plantar fasciitis and working out

zoesmom

zoesmom

Cathlete
I know theres a thread out there but I can't found it. However, I just found out I have (PF) Plantar fasciitis:mad:. And let me tell you it's no fun:mad:.

I think it really surfaced when I broke my ankle last year around this time. So with all that said.

I need a good shoe with arch support and shock absorbency. Maybe a high quality running shoe??? I have no idea on this:(???

Please help :(

thanks
 
zoesmom said:
I know theres a thread out there but I can't found it. However, I just found out I have (PF) Plantar fasciitis:mad:. And let me tell you it's no fun:mad:.

I think it really surfaced when I broke my ankle last year around this time. So with all that said.

I need a good shoe with arch support and shock absorbency. Maybe a high quality running shoe??? I have no idea on this:(???

Please help :(

thanks
Click to expand...

I also suffered from PF about a year ago. It is VERY painful (as you know). You really have to limit the impact activities you do until it gets better. I would suggest biking or possibly an elliptical. I found I could not do any jogging/running or step.

You can try shoe inserts that absorb shock. There are ones made specifically for PF. You can also go to a podiatrist and they will make you a custom orthotic, which is far superior to anything you will find in the stores. One thing I did that helped was to roll my foot across a jar that I had filled with water and refrigerated.

From what I understand from my physician, PF never really goes away. It can come and go at any time. Stretching the calves is very important in helping the symptoms. When I went through my "outbreak," I would flex my foot all the time during the day to stretch the ligaments. I would also be sure to stretch before I got out of bed in the morning.

Good luck to you.

Carrie
 
this is good info. I've already gone to the podiatrist and I am getting the custom orthotic done. It's just in the mean time what to do. I really hate limiting my step. It's the one thing I really like doing. But if you do not have 2 good feet nothing really matters.
This is really, really helpful thanks for answering my post ;0)
 
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Sheryl, do you have access to a recumbent bike?
That's what I used during my flare up. You can still get your cardio in, and you don't have all of the jarring. In fact, you can keep your ankle/foot pretty stationary using the bike.

Really, any movement that will eliminate bounce should work. I find that working my legs really gets my heart rate going, and keeping the legs engaged keeps the impact low. Ex, I do a lot of TaeBo. And when I can't bounce, I just go into a 3/4 squat for punching and kicking. Really gets the heartrate going, and you get a nice leg workout on top of it.

Just throwing out some ideas.
 
I have a spinning bike. which I use sometimes but it's not the some jumping around with cathe. however, if this is what needs to be done it shall. What type of shoes do you have for your PF? And thank you for answering my post. ;0)
 
Birkenstock shoes have helped me through most of my life.

My podiatrist recommended them to me years ago, for PF. Never looked back.

Here's a link where I get mine. It will save you money. lots of it.

http://www.hawea.de/Birkenstock.html

Janie
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Actually, I did a lot of research on PF, and how it's created, etc...
I learned that we actually do this to ourselves with the tennis shoes and other footwear that we have on constantly. The shoes force us to reposition our feet, balance, and it throws off normal muscle balance. Thus developing PF, from unnatural movements.

Most people solve this with orthodics. I went the other way.

The article I was reading suggested that the best way to combat the muscle imbalance, and to repair the damage was to go natural. Barefoot. No "support".

So I did just that. I left the flare up calm down for a few days, and after that, I went barefoot for my workouts from then on. I've never had a problem since. My feet were incredibly sore (muscle sore) for about a week after I started this. It showed me how screwed up they really were in the first place.
Now I wear track shoes, when I need the extra traction. They are the closest thing to going barefoot I can find. Very very lightweight. No arch support. Nothing really, but tread on the soles. I wear them during step and leg work for lifting. Everyhting else (taebo), I go barefoot.
Again, I've never had a problem since.

Just my experience that I wanted to relay. Most people would tell you to go the way that you are, the podiatrist route. My uncle is a foot surgeon who spends most of his time correcting the problems that shoes create. He agreed 100% with the theory in this article.
 
Sheryl-here's the link to the most recent discussion on PF:http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259573&highlight=plantar+fasciitis

I posted on that thread, but I want to add something that seems to be working for me. I've been wearing my good (and expensive) running sneakers for all my cardio, including floor work, bike, and elliptical and my PF has been 'better' than it has been in a long while. I know you're not 'supposed' to wear running sneakers for hi/lo, kickbox, etc, but I figured they're built for the horrible and heavy impact of running, they should be able to take the impact of, say, IMax or Plyo Legs. And they seem to be really helping.

Gayle
 
This is one of those things that really varies for different people. Sometimes you have to try different things to see what works. For example, although it was suggested above, I cannot go barefoot, even just to walk around the house. I went barefoot a lot this summer and the PF just got worse and worse. (It also causes me other problems with the foot that doesn't have PF.)

I had to take a break from step and wear supportive shoes all the time. (I broke my foot once wearing running shoes for step, so I am afraid to try that again.) I had already been wearing custom orthotics before the PF started, but I had them adjusted to provide more arch support and that helped. I also iced my foot by rolling it over a frozen water bottle. The stretches the podiatrist gave me didn't really help, but I found some others that did, such as the calf stretches that Cathe does by hanging the foot off the back of the step.

The good news is that now my PF seems to be gone. It hasn't bothered me in months, and I'm back to stepping a few times a week again and wearing a variety of shoes. So even though I had to take a break from step (which I didn't want to do either), luckily it didn't have to be permanent.

HTH!
 
thanks everyone for the info. and thank you gayle for the thread. I had posted on that thread put could not found it
 
just wanted to post this for FYI: found 2 shoes that have the PFB technology (plantar fascia bridge) ecco performance RXP 3060 and NB WR 1224.
I'm off and running......
 
zoesmom said:
just wanted to post this for FYI: found 2 shoes that have the PFB technology (plantar fascia bridge) ecco performance RXP 3060 and NB WR 1224.
I'm off and running......
Click to expand...

Sheryl,

I have a pair of Ecco running shoes and LOVE them. I don't know that they helped with my PF but they are really comfortable shoes that offer great support. I tried one pair of NB but didn't have good luck. I bought them online and was able to return them. The man at the Ecco store (who also does NB) said that anything under 800 in the NB are not the best shoes. Sounds like you got a great pair!

Carrie
 
I had (have) PF too. Nothing, and I mean *nothing*, helped ease my symptoms and so I opted for surgery last May. It felt somewhat better afterward, but I was disappointed that recovery was not as quick as I had hoped.

Three months after the surgery we went on vacation. I was wearing Crocs with my PowerStep orthotics until they got wet at the pool....they smelled so bad that I threw them out. I noticed that my foot started feeling better but didn't think too much of it since ups and downs with the PF had been a regular way of life for so long. When we returned home my PF foot was still feeling pretty good....until I started using my custom orthotics! So, I quit using them and started feeling good again. Go figure! I will never know if that was the only thing I really needed to do to get past the point of debilitation. I'm back to running, hiking and whatever higher impact workouts I want to do, although I've been ramping up very, very slowly. Prior to this I used my stationary bike and elliptical for cardio.

I hate, hate, PF and completely sympathize. I hope you quickly get to the point that it's not causing a lot of trouble.
 
I haven't bought them yet. I'm finding out alot of people like the ECCO ($119.95) over NB's 1224 ($139.99). The highest I've ever paid for a pair of workout shoe $50.00. I got sticker shock when I seen the price $100.00+. However, if it helps I wll pay almost anything. ALMOST!!!
 
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