Forums >Health and Nutrition>Running with Plantar Faciitis
I am pretty certain I have a mild case of PF (self diagnosis supported by several runners who have had it and my sister the PT). I have been trying to massage/roll it out at night and it really only bothers me for the first few steps in the morning. I have taken a couple weeks off from running since I first noticed it (plus a calf strain in the other leg). The PF only bothers me for the first couple minutes in the morning and now that the other leg feels good, I want to get back to running. So, I am coming with two questions:
1 - Is this a good idea and any advice for running with PF?
2 - Will this go away on it's own or do I have to get one of those sock/braces for my foot at night?
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks - Matt
I think most runners will at some point have a mild case of PF/Achilles tendonitis. I've been running with this for a few years now without it getting any worse. I do some of the exercises like eccentric heel drops and stretching the calf and that seems to keep this from getting any worse.
I'm 1 year into a bout of PF that has wavered between severe/debilitating and just annoying.
In my experience, taking time off running appears to be the worst thing I can do. Stretching my calves, rolling my calves with a foam roller, and rolling my feet with a lacrosse ball help as long as I'm consistent with it. Wearing beefier/more slightly posted shoes has helped. Avoiding dress shoes also helps, as does being barefoot as much as possible. The only thing I haven't tried that I think would help is sleeping in a strassburg sock (which I still may try). Very often I wind up sleeping on my stomach with my left foot (the one with the PF) hanging off the bed so that my ankle can rest at a 90 degree angle.
I'm in a zone where running in the Hoka Clifton 2's, rolling my feet several times a week and stretching my calves almost every day has me on a very slow improving trajectory and I can run. The first mile or two of every run is usually a bit painful, but then things loosen up and I'm basically fine. I've even been able to run in flats and spikes for my last 2 races while still doing 90% of my weekly running in the Hokas.
If my PF only bothered me for the first couple of steps in the morning, I'd consider myself 100% uninjured. That just sounds like being a runner to me.
Runners run
Matt - whenever I've had pain or discomfort on the bottom of my foot I've found it really helpful to do trigger point massage on my CALF muscles. I hit the trigger points with the end of my massage stick or using my opposite knee cap (picture in link below), each one for 15-20 seconds a few times a day. To caveat, I've never been diagnosed with PF, and it never got that bad (mostly pain toward end of long runs). But whenever it would creep up I'd ramp up these massages and the problem would cease pretty quickly. And I didn't stop running, even keeping healthy mileage (50-60 mpw)...which is not to say that was smart on my part.
There are some different resources out there if you search around, but here's one that talks through it a bit. Look at the "Trigger Point Therapy" section.
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=55&Itemid=161
I usually do it on the most "meaty" section of my calves, about 1/3 of the way down from the top - once on the left side, once on the right. And then in the middle about 2/3 of the way down getting close to your ACL. Do that a few times a day along with your normal rolling routine.
It may or may not help, but it can't hurt - especially if what you're experiencing is mild. Calf flexibility is probably connected to PF as well, so stretching them when they're warm may help. And regardless of whether or not it helps, the old trick of rolling a golf ball on the bottom of your foot feels pretty awesome. Just my two cents - hope it helps. Good luck!
John
Same. I've had some plantar fasciitis on and off mild to moderate over the last year, year and a half. It kind of comes and goes. Sometimes stabbing pain, sometimes achy. I never took any time off for it and I somehow don't think it would help from what I've read from other people here. What I think has helped me is to keep running but keep trying different things, different shoes (you could get multiple and rotate them), different surfaces (different shoes are actually kind of different surfaces in a way, maybe a dirt trail every now and then, a track), roll your foot over a lacrosse ball concentrating on where it really hurts, keep your calves loose with foam roller, keep your ankles mobile, try eccentric heel drops, dig in there with your thumbs while flexing extending your toes. I think the thing is is to do something, anything different. Right now I have no plantar fascia pain but every now and then it aches. All of the above are things that have helped. Keep moving. Learn your body.
I don't know if i do have plantar fasciitis but I may. It arose quite quickly last month, I was running a marathon and at about mile 13.5 I stepped in a hole and twisted my left knee. By the time I got to mile 14 my right heel was in great pain and I could hardly walk on it. As i said it arose pretty quickly. I could not put any weight on it that day or the next. I went to a podiatrist on the Monday and he said it was PF. I sort of doubt this based entirely on a couple things I read on the internet about PF. So I think the podiatrist is probably more reliable.
Since then my right heel has bothered me a lot. It hurts a lot in the morning when I first get up and also when i get up from sitting along time. I can feel it when I run but it doesn't really bother me that much when I run but it starts hurting again once I stop. It seems to feel the best while I am running.
One thing I tried and seems to have helped. I used KT Tape on my foot, following these directions of how to tape the ankle for PF and it seemed to have helped, especially in the morning. http://www.kttape.com/instructions/plantar-fasciitis/ I took the tape off a couple days ago and the last few mornings the pain was back, so it seems the tape has helped my foot.
rolling a golf ball
+1
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
The problem with self-diagnose and seeking answers on the internet is that everyone's body is different. I had people swear by the frozen water bottle, or toe exercises or the sock or rest. None of it worked for me. It was frustrating to hear non dr. advice.
I ran with it, but my dr told me that it has the potential to cause problems...not always but can.
I managed my PF by using taping techniques. I eventually got a cortisone shot that worked wonders and lastly it kinda let up on it's own as I switched to low heel drop shoes.
My advise is try different things. Expect that some won't work.
Go see a podiatrist, if you can swing that.
After a year or so of pain for the first 20-30 steps of any walk, which became nearly debilitating in July, I went to my daughter's PT, he treated me for a session, told me to get some insoles from sports authority w/some arch support, I did, and the relief was almost instantaneous. That was about 1 1/2 mos. ago.
Based on everything I have read, I'd never get a cortisone shot for PF due to the risk of rupture. Plantar fascia ruptures almost never happen except in cases where the person has had a cortisone injection.
I have been dealing with PF now for the past few months, it got so bad I had to stop running until it healed. I have the Strassburg sock, didn't do much for me, rolling a golf ball or tennis ball helped a little, also roll a frozen bottle of water.
Seeing a PT now, which is helping alot, I just found out yesterday from my Podiatrist that my wife's insurance will pay for custom orthotics, went yesterday to see him for the mold. The boot he gave me to wear to bed has made a difference though, I must say, the pain in minimal in the morning now if anything. there is still swelling there.
I just ordered a pair of Spenco flip flops, we don't wear shoes in the house and I need some support vs walking on our wooden floors in my socks, a few people in my running group swear by them.
I also am used to walking barefoot at home but it has been a bit painful recently with my heel problem. I discovered that Haflinger clogs are the most comfortable things to wear. When I have them on I really don't feel anything in my heel. Birkenstocks are also pretty comfortable, maybe the Germans know how to make good shoes.
Spartacus
I finally came down with PF during the later stages of Marathon training last fall. This is fairly common and you would be surprised at how many runners and non-runners have PF. You want to keep running? If so, you need to get serious about fixing this or it will plague you indefinitely.
1. See a Podiatrist. He will x-ray your foot and see if it's serious. He will also (hopefully) give you a prescription for Mobic (generic: Meloxicam) which is an anti-inflammatory. Take this as directed to knock down the inflammation. The Podiatrist is important because he will confirm it is PF versus something else.
2. Get a boot. If your Podiatrist doesn't give you one, go to the drugstore and buy a PF boot. You can also use the Strassburg Sock. Wear this boot to bed EVERY NIGHT. This will keep your foot at 90 degrees and allow your PF to heal in the elongated position. Eventually as your foot heals, you can start to use the boot less.
3. Buy PF inserts for your everyday shoes and USE THEM.
4. Avoid going barefoot, especially on hard surfaces like tile.
5. Try a more cushioned running shoe like Hokas. This will make your runs more tolerable.
6. Reduce your weekly mileage temporarily. Instead of a fall marathon, bag it and plan on a spring marathon.
7. Calf and heal stretches. Do these stretches very lightly 3-5 times per week. PF is often caused by tight calves.
8. Tape. Google taping methods for PF. I tried several methods before finally settling on one that works for me. Tape your foot before each run.
9. Ball. Find a tennis ball, golf ball, lacrosse ball, or whatever, and put it under your desk. Roll your arch and heal over the ball. Do this every day if possible. Don't go crazy.
10. Ice. You can use a bag of frozen peas, or you can freeze a water bottle, whatever works for you. I would sit in a chair at night and roll my foot over a frozen bottle of water for about 15 minutes. If you ice, don't ice for more than 20 minutes at a time.
11. Time. Expect 4-12 months for it to get better. If you do the above steps RELIGIOUSLY at the first signs, your down time will be on the lower side.
Good luck.
Good tips, I have to ask my Podiatrist about Mobic, the boot has helped me a ton. I'm going on my 3rd month now.
Thanks...all good advice. I am incorporating many of the suggestions now or have been previously, so hopefully I get some relief. I will need to make a podiatrist appointment.