Plantar Fasciitis.....input please

banslug

banslug

Cathlete
Happy Saturday to everybody!

I'm looking for some input, experience and/or advice.

I've done my research and spoke to a few folks around home, but you all know so much MORE than THEY do! LOL:)

I've been using a golf ball to massage my foot during the day, while on the PC, eating a meal, anytime I'm sitting down and that has been a HUGE help. Also, I've been extending my warm up periods of my workouts, and that helps ease me into the actual workout. I've also started using a gel heel insert in my shoes, and again, HUGE help.

Here's the thing....does this EVER just go away or stop aching? I'm on the verge of committing to a half marathon and would like to commit to fundraising for a full, but I'm honestly afraid that the PF will get worse with all that constant running.

I'm toying with the idea of getting an elliptical for my home, and if I can't train for any long runs I may commit to a 100 mile Century ride fundraiser event. But I want to RUN! LOL

So what's your take? How have you dealt with your PF and workouts???

TIA!!!!

Gayle
 
Gayle,

Sorry to hear you are suffering from PF. I also have/had PF. I say have because according to my doctor, it never really "goes away" (except for with surgery to cut the (plantar fascia) it just gets better in spells and can flare up again.

For myself, I found rolling my foot back and forth over a jar (small empty pickle jar) filled with cold water (I just kept it in the fridge) helped a lot. I also found that during a workout (once warmed up), I was fine. It didn't hurt as much. It was AFTER the workout that I wanted to cut my foot off:eek:!

I know there are special orthodics out there that you can buy that are supposed to help. You can also go to a podiatrist and get specially made ones that conform to your foot (best option). Some people I know have gotten cortizone (sp?) shots. In each case, it didn't help for very long.

Do you wrap your foot when you run? My aerobics instructor wrapped her foot (arch) and it really seemed to help. Do you have a night splint to keep your foot flexed? I hated those first few steps in the morning!

When is the marathon you want to commit to? How long have you been suffering with PF? Have you seen a podiatrist?

Carrie
 
The foot doctor said that I needed steroid injections and I probably would deal with it for the rest of my life unless I had surgery done. I didn't like the prospect of injections (I hate needles :mad:) or surgery and stubborn as I am said I wanted to try on my own. It was gone in 6 or 7 weeks, that was over 2 years ago.

I did the golf ball and tennis ball rolling motion at every chance I got, did stretches, massaged the area, alternated ice packs and heating pad applications and stopped wearing open heel flat shoes and unless I went to work to meet with clients I wore those lovely Birkenstock shoes. Not exactly pretty shoes in my book but it made a huge difference.

Mine so far hasn't come back, and I am rarely wearing the Birkenstocks anymore, I run/walk between 3 to 15 miles several times a week. No problems with my pf.

Good luck!
 
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I manage it by making sure that I buy new shoes regularly and I buy insoles for them. I use the Spenco brand insoles but there are all different levels and, of course, custom orthotics. But keeping on top of those two things really seems to keep mine under control. I'll run my first half-marathon tomorrow (in a month-old pair of Brooks and the Spenco arch support soft insoles).
Good luck!
Lisa
 
Gayle,

Uh-oh! Sorry to hear about your PF.

I've been battling PF for almot a year.

My mum and sis have had PF. They and others at my gym say the same thing - It goes on for months and months and then one day it just disappears.

Heel inserts are not helping me, but wearing good supportive shoes (during exercise and at other times too), cutting down on impact and doing my PT exercises is helping.

My PF is much better, but it hasnt gone. If I walk in high heeled shoes for a long time, or dont do my PT stretches before and after impact I still get pain, but it is much less severe.

I do not run for more than 45 minutes per workout and limit my mixed impact cardio (if I use a video) to one hour. I dont do impact more than 2 to 3 times a week depending on how my foot feels. If I do more, the plantar fasciitis pain gets worse.

EFX and cycling, I have been doing more of since my PF. Both are great because they dont aggravate the PF. They are even better than walking in terms of PF pain the next morning.

I suggest speaking to your doc or physiotherapist about the marathon training. I looked up runners sites for PF because I love to run. According to them, a lot will depend on how bad your case it and how it responds to PT + running. Some runners are able to keep training. However, almost everyone trains releatively less than before, until PF clears up. It can get really bad if ignored. So ignoring the pain or working through it is not a good idea. This para is entirely from what I learnt on forums, not a professional/knowledgeable opinion.
 
Awwww. The d@mn PF. I just visited my podiatrist yesterday. After an MRI, he has decided that I have Baxter's Entrapment and that it quite possibly started as PF. I have dealt with this issue for almost 2 years. I have had cortisone shots which did not help at all. I have a night splint, nada. I have been through everything. Right now I am getting ready to start PT. If that doesn't help my next step is surgery. I am telling you all of this because my PF would seem to get better but when I upped my mileage it would quickly deteriorate which my doctor seems to think led to the nerve entrapment. I don't know how bad your pain is but I would think long and hard about training for a long distance. I can say that I finished my Half marathon but am now asking myself, "at what cost?" Anyway, I don't know if I explained myself well enough but I think of myself as kind of an expert on PF so ask me any questions you have. I have see ortho doctors, podiatrists, chiropractors. I've seen everyone! :) PM me if you have any questions.
 
This is yet another thing that really varies from person to person. I've been told by others that suddenly their PF just went away.

I started getting near constant PF in May. At the RT I was miserable (worked out on it anyway, of course). Since that time it has gotten much better. What helped: having my custom orthotics adjusted to support my arch better (I'd already had them for another issue), rolling my foot over a frozen water bottle (wearing a sock), putting a foot rest under my computer desk to keep my calf slightly flexed when sitting, wearing workout shoes with the orthotics all the time. (I can't wear any other shoes without pain, or go barefoot for very long.)

Working lower body with weights seems to help for some reason. I don't know if it's because I end up stretching my calf a lot throughout the workout, but it does seem better. This was true at the RT also...my foot hurt terribly during all of the workouts except for the Lower Body Blast, when it suddenly felt fine.

What didn't help: the night splint or the stretches the doctor gave me. I get relief from stretching my calf by raising my leg and aiming my toes towards my head, or by dropping my heel off of the back of my step, but the stretch where I put one leg behind and press down just made my ankle hurt and didn't help the PF. Ditto for the stretches using a towel to pull my foot back.

I've had enough improvement that I didn't go to the next step of getting the cortisone shots. But I can't wear any other shoes but my workout shoes.

My gut tells me that planning to run a marathon on PF is a bad idea. But of course I could be wrong...there's no way to know for sure, and your PF could be very different from mine.
 
Ooh, the dreaded PF!! I had it 2 years ago while training for a marathon. I ended up going to see the podiatrist after it felt I was stepping on broken glass when I got out of bed in the morning. :mad: It was worse for me first thing in the morning and at night. Once I got running, it would feel better (the band warms up and loosens, but once it tightens back up- PAIN!).

I also did the bouncy ball massage while sitting at the computer, frozen water bottle, anything that I could do to massage the bottoms of my feet. I also found that stretching my calves helped (the tendons are connected). I did NOT go bare foot, I did NOT wear flip flops, but only wore my tennis shoes or other supportive shoes (I splurged on a pair of Born sandals for that summer).

Mine did go away, but it took a good 6 months!! I know if I walk barefoot for too long, I might feel it a little bit, but once I start stretching or massaging, it's fine. Good luck!!
 
jodijodi said:
What didn't help: the night splint or the stretches the doctor gave me. I get relief from stretching my calf by raising my leg and aiming my toes towards my head, or by dropping my heel off of the back of my step, but the stretch where I put one leg behind and press down just made my ankle hurt and didn't help the PF. Ditto for the stretches using a towel to pull my foot back.
Click to expand...

Yep, those are the stretches that I did. And the stretch w/ the heel off the step is what helped my achilles tendonitis also.
 
Thanks, ladies! I truly appreciate all your input.

Although my PF is not unbearable, there ARE times that are worse than others. Perhaps I better leave well-enough alone, hugh?

My gut is also telling me the full marathon may be beyond what I'm willing to risk. Maybe this is my chance to branch out and work on my next self-improvement project (each year, I pick something 'big' and GO FOR IT...one year was a marathon, one year was swimming, one year was cooking/baking specialty classes, etc). I'll have to check into the Century Bike ride.

The few things that I have been doing, several that you've all listed, really do help. I'm going to take the suggestions of a frozen water bottle to massage/roll my foot.

THANKS AGAIN! It's good to know you're not alone...even if it IS something painful, right?

Gayle
 
The night splint worked for me and my husband. It only took a week of wearing it to make the pain go away for awhile.

Get custom orthodics, they will really help also.
 
Gayle,

This will solve your foot problem.

Birkenstock. (shoes and insoles)

My podiatrist prescribed them to me. Since then (about 25 years ago), no pain at all. I don't have a podiatrist anymore, but I will always be grateful to him and try to spread the word.

Janie
4760884_bodyshot_175x233.gif
 
another idea

Hi,

I had it several years ago and one thing that helped was to keep the calf stretched while I was sitting. I know that sounds weird, but when in a chair, I'd keep the foot flat on the ground, but almost under the chair in order to encourage the stretch. That helped to minimize the initial pain I had when I'd get up. Also, no barefoot, ice, replacing shoes frequently, and Birkenstocks have helped me tremendously.

Tracy
 
You've gotten some great suggestions. I think different things work for different people.

I had PF for most of last year.

The main things I did that helped and caused it to eventually go away were:

No barefoot walking anywhere.... even in the house... especially if you have hardwood or tile floors.

Everyday shoes need to be comfort brand like Merrell, Sofft, Naot, etc.

Inserts in your running and workout shoes.

Stretching a lot, mostly before you get out of bed in the morning.

I did not quit running. My PF responded fine to continued use. It would hurt the first little bit of distance in my run, but then it would be fine for the rest of the run.

It eventually went away and hasn't returned.

Oh, and FYI.... I've never, ever spoken to anyone with PF who had the injections that said they worked.
 
I have it and, as one poster said, you don't feel it most of the time (though that first walk every morning is usually a little tricky for a while), it flares up every now and then. I have custom orthotics, somewhere... but have had the best results with shoes made for serious over-pronation from the New Balance store (a sales agent can fit you with the perfect pair) and a pair of their orthotic inserts, which work but wear out faster than the sales guy predicted. I'm starting to have a little trouble again but I'm due for new shoes and inserts. He warned me that, since the shoes are designed to correct my problem, using the custom orthotics with them would result in OVER-correction. Yea, of all the things I've tried the best, most lasting results I've gotten weren't with stretching, icing, or anything else that's usually recommended. Issue-specific shoes and inserts have been wonderful.
 
JeanneMarie said:
I did not quit running. My PF responded fine to continued use. It would hurt the first little bit of distance in my run, but then it would be fine for the rest of the run.

It eventually went away and hasn't returned.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that I did the same thing. I did not quit running. I still trained for and ran a marathon!! Once I would start running it would feel fine about 1-2 miles in! Just my experience. ;)
 
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