Heel Pain?

[kerribilliot1]

Has anyone ever had heel pain? How did you treat it? I wore a pair of hard sole shoes too much in the past week and I think that is why I am having the pain in my heel. It has happened before when I wore them for short periods of time. I wonder if I should lay off the cardio for a few days or does it matter??

 

[JennieR]

Here's a thread that you might find useful. I hope it helps.

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259573

 

[toughYrun]

Kerri,

I have had more than my fair share of experience with PF. A couple of years ago I had it so bad in my left foot that surgery was the only thing that finally cleared it up. Cortisone shots for me were a joke.....they provided zero relief. I wore a night splint for what felt like forever and, while it helped with the initial morning pain, it did nothing to advance overall improvement. Orthotics actually caused a delay in recovery.

So, after the surgery proved to be a success I was able to get back into running. With the PF now affecting my right foot, I know the beast I am dealing with and have taken proactive steps that have kept it feeling pretty good. I'm running 4 days a week, my total mileage is up to about 27 miles and I've really had no problem maintaining this.

What is working for me (and what I wish that I had know about years ago) is active release techniques (ART).

http://www.activerelease.com/

When I first started feeling the PF I saw my chiropractor about once a week for a few weeks and am now down to about once a month.

In between chiropractic visits, the single most thing that has helped me the best is massaging my calf with a tennis ball whenever I feel the PF threatening to flare up. I put the tennis ball on a yoga block and place my calf on top of the ball. Holding myself up I roll back and forth, focusing on the areas of my calf that hurt the most. It is an almost entirely unpleasant thing to do, but, I swear, when I get up off the floor from doing this my foot feels great.

In addition to the tennis ball roll I make sure I get in some good stretching. The extended stretch on the STS DVDs is awesome and I also take a yoga/pilates class once a week.

Unfortunately, PF treatment is not a one size fits all approach, but the self massage coupled with the ART has been so good for me that I thought I'd pass it along.

Hope you're feeling great soon!!!

 

[Shellynfree]

Try standing the heel of the foot that is painful on a golf ball. It can be painful at first but it works in the long run.

 

[kerribilliot1]

Thanks for the advice. Did any of you continue to exercise through the discomfort? Or did you give it time to heal? I am dying here!!! A new shock cardio series, a new year, a few extra calories to burn off and I am scared to try and do anything too high impact. I thought about going to buy an exercise bike so I could exercise but not have the impact from step or other floor aerobics.

 

[horseshowmom]

My running partner just went to the doctor for her heel pain. She has both PF and heel spurs. She has been put on non-impact exercise and anti-inflammatories for 2 weeks.
On the other hand, I had a flare of PF this fall and was VERY lucky that a shoe change helped relieve much of the pain. I was also able to exercise through the pain.
I think every case is very unique!!!

 

[JennieR]

Thanks for the advice. Did any of you continue to exercise through the discomfort? Or did you give it time to heal? I am dying here!!! A new shock cardio series, a new year, a few extra calories to burn off and I am scared to try and do anything too high impact. I thought about going to buy an exercise bike so I could exercise but not have the impact from step or other floor aerobics.

I tried to exercise through it, but it was just to painful. Finally after a little over a year (and getting shots in both feet) I'm slowly getting back into working out.

 

[Vee]

I read about relative rest to treat PF/heel spurs. It entails changing your workout program so that you tone down impact, but you dont sacrifice intensity necessarily. A lot of runners use this technique. They swim, use the elliptical and on a few days each week they run too. But they cut down sprints, running on inclines and running on hard surfaces. Before and after any workout that involves impact you should stretch your hamstrings, calves, Achilles and feet on such a program. After any impact you should ice. However, this should only be if your PF is not too acute. During an acute phase, eliminating impact is considered wiser to avoid creating a chronic condition. I use relative rest with a lot of success to manage my PF. The stretches that have worked best for me for plantar fasciitis have been from yoga and doing them once a day is enough for me now to keep the PF under control. I still have mild pain every now and again but never for more than about an hour.