WHen you wake up in the morning and take those first few steps does it hurt? Or do you have to walk around a bit on it for the pain to start?

that kind of heel pain sounds like classic plantar fasciitis. xtrain instead of run, and stretch.

I had plantar fasciitis as a kid (6 years ago) and the most effective thing was to stretch it out once I woke up and right before I went to sleep. Question for you, how does the heel feel at night after running or riding?

Well just fyi, if it does hurt in the morning that means it is indeed plantar fasciitis. This is because as you sleep the fascia becomes tight. As you walk around or stretch it the fascia relaxes and the pain eases.
Best things are icing (for no longer than 10 mins at a time) Stretching it (something like a roller works best) and not pushing it too hard. In many cases, the person has a rigid arch which causes the fascia to be strained from all the pressure on the ball and heel of the foot pulling on it. In those cases an orthotic works best to keep it away. (over the counter or custom, if OTC make sure to get it fitted by someone who knows what they're doing, the arch should match up flush with your arch)
Also, not wearing shoes with very flexible arches is key. Grab your running shoe at the toe and heel and try to fold it at the arch. If it folds easily you need a better shoe.

Not sure if the "diagnosis" of Plantar Fascitis is correct. The pain you describe is on the back of your heel, not on the bottom of your foot. However, the cause is probably the same.

The most likely cause is some inflamation/tenderness at the point where some of your tendons connect to your heel. It probably is your achilles, but there are other tendons that run down the sides of your heel and it could be one of them. Either way, when you bend your foot back, you're putting tension on those connections, and one of them is hurting. In Plantar Fascitis, the inflamation isn't where the tendons connect to the back of the heel, but underneath your foot where the fascia on the bottom of your foot connects to your heelbone (there's a medical term for it that I don't know.)

The "cure" is relieve the tension in the muscles in your lower leg, which will relieve the pressure on your tendon-bone connection. That'll allow the inflamation to go down, and it'll heal. If you have a foam roller, use the foam roller on your calves. Start out sitting on your butt with the roller under your ankle. Lift yourself up and forward, so the roller travels up your leg as you slide over it. Probably, it'll start to hurt a lot when you get to the trigger point(s) in the middle of your calf. When you get to that part, leave the pressure on for 30-45 seconds. It'll hurt, but you want it to "hurt so good" -- don't get to the point where you flinch from the pain, because that's counterproductive. If you need to apply more pressure, cross one leg over the other as you roll over the roller. Antiinflamatory treatments will also help -- ice and advil; with more emphasis on ice than on advil. Walk around a little bit and stretch your calves after you use the roller.

I've been wrestling with similiar kinds of pain (PF and heel pain) for the past six weeks -- I blame myself for hitting the weights too hard while increasing my run and bike mileage. I'm using the quad roller from TP Massage, which I think works a lot better than a foam roller, but it's a lot more expensive. The problem has gone from "I can't walk" to "I can walk with a limp" to "I can run short distances, but I limp afterwards." In a few more weeks I expect to be pain free.

Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
Park Slope, Brooklyn

lsilverman might be closer to the truth, even thought I'm not 100% sure. Definitely not PF though.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Sounds more like a problem with your achilles tendon than plantar fasciitis to me. Probably tendinitis. When you have tendinitis, it tends to get stiff when you sleep as well. I would ice the area after running and also on days when you don't run, cut back on your mileage slightly and try to stretch it. Might want to take some anti-inflammatories too to reduce the swelling and let it heal.

OK... all of this makes sense... but remember, I haven't done ANYTHING for over two months, so how or why does this come now out of nowhere? And prior to that I can't claim to have been working out very hard either. I haven't run in almost 6 months and the hardest "workout" I did in the Fall was running around coaching my soccer teams three times a week.

And I don't know if it's any worse any time of the day... morning, noon or evening.

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http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

Start wearing any new shoes recently? Not just running shoes, but any kind of shoes? If you have, don't wear them for a week and see what happens.
I had a similar pain in my left heel recently that was caused by a new pair of dress shoes.

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I had heel pain last winter and went to see a sports medicine doctor.

After X-rays and and an exam he concluded that the pain was from an inflamed tendon located on the inside of my ankle.

Stretching helped a lot. A pair of shoes with a lot of arch support (to the point of the insole feeling like a hump inside of the shoe) helped more. I used NSAID's for a while to keep the inflamation down.

I believe the problem started because I was trying to land mid-foot while running and was jamming my heel into the ground when my legs got tired. I just run whatever way feels comfortable now while trying to keep my feet under my body and not over -stepping.

Hope you feel better soon.

jaretj

Hi -

I just wanted to share what I have felt has warded off plantar fascitis.

*First of all get some carbon insole/footbeds from Sof Sole they are about $30 (the ones with gel heel) the heel pocket on these is specifically designed to help with Plantar F issues...it lets the heel track properly....the carbon part also really supports your arches and I imagine that you pronate...I swear by these and they also help with IT band issues...

*when you wake up don't step right onto hard floor step onto a pillow or something soft that also kind of support your arch...the fascia is super vulnerable right when you get up...

*ice ice and more ice on the heel...

*once you start running again do ice baths after all your big runs (hard, long or both)

*make sure your shoes aren't over 450 miles, if they are definitely get new ones that are right for you - probably a good stability shoe with good heel cushion- use with Sof Sole insert.

Hope that helps...

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http://www.mountainmettle.com

One more thing-

use a nalgene bottle and roll your foot over it- only do this when your foot is warm, like after a run ...

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http://www.mountainmettle.com

Remember everyone... I am not, nor have been, running... that's why this is a bit mysterious to me.

Oh... no new shoes either.

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http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

OK... all of this makes sense... but remember, I haven't done ANYTHING for over two months, so how or why does this come now out of nowhere?

Clearly you should be working out more. :-) Idleness is bad for you.

Seriously, I don't have a good explanation for that. PF and other aches and pains like it typically result from overuse. The muscles get tight, they put tension on tendons, knees, etc, and it hurts.

Only thing I can think of is that while you were exercising regularly some of your muscles were tighter and they were compensating for the tension in your calves. Those muscles may have relaxed back to their normal lengths, but your calves are still tight. It's a sketchy explanation, I know, but it's the best I can think of right now. Maybe someone else will have a better idea.

Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
Park Slope, Brooklyn