OK…I’ve had PF for a while. It was mostly gone except for some tightness right at the base of the heel. It feels very knotted and scar-tissue-ish.
I’ve done the ice thing…it helps a bit.
I sleep with the sock on most nights…and that does help reduce most of the pain in the AM.
I can’t do ibuprofen.
I do stretch my calves…but probably not enough.
I have custom orthotics that help too.
But that area is still there and as I increase my mileage I can feel the PF getting worse. I’m training for IM-Wisc and don’t want this to become a real problem.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks…something new that might help out.
Stretch a ton more and use the TP massage products, try the quad roller or foot roller and target your calves. I swear by the product. Avoid bare feet if you have not already done so.
S
I found that using a golf ball helps quite a bit.
Put it down on a carpet and roll it around using the bottom of your foot.
Put as much pressure as you can on it. It massages that area
and gives you relief for a little while.
I don’t know, I’m just starting to deal with it myself, but from the posts I’ve read about the people who have been successful at getting through it, you have to treat it like triathlon’s 4th event, try everything, and be consistent…icing, massage, stretching, taping, NSAIDs, night splint, etc. I’m rolling a TP ball around with my foot right now that seems to be helping…Frankly, if sacrificing a chicken has helped people in the past I’m willing to give it a shot.
As a person who’s swim lags the other 2 events, this could be a sign from above for me…good luck.
My treatment for PF is to wear running shoes all the time. I normally wear light slippers around the house, but as soon as I get any PF pain then I switch to wearing running shoes all the time and the pain goes away in a week or so.
The shoes I wear around the house are the same type that I run in, normally ones that have 400+ miles that I don’t run in anymore.
Plantar troubled me all summer long. mainly because i was training a lot and then on my feet all day at work.
I wore the night boot, I took aleve,I got orthotics made, I got a cortisone shot, I went to the podiatrist to get my foot taped up, I went to a physical therapist, did the calf stretches, I tried out two pairs of shoes. Nothing seemed to work. The first sign of relief came when i stopped running completely.
I took about 8 weeks off of running, wore the boot, wore the orthodics. It sucked but it was the only thing that really helped out. Now my foot is better. I am nervous to start doing speed work or hill repeats in fear of the PF flaring up again. I went into AG nationals with a strong running base but no running at all in the 3 weeks leading up to the race. I ended up running pretty decent. best luck with you IM
As other had said, it must be part of a routine. No cookie cutter approach but here are a few other ideas, acknowledging many individual differences. My usually bent; get a competent musculoskeletal, biomechanical eval.
You have custom orthotics, I am assuming they are corrective, which can address one potential contributing factor. I have had good success with this product: http://www.hapad.com/hapadonline/home.php?cat=267
It addresses the PF anatomically with a slight rise in the midfoot with a slightly cupped out heel. It doesn’t look like much, but results are hard to argue. I have been using these with folks for 10 years.
After every run, stretch with prostretch or make small tilt board, frozen OJ can or ice massage (styrofoam cup) to PF X 10 minutes
Address everyday shoe and support, often overlooked as you will spend more time in these.
Strengthen! As soon as your symptoms are managed start a strengthening routine for posterior tibialis and company of deep calf… donkey calf raises (seated) should be a staple at the gym.
Watch flexibility in your run shoe choice, highly flexible shoes, in some cases, can feed into symptoms with allowing more toe break at push off.
See this study from Dr. Benedict F. Digiovanni at the Department of Orthopaedics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (“Plantar Fascia-Specific Stretching Exercise Improves Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Plantar Fasciitis”): http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/8/1775
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned (unless its in one of the links) is walking barefoot. Is this something you do regularly (think mornings)? If so, try to avoid it as much as possible. Prolonged standing/hard floors can also be a problem. Other than that it sounds like everyone has mentioned the standard management…NSAIDs, night splints, orthotics, PT w/ focus on Achilles/calf stretching.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned (unless its in one of the links) is walking barefoot. Is this something you do regularly (think mornings)? If so, try to avoid it as much as possible. Prolonged standing/hard floors can also be a problem. Other than that it sounds like everyone has mentioned the standard management…NSAIDs, night splints, orthotics, PT w/ focus on Achilles/calf stretching.
The study I linked to says achilles/calf stretching is pretty worthless compared to focused PF stretching.
As said before, it’s a combo platter…and yours may include the veggie spring roll while I need the pork egg roll. What didn’t work for me: Advil; custom orthotics; fascia massage; cortisone shots; ultrasound. Here’s the top things that did work:
-Birkenstocks. Most supportive footpad of any sandal out there. Wear them around the house. ALL THE TIME. NEVER walk around the house without footwear of some sort. My Birkies have lived at the foot of my bed for years.
-Stretching of the entire leg “chain”. In my case, pain in right foot was linked to poor foot strength and bad flexibility on the entire LEFT side: calf, hammie, hip, glute.
-Ice. In particular something that was useful to me was to take 20 oz. plastic Coke bottle. Drink the Coke. (Flat, it’s a great pickmeup at mile 18 of your long run!) Fill with water. Freeze. Remove from freezer. Place under foot and roll. The shape of the bottle helps keep the ice in contact with the sole of the foot, and the rolling helps prevent freezing the skin. Refreeze. Repeat several times a day as needed.
-Begin every run slowly (okay, races not included). Start by walking briskly for 1/3 mile, then job, don’t start “running” until you’ve gone about a mile. Helps to warm up the tissues.
NONE of these may help you. Or maybe they will. PF requires a holistic approach, there is no single treatment. On the medical care side, I got my best results from a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry), not an orthopedist or podiatrist, but your results may vary.
OH one other thing when the pain was most acute, taping was hugely important. Google “low dye strapping” for the directions. (I have NO idea why it’s called that!) I have the PDF file somewhere if you can’t find it, PM me.
I’ve been battling PF for a couple months with minor success. I found decent relief through self massage of the sole by pushing repeatedly from the heel toward the toes, really digging in. After a week or so of doing this I was able to remove all pain in the heel area, but I was now having pain in the arch. Couldn’t seem to alleviate that problem until a friend emailed an article about some PF specific stretchs last week. I’ve been doing these exercise/stretches for the past 4 days and have already noticed substantial improvement.
Younger Legs For Older Runners: Pete’s Home Remedies: Plantar Fasciitis - easy exercises to prevent, manage, and relieve its …
Today was the first run in almost two months that I had no pain. Hopefully that will continue.
OH one other thing when the pain was most acute, taping was hugely important. Google “low dye strapping” for the directions. (I have NO idea why it’s called that!) I have the PDF file somewhere if you can’t find it, PM me.
Mike
It is called that for Dr. Ralph Dye (podiatrist) who published/described this “new” taping technique in 1968. The “low” part refers to the “arch” taping - there is a high dye as well for other ST pathologies.
Sorry to disagree with the prevailing wisdom. When I did a lot of running in my native South Africa PF was an unheard of injury. South Africans are into mega mileage and the country’s biggest race in terms of participants is Comrades Marathon (90km). I move to the US and everybody I run with has suffered from PF at some point. The difference is that here people wear orthotics all the time and are never barefooted. Surely the more time you spend without shoes the stronger your feet will become? I say ignore the advise that suggests that you always wear shoes. When I suffered from PF whilst training for Boston a few years ago the advise I was given was “orthotics” and to never go barefoot. I did the opposite and consciously maximize my barefeet time and the result is no recurrence, a solved problem and stronger feet.