12

Pain on the bottom of my feet. (Read 763 times)

    All due respect, I'm not convinced this is Plantar Fasciitis at all for, for one, that it doesn't seem like a consistent pain; it comes and goes.  That said, Floppage is right; get some professional opinion.

    Ok, I'm new on these forums but I am definitely NOT new to running injuries.

     

    First, your injury does sound like PF.  The real test for that though is whether or not it hurts first thing in the morning.  Almost all cases of PF hurt first thing in the morning.

     

    Second, you DO NOT have to stop training.  I ran two marathons including getting 3rd overall in a trail marathon with full blown PF.

     

    Here's how you get PF into "maintenance mode" so that you can still train.

     

    1. Go see a Podiatrist and get a night boot.  Yes, you can get them yourself but getting it through the pod might help get it covered by insurance and the pod can adjust it for you right there.  (some need adjustments)  Do not bother with the damn strassburg sock.  That thing works on very few people.  Probably just the genius who invented it.

     

    2. Put two cans of frozen veggies in the freezer.  Now, after every training run you are going to take the can out of the freezer and roll your foot over it for 25 minutes.  This will reduce inflammation, help with the micro tears and improve healing.

     

    3. Learn the "daffy" taping method.  Really, you only need to do this for long runs or any really impact heavy runs like intervals or something like that but you can do this for every run if the pain is a little much and more importantly you can do this for the event you're training for.

     

    Note: you may have to adjust the tape lengths if your feet are Shaq vs. Munchkin sized.

     

    a. Cut about 3 lengths about 5 inches each and then with your foot at about the same angle it would be standing, run them from just behind the ball of your foot back across your arch to your heal.  Be sure to spread them across the foot somewhat evenly.

     

    b. Now start adding one strip at a time, overlapping them slightly across the foot from outside to inside.  Continue adding strips starting from just behind the ball of your foot and continuing to add them until you reach the front side of your heel.  It is important that you keep these strips pretty tight.

     

    The result is a taping that will mimic the support your arches should have probably had in the first place.  When you first start to run with the taping it will feel awkward but you'll adjust to it.  If you feel pain though stop and either adjust or remove the tape.  Awkward = good, pain = bad.

     

    Obviously if you can stop you should but if you want to train through PF it is an option.  And yes, eventually my PF healed up but it took me being diligent with the above steps to get there.  Skipping them at any point set me back days or weeks of recovery each time.

     

    Good luck.

    Now, Foppage, this is quite interesting...  So you're saying basically create some sort of checker pattern on the bottom of the foot with ordinary athletic tape to "support" the arch...???  Is that correct?  I remember Frank Shorter used to tape his feet and I've tried it myself and it seems to help.  Of course, I wasn't doing it, and I think neither was Shorter, to support any sort of injury--it was more of a prevention.

     

    For the actual injury, I have tried Kinesio tape and it did a wonder!!  It really works IF you apply it correctly.  You'd have to understand some degree of anatomy and origin and insertion of muscles, etc.  And you can wear this for days (as long as you dry it after taking shower).  Of course, it's not that cheap either.  In fact, it's pretty expensive.  But, IF it's actually Plantar Fasciitis and it hurts too much to run at all, it's worth giving a try.

    Runningaround5


      I plan to run again today and see how it is. It may just be my feet re-adjusting to running?! If it hurts again I'll try the tape and just see!

      If it was PF would the pain go away during the run? Could this be leading to PF? The pain I felt last year sounds like PF but it went away as soon as I got new runners.

      MrNamtor


        I plan to run again today and see how it is. It may just be my feet re-adjusting to running?! If it hurts again I'll try the tape and just see!

        If it was PF would the pain go away during the run? Could this be leading to PF? The pain I felt last year sounds like PF but it went away as soon as I got new runners.

         

        My experience with injuries is that the body does weird things with pain. Pain can sometimes go away when in fact the injury is still there.  It can be intermittent in some cases when you'd expect it to be constant.

         

        You should not take it likely or mess around with it. Get a medical diagnosis before you do much more running. That would be my advice to you. I agree with others who have said this.

        Runningaround5


          I hate going to the Dr feeling like I'm being a baby lol.

          however I do need to go in so I'll ask about this as well. Thank you

            My wife battled with Pf when she started running. It is not a consistant pain. It can even be fine during the day of the run only to hurt like hell the next morning when you first get out of bed . She eventually got over it by using a device called the "baller block" and finding the right shoes . The baller block looks like a small cushioned dumbbell and it really did the trick. My bet is PF. In can be frustrating to find what works for you to help. My wife went through probably 20 pairs of shoes, and doc visits before seeing the baller block at one of the race expos

            12