I have had another flare up of PF and while I think I caught it early enough to correct, I had a few thoughts. I have been running exclusively in Kinvara’s for all of my runs and have felt great and running my fastest times. After the re-injury with my PF after a 10K, I was trying to look back and find what I did differently that may have caused the issue.
A few of my running partners said that with the harder efforts we have been doing in training, the Kinvara’s may not be the best shoe for training. I have purchased the Saucony Mirage and have found that they tend to “squeeze” my heel and create the same medial heel pain as when I run even when walking. It was the same issue with most of my older running shoes that also tend to be tight in the heel. It was this tightness in the heel that made me want to try the Kinvara’s in the first place. I also recall the couple weeks leading up to the injury that I had some extra tightness in my calves, especially the side where I have had the flare up, and I just attributed that to the extra hillwork we have been doing. I did try to do extra soft tissue work on the calves to try and loosen them up but maybe that was not enough.
I was hoping to get some feedback on the squeezing feeling in my heel with most shoes. I buy all my shoes at the local running stores and they seem to fit everywhere else, but the heel always seems tight and I just deal with it.
I’m not looking for a magic bullet, I know everyone’s situation is different, but maybe some insight from others on what I may try could lead me in the right direction on a shoe selection if the Kinvara’s are not working for me to run in all the time. Thanks in advance for any help.
Check out the Puma Faas 250/300. They’re not as minimal as the Kinvara, but they’re very light, very flexible (on par with the Mirage, maybe slightly lighter) and they have a very roomy, unstructured heel. No squeeze at all.
I can’t comment on the heel squeeze, but I can say that my Kinvaras beat up my achilles/calfs/plantar way more than my “regular” running shoes. If I ran in them every day, I’d be injured very quickly. First, I’d address the PF issues, because at this point, any shoes will probably irritate it. Then, maybe try doing the bulk of your miles in something else than the Kinvara, and reserve those for speedier runs.
The Kinvara is a low heel drop shoe. It places added stress on the muscles and connective tissue of your lower leg and foot (namely the rear leg and underfoot). If you want to keep using them, your best bet would be to limit use to 2-3 runs a week, and supplement with a more “traditional” lightweight running shoe having 10+ mm of drop.
Also, make sure your diagnosis is correct - not all inferior or medial heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Your description is consistent with Baxter’s nerve entrapment.
Thanks. I just assumed, I know the saying that goes along an assumption it was the same deal as before since the pain was similar. I’ll look into it and see my podiatrist if I can’t get it resolved in the short term. I will research Baxter’s but in the meantime, any recommendations for initial treatment? While I know an internet forum is not the place for official medical advice, any loose recommendations as to a direction to go in would be appreciated.
It probably IS plantar fasciitis, just like lateral knee pain is generally assumed to be ITBS until proven otherwise.
However, there are lots of other pathologies with similar symptoms. This is why you hear so many treatments that did or did not work for someone since they though they were dealing with the same thing as you.
OK thanks. It does seem to be getting better with the PF treatment I have been doing and the rest from running. I will see my podiatrist if I can’t seem to clear it up with the same treatments as before. I will also be looking for a different training shoe for most runs. Thanks for your input and have a great day.
I think that there is too much thought on the shoe factor of plantar fasciitis and heel pain.
There are many other possible causes for PF.
Recently I ran into this post about plantar fasciitis and running. Interesting information in there.
I had a problem with the heel cup in my shoe and I have found that on some shoes I need a wider size. You can consider the use of a rigid shoe inserts or heel cups.
Try cutting a 1/2" to 3/4" vertical slit in the heel counter, you will loosen up the heel a bit so you maybe can salvage the shoes and get some relief too boot.
it was the same deal as before since the pain was similar. I’ll look into it and see my podiatrist if I can’t get it resolved in the short term. I will research Baxter’s but in the meantime, any recommendations for initial treatment? While I know an internet forum is not the place for official medical advice, any loose recommendations as to a direction to go in would be appreciated.