shoes. If pain is in heel. Try a heel cup. Throughout the day whenever you think of it, just balance yourself on one leg gripping the floor for a minute each side or more. You can do it your shoes. After a while when you balance is very good, rock around a bit to force yourself to be a bit off balance. This strengthens bottom of foot-fascia, tendons etc. This worked wonders for many I recommended to. Some it didn't do a whole lot. Just give it 2-3 weeks and see what it does for you. Nothing to lose!

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yam

posted: 6/17/2008 at 1:28 PM

I had a lot of trouble with PF. My general doc and a podiatrist recommended several things that didn't work. Finally I found a chiropractor who did a series of soft tissue treatments that broke up the scar tissue and solved the problem. We had a total of twelve sessions over six weeks. Each of them hurt like a mofo but I noticed a major improvement in my PF immediately. He used a technique called sastm (http://www.sastm.com/) but other similar techniques are probably equally effective.

valleygirl

posted: 6/18/2008 at 4:34 PM

I've struggled with this for many years, off and on. At the minimum, I do these two things: 1) When it's starting to flare up, I use a night splint to hold my foot in a position that gently stretches the PF. 2) I keep my birkenstocks (a style with a high arch) by my bed and always put them on before putting any weight on my feet in the morning. I agree that barefoot activity is probably a good idea for healthy feet, but may not be the best way to treat injured feet. If things get really bad, I will also massage my foot with a golf ball. Stretching and strengthening of the calves is always recommended, but I have to tell you that this injury first developed when I had lots of strength and stretch in my calves.

~ Mary ~

"Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made." - Patti Sue Plumer

cgerber

posted: 6/18/2008 at 11:42 PM
modified: 6/18/2008 at 11:43 PM

I had it last year. Went against my wife's (a physical therapist) advice and started walking barefoot (actually, w/ FiveFingers) 2-3x a week for 30-60min. Gradually worked in some running, maybe 5-10 min of that each time. I would never do any barefoot work if my foot hurt... only if it was pain free (it would often hurt more the morning after, for a while). The key was to only do the barefoot stuff when it wasn't acutely sore. I did all my walking barefoot and running at the end of the day, nothing in the morning when the PF is tighter. Iced it 3x a day. Got rid of my uber stiff big-boy motion control shoes for most of my running and bought some very minimal trail shoes with very low heels (LaSportiva Fireblades and Inov-8 Flyroc 310s). Stretched the heck out of my calves several times a day. PF went away after a couple of weeks and hasn't been back, even though I've nearly tripled my mileage. I've since ditched the custom orthotics I've been running in for 10 years... I think they became a crutch and created a weaker arch. It goes against all things taught in the western medical world, but it worked amazingly well for me. Cultures that don't wear shoes have zero incidence of PF... that was my reasoning behind going this route... figured it was worth a try. Your mileage may vary of course. Best of luck, PF sucks the big one. - Chris

valleygirl

posted: 6/19/2008 at 11:47 AM
modified: 6/19/2008 at 11:55 AM

I would never do any barefoot work if my foot hurt... only if it was pain free (it would often hurt more the morning after, for a while). The key was to only do the barefoot stuff when it wasn't acutely sore.

Thanks for this information. I'm going to seriously consider getting the five fingers for some of my activities - maybe short trail hikes and playtime with my dogs (frisbee throwing, etc.) (MTA: Or perhaps I'll just play in my barefeet!) There are definitely times when I have no pain and it's at the same time that I normally do these activities anyway. I once had a job where I didn't have to wear shoes all day long - it was the best job, ever!

~ Mary ~

"Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made." - Patti Sue Plumer

Docster

posted: 6/19/2008 at 3:31 PM

Quote from SLOjim on 6/11/2008 at 9:07 PM:

If you want to continue running while you deal with PF, slow your runs way down.... the harder you run the more it's going to aggravate the plantar fascia. If you just have to do speed work or run a race, warm up with 3-5 miles of slow jogging to help stretch it out.

I agree. I used a frozen water bottle immediately after runs too. I bought The Sock as well, and wore this while watching TV and sleeping. No, I don't own the company or any such thing, but it helped me a great deal. Slow down your runs as well. As stated above, the harder you run, the more you cause inflammation. Ice several times a day, and stay hydrated. Every little bit helps.

dmiller23462

posted: 6/20/2008 at 11:24 AM

I taped it up and went for 2 miles yesterday and it was pretty unpleasant...I don't want to completely quit running but I also don't want to make it worse... Angry

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How to deal with plantar fasciitis (Read 1446 times)