For those of you that have had the misfortune of dealing w/ plantar fasciitis, I’ve got a few questions. It seems I’ve got it in the early stages; it started to flare up after my ‘A’ race 3 weeks ago. I’ve been massaging the plantar fascia by hand and using the massage ball, etc a few times a day, then immediate icing. But it seems to be getting worse, not better. By worse, I mean it is just more sensitive in general. Is this the type of injury that typically has to ‘get worse’ before it gets better due to breaking up of the hard tissue, etc? I’m just confused as to whether I’m doing harm or good by focusing on alternating massage/icing. I’m also having my massage therapist focus on it once/week.
The other things I’m doing are the NSAIDs and the strassburg sock at night. I have taken time off from running (which is driving me crazy), and I’ve put some superfeet inserts into my cycling shoes. I have been unable to definitively say what kicked off the injury, but I am leaning towards the cycling shoes being the root cause more than the running.
Anyways, do any of you have insight with regards to massage and its utility in dealing w/ plantar fasciitis? Is there a time when I should not be massaging it, or is this soreness of the hurts-so-good-beneficial-type?
If it were my foot, I would seek treatment from soneone who has a proven track record of getting athletes/patients with difficult to handle PF, well. Seek out a direct referal. If that tact fails to locate the help you need, then I would make a decision based on finding someone who uses similar treatment protocols that has a proven track record of getting athlete/patients who suffer with PF, well.
I’d pass on the sock as I’ve heard people have had some pain in the toes… Personally, I wore a dorsal splint and it cured me completely after having had symptoms come and go for almost 5 years. I did the PT, the stretching, the tennis balls, blah… blah… blah… just like everyone else, but the relief was only temporary. Not until I started using the night splint religously did it go away completely and has never returned. It took me about 4 weeks of wearing it for it to dissapear, don’t skip a day, wear it to bed everynight and while your sitting at home lounging (like there’s time for that!!!) Here is what it looks like…
It doesn’t have the clumsiness of the full boot, much easier to sleep with, yet is just as effective for keeping the facia strectched for recovery… Good luck getting pain free!
Thanks for the info.
I actually purchased that same splint and just couldn’t get it to be comfortable enough for me to keep it on all night. The sock is more comfortable for me, which I know is contrary to most other people’s experiences. I figured the sock, worn all night, would be better than the splint, worn for 2-3 hours.
The sock definitely helps things. I don’t feel so bad first thing in the morning. My case actually gets worse as the day goes on, particularly if I’m on my feet a lot during the day.
For now, the plan is to throw the damn kitchen sink at this thing and get it to go away before it becomes chronic. I’ve got an appointment w/ a very well respected podiatrist, but I’m unable to get in there until early August. So in the mean time, I’m doing all the massage/icing/etc I can handle.
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Check out this months Running (it has Ryan Hall on the cover) The really hype a new treatment call low level laser therapy. May be worth checking out or at least hoping another ST has tried it.
for me, it was more important to massage the lower part of the soleus (?) … the muscles around the achilles … as that seemed to be the area that is/was tight and causing the pf …
I’ve been dealing with one since my last race and here’s my history so far:
It started to hurt a few hours after the race (double-oly) but it stayed ok for the rest of the day. Next morning I could barely put my foot on the ground. Immediately I was diagnosed with it and started to do massages on it as well as ice. Two days of VERY intense pain and I was off for my first run. I couldn’t walk totally pain free but the ice had made something and it was better so decided to give a try at running (I’m very irresponsible when it cames to taking days off because of injury). It hurt a lot on the first 10’ but then the pain went away for the rest of the workout. As soon as I stopped, the pain came much worse. I was again not able to walk. When I got back home, three days later, I still couldn’t walk without pain and went straight to the fisiotheraphist. I’ve been on it for 9 days now, twice a day, and am totally pain free. I have a race this weekend so I’m still doing it just to make sure it is at 100%. But after 9 days of intense therapy, I guess I’m heeled.
Some advise:
Ice it. Never more than 10’. But do it a couple of times a day. Forget the massage ball. My therapist says that is not such a good a idea since the pressure on the tendom caused by the ball may not work in your advantage if you aren’t doing it precisely right. And you probably aren’t if you say it’s getting worse. Do fisio. It will accelerate the recovery process and the lasers and electros are miraculous. Use sneakers and comfortable shoes. Forget sandals and alikes. You need a good plantar support from your shoe so it doesn’t get worse.
I’ve never had a horribly nagging case of PF but when it does flare up, for me, it is always because my soleus gets tight. I use the TP Massage Ball kit and everything gets better quickly. It seems if I ever have achilles tendonitis, PF, or hamstring pain it is always because my soleus gets tight. Good luck.
