Starting to pick up the miles and the heel is not agreeing with me. Any tips/tricks/suggestions from any of you who have battled with this?
Definitely rest the foot and apply ice etc., but another recommendation is to make sure the shoes your wearing outside of training are supportive enough to at least aide recovery. When I dealt with pf it actually improved the most when I made the changes outside of my training. I spent a lot of time trying to solve the issue by figuring out if it was my running/cycling was causing it. However for me it came from a combination of increased stress on my legs from added volume in addition to my worn out dress shoes and casual shoes that I was wearing post workout. Hope this helps.
with mine I’ve had to resort to 90% soft surface running on groomed dirt or treadmill-if I run on the asphalt I stay as flat as possible meaning if the road is canted I have to run down the center. Dealing with my 2nd bout of it. First time it took a cortisone shot 15 yrs ago, this time I didn’t warm up before a 1/2 marathon and used a new pr of shoes and it irritated the bone spur I have on my heel which lead to 2 mos no running, icing, self massage, saw doc again and he said no shot and now 6 mos later I have been able to run all week but 3-6 miles no more. The elliptical and treadmill at the gym became my friends
Strassberg Sock, ice and trigger point Foot-Baller made it go away… changing how i ran kept it from coming back
X2
I also used the trigger point calf roller as my calves were really tight. Instead of the sock which I did not like, I found a nice little night brace which really helped a lot.
at night sleeping with that super sexy Strassberg sock
ice under my arch/heel after every run
Superfeet for a while then transitioned out of them to a ‘minimal’ shoe (Mirage/Fastwitch)
1 (one) Advil at night before bed to help reduce the inflammation
Now to keep it from coming back:
Now that I haven’t heard a peep from it for a while (watch) I have a massage stick that after every run I roll out my calves to above my heels…not really hard but just enough…30seconds at a time a few times a day
Starting to pick up the miles and the heel is not agreeing with me. Any tips/tricks/suggestions from any of you who have battled with this?
Rolling my foot on a golf ball twice a day for 5 minutes at a time. Feel the crunch…
This and icing the bottom of your foot regularly. I keep a golf ball in the freezer and I’ll roll my feet out then ice them after most runs. Completely prevents any sort of nagging issues come back.
Rolling a frozen water bottle and ART seemed to help the most while I was managing it. A major injury to my Achilles resulting in months of rest and the Strassburg sock got rid of it. The Strassburg sock after harder runs and a different approach to the running program seem to be enough to keep it from returning.
I run in Newtons Gravity / Distance (neutral) and started to get some discomfort back in January. I have high arches and no pronation. I searched the forum and someone recommended using an off the shelf orthodics - Superfeet (Black). I started using those and it went away. I was able to train with through it.
I didn’t read the entire thread but I didn’t see anyone that mentioned taping your feet. I posted this on another thread about PF. Give this a try.
Tape your foot. I have been running for 20 years and only had one bout of PF last year and the only thing that kicked PF was taping my foot. I tried everything that is usually mentioned for months and nothing worked. I then tried some of the taping techniques I found online and none of them worked. Then I tried one my sports chiro suggested and I was clear in three weeks while running. I have looked for a video online explaining this technique but I have never found one. This taping method will basically take the pressure off the PF and let it heal. I will do my best to explain it. Get some Cover Roll and LeukoTape. Cut off about a 3 inch strip of Cover Roll on the place horizontally on the top of your foot. This should be placed where the arch is and will protect the sensitive skin on the top of your foot from the tape. Now take the roll of LeukoTape and start it in line with the Cover Roll on the top of the outside of your foot and tape under the foot towards the arch. When you get to the arch you need to give the tape a good tug to make it nice and tight and then anchor the tape to the top of the foot where the Cover Roll it. Make sure to keep it tight until you anchor the tape. I normally complete the circle just to make sure it is secure. This will feel very uncomfortable at first but it will lossen up a bit over the first day. I normally left this on for a week at a time. It will feel very strange to walk and run at first but you will get used to it and it won’t take long to not need it anymore.
I had PF when training for a marathon, and here are the two things that helped the most. I was able to kick it in about a month while still training.
Egoscue stretches/exercises. Look them up on youtube - I found a set of a few to help with PF and I truly believe that these were the biggest thing in kicking the PF. I’d do a set upon waking up, and then again before and after my runs. Haven’t had PF for two years now, and I continue to do them semi regularly.
Heel cup for non-running shoes. I bought a pair of heel cups for PF on Amazon, but I didn’t want to mess with my stride by having them in my running shoes. Instead, I put them in my shoes whenever I was NOT running to get more support on a daily basis. I still use these today as well. Put them in my work shoes when it’s time to head to work, put them in regular shoes when I’m doing other things.
OK, I’ve dealt with this just about all of my 30’s and I hardly was able to run at all. I haven’t had a flare up in over 5 years now.
I’m not sure if you sleep on your stomach but if you do, keep your feet over the end of your bed. Don’t point your toes while sleeping.
I bought some Vibram 5 finger and just walked around gradually enough for awhile then went to a park and just slowly ran not far. My thought on this is my feet were week and I needed to develop muscles. I never ran seriously in them, just enough to feel like I was developing my feet.
Not sure this has anything to do with it but I started using Newtons, not sure they make you run properly but they remind me to pay attention to my stride.
Why don’t more people get the shots? I had it and tried everything. Now I did change my shoes - had a pro runner fit me a week before the shots so I know that helped also. Got shots…next day felt amazing. Started running 2 days later and have not looked back. I believe the shoes helped - but the shots calmed the PF down.
Why don’t more people get the shots? I had it and tried everything. Now I did change my shoes - had a pro runner fit me a week before the shots so I know that helped also. Got shots…next day felt amazing. Started running 2 days later and have not looked back. I believe the shoes helped - but the shots calmed the PF down.
The shots don’t help some people. I think it made my PF worse, actually.
And because it can potentially weaken/crystallize tendons and makes it easy for them to rupture (or so I read).
And I also read that cortisone treats inflammation but PF isn’t actually inflammation so much as microtears and scar tissue (again, from reading, I’m no Dr.!).
I didn’t read the entire thread but I didn’t see anyone that mentioned taping your feet. I posted this on another thread about PF. Give this a try.
What kind of tape do you use for this? I’ve tried the brown Kinesiology tape or whatever it is (a little stretch to it) but in most of the pics I’ve seen of the taping they’re using white tape. Is that the non-stretchy white tape you put on top of bandages or wrap up ankles with? I’ve never been sure about the tape stuff, but would like to try it with the correct tape.
After five months of fasciitis, I had a near-complete PF tear two weeks after my second cortisone injection. I’m now in my third week of a boot and the burning has finally stopped. AG Nationals are out for this year - I hope to be able to do an Oly in the fall and qualify for 2014.
Stay away from cortisone injections. They are an evil temptress - the short-term pain relief isn’t worth the risk of long-term damage.
I had plantar fasciitis for more than a year. Very painful indeed.
As you can see from the answers of many people here, the treatment that work are different for each individual. Each of us had his causes to the heel pain so we have different ways to recover. Try to find what works for you - what is the treatment that makes you feel better. I had no luck with the orthotics stretching and rice treatments. Taping for plantar fasciitis has worked great for me.
Actually I was a runner and that’s how I have become a triathlete.