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plantar fasciitis (Read 116 times)

noussername


    Hi, I'm new here. I am an older runner with a few 'issues', but my husband also runs, a bit younger than me. He has developed what we think is plantar fasciitis. He has had some treatment, by two different physios. He has iced his foot, taken medication and done exercises. The swelling goes down and the pain goes off. As soon as he starts walking, it's back again. He was going to try a mintue walk, then run, the other day, as soon as he went onto his toes he was in pain. Has anyone had this and recovered? if so what did you do? I  did look for any threads on this but coudn't find one.

     

    ps My issues might be along later. From a bad sciatica episode 18 months ago, I'm now running 5k 3 or 4 times a week. Nervous though as the pain was awful and I coudn't sit, stand or stay in one position for more than a few seconds. Sleep? forgot about that.

     

    Thaks in advance

      Here's my personal experience, leading to what works for me, other people have other experiences and other solutions:

       

      I get it by increasing speed work, not by increasing mileage. I've also had achilles issues due to the same thing.

       

      It takes time to go away. For me, about 2-3 months before I don't have any pain on those first steps in the morning. Once it was about 6 months to fade away, with 2 months of no running at all. Like most people, I tried a lot of things. When I've had it, I usually start by taking a few days off from running, and return with reduced mileage and especially reduced pace. If it's right back where it started, I take a whole week off. During this time I also do foot-strengthening exercises, which can be found online. And I forget to keep doing them once I feel fine! 

       

      To ease back into running, I add arch support insoles in my shoes such as Superfeet, and only wear super cushioned running shoes. One thing that has helped to alleviate pain while getting back to running, those cheap 3/4 length insoles, which can be put in your regular daily running shoes to convert them to high drop, cushioned shoes:

      SOF SOLE 133913 PLANTAR FASCIA INSOLES MEN ONE SIZE 8-12 | Lazada PH

       

      They raise the heel so there is less stress on the plantar/achilles/calf system, support the arch from range of movement while the plantar heals up, and add cushioning under the heel. BUT, don't just continue to use them after the pain subsides, you don't want to become dependent, just use them as a bandaid until you can run without them again, allowing the natural motion of your foot. You want to ease out of them, maybe 1 out of 3 runs without, then 2 out of 3, etc until you don't need them anymore.  Don't fall for the expensive "custom insole" scam. Unless you have a birth defect of the lower leg, or sustained an injury that removed or severely altered the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, etc) of your lower leg, "custom insoles" are not needed for running or walking. The foot has evolved over millions of years to do what it does, for a reason.

       

      For instant relief during the day, I found these to work 100% of the time:

      Urdhvamurti 1 Pair Foot Support Strutz Cushioned Arch Helps Decrease P –  NavaFresh - United States

       

      Another thing I've discovered that alleviates pain during a plantar flare-up are shoes that have a "rocker" midsole. This shape causes you to place more weight on the middle of the foot rather than on the heel. I have no idea if these "cure" PF, but if the pain is reduced, that means the stress on the plantar is reduced and less micro-tears are happening during healing. Non-running shoe extreme examples that take nearly all the weight off the heel would be MBT or the old Skechers Shape-Up design (which is probably not available anymore due to lawsuit by MBT!).

      MBT Shoes Learning Center – Footwear etc.

      Pickering Aslan Site satırı dere Muş gelgit skechers shape ups vs mbt shoes  - kentselvizyon.org

      60-64 age group  -  University of Oregon alumni  -  Irreverent and Annoying

      noussername


        Thanks so much for the detailed reply which has given some ideas to try. He's so fed up now and will try anything, especially from someone who has had experience of it. Thanks again.

          There are several PF threads, you might want to search for those and read through. You can skip my posts cuz I summarized them here already. What works for me may not work for everyone, or anyone.

          60-64 age group  -  University of Oregon alumni  -  Irreverent and Annoying

          Mikkey


          Mmmm Bop

            I got PF really bad last year and could barely walk!  I tried pretty much everything and it took months to clear up. I had 6 shockwave therapy treatments which I think helped and he also targeted the trigger points on the calf. It’s quite expensive, but another option is using a massage gun (check out the YouTube videos on the technique) which improves blood flow and eases tension and helps reduce the tightening of the PF muscles. Also foam rolling the calfs can help.  I would also recommend adding a strength training routine and focusing on the core, glutes, hamstrings etc which will mean less chance of it returning. 

            I agree with Surly Bill in that you have to find out what works best for you. I bought a pair of Superfeet insoles and didn’t like them and rolling my foot out with a tennis ball aggravated it.  I really like the Nike ZoomX Invincible running shoes as they provide great cushioning, but they’re quite expensive!

            5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)


            SMART Approach

              I like a lot of the advice above. Finding a way to offload the stress is key. This may mean not running for a bit but walking is good if no further irritation. Addressing the cause is how you treat. I have treated so many cases of PF after docs give up so they prescribed the NMES device I represented. I always asked the patients what they were doing....it was pretty typical. Icing, stretching, orthotics. So after 6 months or a year....are these things really helping. I would recommend....stop icing, stop stretching foot (calf ok).  I would have them increase circulation and decongest are using a MarcPro NMES device, heat...either far infrared wraps or hot Epsom soaks and these are key before activity as well. Also, as mentioned above....strength work starting up high in hips/glutes including a lot of one leg strength work and balance work. Start with just standing on one leg minutes a day. Calf strength too. More strength at top of kinetic chain reduces stress lower in kinetic chain all the way down to the foot. You need to reduce stress to fascia so body can get ahead of the healing. The icing, meds and stretching can continue to irritate area. Good luck.

              Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

              Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

              Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

              www.smartapproachtraining.com

              runnerclay


              Consistently Slow

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3qjaLr8Ka0

                 

                I use a keyboard from an old tablet. Once I got consistent with the scaling it healed in about a month. PF was an issue for 2 years.

                Run until the trail runs out.

                 SCHEDULE 2016--

                 The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                unsolicited chatter

                http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

                noussername


                  Thanks so much for your replies. One thing is clear, once you get this it takes a while to heal.  He'll try the last one as well, it seems so simple. This has been going on for months now and it's taken him until the last 6 weeks to realise that every time he runs - it's worse! Even walking can aggravate it.

                   

                  Did you all have swellling with PF? The back of his heel is more rounded than the normal one with a swollen part sticking out slightly to the side.

                    no swelling for me, just angry tissue shouting to be noticed.

                    60-64 age group  -  University of Oregon alumni  -  Irreverent and Annoying

                    AndyTN


                    Overweight per CDC BMI

                      When I first started running seriously, I would get pain like I was stepping on a nail in the arch of my foot. I was running too hard too fast as the root cause but I didn't know better at the time. I went to the pediatrist who only had the solution of selling me $60 orthotics... Didn't help and I started getting shin splints after that.

                       

                      What finally worked for me was slowing down (most important) but also using a foot roller lightly for 1-2 minutes per foot before every run. The Plantar Facia is a tendon from the toes to the back of the heal which only has so much flexibility and resistance to stress. Using the foot roller before my runs stretched it out a little every time I put it through stress and I stopped having pain in 2-3 months.

                       

                      Memphis / 38 male

                      5k - 20:39 / 10k - 43:48 / Half - 1:34:47 / Full - 3:38:10

                      noussername


                        When I first started running seriously, I would get pain like I was stepping on a nail in the arch of my foot. I was running too hard too fast as the root cause but I didn't know better at the time. I went to the pediatrist who only had the solution of selling me $60 orthotics... Didn't help and I started getting shin splints after that.

                         

                        What finally worked for me was slowing down (most important) but also using a foot roller lightly for 1-2 minutes per foot before every run. The Plantar Facia is a tendon from the toes to the back of the heal which only has so much flexibility and resistance to stress. Using the foot roller before my runs stretched it out a little every time I put it through stress and I stopped having pain in 2-3 months.

                         

                         

                        That might be better than a tennis boall as it has spiky  bits.

                        Mikkey


                        Mmmm Bop

                           

                           Did you all have swellling with PF? The back of his heel is more rounded than the normal one with a swollen part sticking out slightly to the side.

                           

                          Never had any swelling.

                           

                          Has your husband had an x-ray on the foot as it could be another issue…eg a heel spur which would show up.

                          5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

                          noussername


                             

                            Never had any swelling.

                             

                            Has your husband had an x-ray on the foot as it could be another issue…eg a heel spur which would show up.

                             

                            I keep telling him to go to the doctor, I think he's getting there with that. He went for a 30 minutes cycle ride today, which was OK, until we took our dog for a short walk afterwards, then he said it was worse than it has ever been.

                             

                            He has looked at this thread and is looking into all of the things suggested and thanks you for taking  your time  comment.

                            jeffdonahue


                              When you say he has iced his foot, how was he doing this?

                               

                              For plantar fasciitis I have found (and everyone that I have given this advice to has also had luck with this) that to ice it several times a day by freezing a water bottle and then standing up and applying as much pressure as you can as you roll the frozen water bottle under your foot works wonders.  When I get a bout of PF I will do this for several days and it usually helps a ton.

                               

                              Hope it helps and it heals up.

                               

                              Best of luck

                               

                              Jeff

                                I'd heat before a workout, and ice afterwards with a bit of relief. This is very old-school, and newer studies find that icing is actually detrimental to the healing process. It does relieve pain cause by inflammation, though. On the flipside, there's inflammation because that's part of the body's healing process; sending fluids to the location of the injury. Too much fluid and it becomes it's own problem, though.

                                 

                                The old thought of RICE; rest, ice, compression, and elevation, is a trial and error resultant treatment that has proved helpful for many people for decades. If it works, it works. Even if it's witchcraft that defies modern science.

                                 

                                As for stretching, keep in mind that the plantar and achilles are ligaments and tendons, and are not very flexible. If they WERE as flexible as muscle, you'd have a very hard time walking or running. Their rigidity transfers power and stabilizes bone and muscle. The Plantar ligament can be stretched and lengthened somewhat over time, but it's rigidity is not the source of plantar fasciitis; overtraining and resulting microtears are. If the training loads cause microtears to form faster than they are repaired, then you get the inflammation and pain of your body saying "take it easy, I'll give you a jolt with every step so you don't forget to take it easy".

                                 

                                 

                                "Tendons connect muscle to bone. These tough yet flexible bands of fibrous tissue attach the skeletal muscles to the bones they move. Essentially, tendons enable you to move; think of them as intermediaries between muscles and bones. You've most likely heard of the Achilles tendon (named after the Greek demigod hero with the fatal weakness in his eponymous tendon), which connects the muscles of the calf to the heel bone. This tendon is vulnerable to tearing and tendonitis, so do take care and stretch the calf muscle to keep the tendon flexible too.

                                Though similar to tendons, ligaments connect bone to bone and help to stabilize joints they surround. They are composed mostly of long, stringy collagen fibers that create bands of tough, fibrous connective tissue. Ligaments are slightly elastic, so they can be stretched and gradually lengthen, increasing flexibility. But if stretched beyond a certain point, ligaments can become overstretched and compromise the integrity of the joint they are supposed to be stabilizing — so stretch with caution. The term double-jointed actually refers to people who have highly elastic ligaments, which allow them to move their joints into more extreme positions than most people. While no ligament plays a major role in Greek myths, the ligaments found in the knee, especially the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), are often talked about on the sports page, since they are prone to tearing, sidelining quarterbacks, soccer stars, and skiers alike."

                                60-64 age group  -  University of Oregon alumni  -  Irreverent and Annoying

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