Hi guys,
I’ve got a feeling of tightness underneath the arch of my foot, no pain in the heal or ball of the foot. If I stand on a tennis ball really hard I can feel more discomfort in the arch.
I havent ran in about 3 weeks but have been cycling everyday for the last 5 days and swam 3 times so I was wondering is it possible for Plantar Fasciitis to develop from cycling? Anybody ever get this kinda of thing?
Have an Olympic distance in 2 days so undecided yet to risk racing on it.
I’ve had arch pain right where the posterior tibialis inserts which I believe has come from cycling. I’ve gotten SOME relief with rolling and stretching the calf. If it doesn’t hurt first thing in the am( PF), and has tender points in the body of the posterior tib, you might consider that in the differential.
I’ve had arch pain right where the posterior tibialis inserts which I believe has come from cycling. I’ve gotten SOME relief with rolling and stretching the calf. If it doesn’t hurt first thing in the am( PF), and has tender points in the body of the posterior tib, you might consider that in the differential.
I hope its something like this. Will foam roll my calf hard for next 2 days.
I would move cleat back on shoes .
Thom
Before you change anything (cleat position, for example) do some detective work. What were you doing that might have caused the heel pain??
Plantar Fascitis is often an acute condition caused by a change in your foot position. Extended barefoot walking can cause it. And, it is not something to ignore as the pain can become debillitating and hugely detrimental to sleep (recovery) and training.
However, as has been correctly pointed out in this thread, there could be other causes to arch pain. Rolling your foot/calf on a lacrosse ball and or hard foam roller can loosen any scar tissue buildup that might be a root cause. I like the lacrosse ball because the diameter is small enough to reach the small areas of the arch/calf but it also has a more therapeutic hardness than a tennis ball.
What harm would it do to move the cleat back and see if it solves the problem ??? . I know what worked for me . You may be right , It might not be the problem . It’s cheeper then new shoes or a lacrosse ball.
Thom
Cleat position is very individual and therefore, once set is an important part of the bike fit geometry for any cyclist. The body’s morphology is once key component of why cleats are position laterally/longitudinally. However, they are only one component…
Therefore, if the cleats are set right at the outset of training and all other things remain unchanged, the body, over time, will adapt nicely to this position. There should be no need to change and even incremental change can have cascading effects in a rider’s position and performance.
I am not a bike fit expert and would be the last to encourage experimentation. I only want to point out the importance of knowing that in this area, change (even small change) should not be taken lightly but with great thought and analysis.
Hi guys,
I’ve got a feeling of tightness underneath the arch of my foot, no pain in the heal or ball of the foot. If I stand on a tennis ball really hard I can feel more discomfort in the arch.
I havent ran in about 3 weeks but have been cycling everyday for the last 5 days and swam 3 times so I was wondering is it possible for Plantar Fasciitis to develop from cycling? Anybody ever get this kinda of thing?
Have an Olympic distance in 2 days so undecided yet to risk racing on it.
I was doing some stupid big gear intervals years ago in the mistaken assumption that they would do something for me. Started to develop pain right where you describe. Suffered with PF for 2 years. Had to quit running and cycling for 4 months. No running for 6 months. Hope yours is not so bad.
I can say what worked for me. No more pain no more ball rolling . I get to enjoy training pain free . Yes I had to lower my bike seat .
Thom
Before you change anything (cleat position, for example) do some detective work. What were you doing that might have caused the heel pain??
No pain in the heel at all. It in the arch. Had phsio work on arch today and its sore as hell right now (12hrs later).
Started cycling on turbo trainer this week is the only think I’ve done differently. Cycled everyday for last 5 days actually. Up till then all cycling has been out doors training in mountains or racing triathlons.
Swim every second day also. Havent ran in quiet a while.
pain in the arch… not PF.
PF will cause pain to the medial side of the heel.
either way stretch the calf!
I think I got PF from doing hard/short intervals on the trainer this winter… hindsight is 20/20, thought it was from running at the time. A couple things that helped me: Graston PT working the arch areas, various calf and toe stretches, Trigger Point Therapy lower leg kit (massage multiple times per day) and putting inserts in my bike shoes (got the blue specialized inserts). I hope you find something that works for you!
I have PF when I run so I know how it feels. In addition, I had pain in the nearby area(arch) when cycling(exactly what you’re saying). In fact, I’ve always had it since I started cycling years ago. Didn’t think much of it, just a pain(it worsens right after getting off the bike). Took 3 years off cycling for various reasons and got back a month ago. 2 days ago, I did a 30 mile ride and the pain was so bad in the final 10 miles and after getting off, I literally could not walk. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Went to the LBS the same day and explained the pain. LBS owner said that it’s common with Sidi shoes. At that time, I thought he was just trying to sell me an expensive piece of equipment but having limped off the bike and still limping while at the LBS, I decided to just bite the bullet. Got Specialized S-works shoes and went home.
Did 32 miles the next morning with new shoes: Other than the slight ache from the day before, it never came back. Pain has stayed away thus far. The explanation given was with Sidi shoes, the upper material actually bulges out the sides, thus the carbon sole doesn’t support the whole foot(it didn’t help that I have wide feet). So in essence, the outsides of my feet were pushing down and inward without the carbon sole extending wide enough. Specialized’s shoes also have a built in 1.5 degree to correct the natural varus(?) that our feet has. Either way the pain is now gone. Prior to buying new shoes, I was reluctant to try anything since I didn’t want to get into the whole list of differentials(I can be a cheap ass on the smallish equipment), but boy am I glad I fixed it.
(post might be long winded, kinda typing this while semi-working)
Arch pain rather than heel pain. Therefore, I agree (although not 100% conclusively) that this is probably not PF.
Another symptom of PF is a much higher pain intensity at wakeup rather than later in the day or even after exercise. The plantar fascia shortens as the foot relaxes in the night as we sleep.
I have two patients with plantarr fascitis and biking. These 2 runners that have stopped running and are only biking to give themselves a rest from the pounding to let the tissues heals but the biking is provocative. One mountain one road. I find it hard to believe that you can work the posterior tibialis muscle belly with a lacrosse ball. I have a hard time doing so with my hands and harder time with the graston tools. I do not mean to toot my horn but I have been working on bodies for 20+ years and doing ART nad graston for 10. I have worked on many plantar fascitis patiemts and have good results, there have been several were I could not get to run again. When I or my patient does something and it works, I encourge it to be continued, we cannot alway give it a name. So if you are working the posterior calf and getting better keep doing it. Wether it is the PT or not. I also find that tightness, instability, stiffness in the hamstrings, buttock and low back can be involved and need to be addressed. I also give the info below to my people. It helps me and them figure out how to fix it. What would be helpful is how you feel in the when getting up. Try and stretch the calf with the knee straight and bent, stretch toes big one then the 4 little ones, with knee straight and bent, Try to correlate with previous days activities. Also if you can do with hamstrings stretch this will tell us if hamstrings are involved also.
!(cid:image001.jpg@01CD7549.D864CEC0) Cyclists who drop their heels excessively or who place excess pressure on the feet when they stand to climb are at risk.
!(cid:image001.jpg@01CD7549.D864CEC0) The center of the pedal should be under the ball of the big toe or slightly backwards. Or if you have cleats they should be adjusted so that the ball is under the big toe.
!(cid:image001.jpg@01CD7549.D864CEC0) Also as you pedal your technique should be such that you are not pushing hard or high gears and that you can maintain the foot and ankle in a middle or neutral position during the pedal stroke. The middle or neutral position will allow the foot/ lower leg muscle s to be at ideal position were they will have the mechanical advantage. A general rule is to take the joints through there full range and guestamate the middle.
!(cid:image001.jpg@01CD7549.D864CEC0) Bike fit is also important.
!(cid:image004.gif@01CD7537.AA264BE0) Try to correlate with previous days activities. Also if you can do with hamstrings stretch this will tell us if hamstrings are involved also.
I have this worksheet that is helpful but cannot post. If you want it email me through my website truckeechiropractor.com
I concur with much of these comments and find them consistent with my own experience.
The ones that stand out are: 1) flexibility/stretching in several lower body areas rather than a specific focus on the PF, 2) listening to your body and creating individualized/customized treatments (one size does not always fit all) and 3) analyzing activities and body data (sensations) to determine how to iterate protocols to achieve the above #2.
Acute PF is no fun but chronic PF possibly leading to surgery is much, much worse.