Has anyone out there successfully healed their plantar faciitis without taking time off from runninng? I’ve had it off and on since last November with varying degrees of intensity. I’ve been able to keep my weekly mileage around 40 despite a little nagging pain that ebbs and flows. I’m stubborn and have two olympic distance tri’s left this season and a marathon in November. Anyone out there with success stories that didn’t require time off?
I tried to run through it and lost the entire season this year. Have fun with that.
I kinda was able to get through it. I was probably below 40 mpw. ART helped. One thing, since you’re running 40mpw, it sounds pretty mild. Be careful not to massage the area too hard. A lot of times, people will recommend really working/digging into the PF with a golf ball or TP ball, but, for me, it made things worse. It got much better when I backed off the level of pressure. I still massaged it, but was careful not to exert too much pressure which really helped. Night splint also really helped if you haven’t tried one.
I’ve just come off of a battle w/ PF while training for the upcoming Rev 3 Cedar Point Full. What I basically did was roll it with a golf ball about twice a day, ice it w/ a frozen water bottle every night, and before each run, stretch it out really good (golf ball roll as well as stretching). I can still feel it a little in the morning, but considering it was really bad a few weeks ago, I think I’m close to kicking it 100%. It’s a little less each day, and I haven’t lighten the run load. Good luck…
It is a bad idea. I ran through it thinking I was just sore and it was normal when training for a first ironman. Really bad idea.
Yes. Used a night brace, iced it after running, prescription anti-inflammtories initially, plus shoes with heavier heel padding, thicker socks. It got noticeably better after a couple weeks. The most effective thing I did was drop weight. When I’m under 10% body fat I never have issues.
I plan to return to more neutral shoes now that my weight is pretty well controlled.
I actually took nearly an entire summer off and did a lot of the suggestions to heal PF, without any success.
What helped was switching to zero drop and less cushioned shoes for casual and running. I would literally get home from a full day of work with some heel pain, throw on my running shoes and the pain would be gone before I was a mile into the run. Over a month or two the pain was almost non-existent.
I’m training for IMFL and have been working through PF issues since March. Had to take about a month off of running and 3 weeks off of cycling while I gave a course of oral steroids a chance to let it heal. And I’ve been building back up slowly ever since. I’ve tried pretty much everything over the last 4 months. ART, acupuncture, steroids, Strassburg sock at night, orthotics (2 times). I’m at a place now where I can run again without too much consequence, as long as I keep rolling, stretching, trigger pointing, getting regular ART. This past weekend I was able to on Saturday do a 60 mile ride + 30 minute run, and on Sunday do a 7 mile run + 1 hour aquajog + 2 mile evening run. Aquajogging has helped me keep my fitness and sanity throughout when I was unable to run at all. Hoping I’ll be able to continue ramping up on my way to IMFL.
I tried to run through it and lost the entire season this year. Have fun with that.
Just about the same here. I had it flare up in training leading up to the Chicago Marathon last year so I kept training runs shorter than I should have. I did the race anyway and I ended up in so much pain by mile 15 that I barely finished. Since then, it’s pretty much ruined my tri season this year. I skipped all the early season races and it will end up that the only race I will get to do is the Nation’s Tri in September.
Take it easy because it is a slow one to heal. I let it heal for two months after my race and it came back three weeks later, knocking me out for almost 5 more months without running and 4 months without hard efforts on the bike. Granted I don’t drive and walk a lot so if you’re in the same boat, get some good insoles for everything you wear daily.
This mirrors my experience.
calf stretch post run then biking did it for me
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Yours sounds a bit more like what I had last year. I averaged for the year 38 mpw and ran through it. I got SOLE inserts for my running shoes, that allowed me to train through it. Mine never got to more severe than nagging pain and the morning hop-along. It usually dissipated in mid run. Good luck
Did every single stretch, massage, tool, crap they tell you to do. I think the only thing that really helped me was to stop running for a month and do pool running instead.
I’ve got a fair bit of experience with PF. My experience is that running in excess of what it can handle can make it worse, but completely resting it will not make it better.
For myself, a small bit of running is necessary for it to heal. If I rest it completely, everything stalls - I think you need a bit of mechanical stress on it to heal it. When I get a bout, I cut my mileage back sharply, and then start ramping the mileage back up - carefully monitoring how the foot feels day by day - if the foot’s not improving over time, I need to cut back more. If it is improving, then I keep at it, and carefully ramp up.
I’ve also found that the Strasburg sock is essential to fighting this. Graston/dry needling/cross-frictional massage have also helped me.
If I’m very early in the PF cycle, one dose of Aleve can knock it out sometimes. But once it’s persisted for a few days, it seems that anti-inflammatories don’t do anything (and there is some argument that they slow the process).
Also, once I’m past the initial inflammation and in the healing/rehab process, I find that sleeping with a heating pad on the foot (over the Strasburg sock) helps.
I would NOT recommend continuing to run your normal volume with it. A bout of PF indicates that you’re applying more stress to your foot than you can recover on - it’s just going to get worse if you persist. Cutting back on the running a bit and focusing on your swim is a really good idea.
calf stretch post run then biking did it for me
I was well beyond it being that simple unfortunately. Even cycling hurt for months on end but it was ultimately what got me back into training.
One more thing for me was changing out my shoes. I’m convinced to this day that I can blame clunky motion control shoes for all my past problems as they more or less forced me into a heel strike. I’ve tried them (thanks to running store associates and two of my doctors) from six different brands and have always been plagued by shin splints and other tendon issues. After Chicago, I blew off all the advice and switched to a pair of Brooks Pure Cadence 2 with the factory insoles and have not had a lick of pain. I’m averaging around 24 miles (9-9-6) a week on two runs and a brick and I’ve drastically improved my form. The shoes offer just enough ankle support without being cumbersome in the tread.
My advice is to not run or barely run at all. I had stubborn PF kick up before my first HIM, and trained by doing strenuous hiking.
PF always seems to go away if you don’t try to push through the pain and do what’s smart. My formula for success was to not run if it hurt, find new shoes (Skechers GoRuns work for me and other PF people I know), and one thing that works for a lot of people but isn’t widely known is to move your bike cleats back just a little.
calf stretch post run then biking did it for me
One more thing for me was changing out my shoes. I’m convinced to this day that I can blame clunky motion control shoes for all my past problems as they more or less forced me into a heel strike…
Yup. For some people, it seesm that more supportive, controlling shoes help PF, while in other cases they make it worse. I’ve had my best success in the Saucony Kinvara; the same shoe that others have gotten PF flares when moving to.
My theory is that PF is very much related to one’s foot strike. Some of us NEED the help of motion control, and will get PF if we don’t have that help. For others, the foot strike is normal and fine until the clunky shoes distort it, and then we get PF.
Kinda like some people need heavy prescription glasses to see, and others can’t see if they put those glasses on.
Ice, easy stretching, night splint/socks, drop your mileage significantly and incorporate water running. Also would recommend seeing an ART pro (not someone who claims that they know ART, but someone who actually is certified). I got to FunctionSmart here in SD. I wouldn’t recommend running “through” PF, but you can certainly do things to maintain your fitness while you are healing. All is not lost.
DON’T RUN!
Jump on the elliptical or stairmaster instead. Ride your bike a lot more. Keep that up until it heals.
PF could be repetitive stress. Or there could be a root cause to it: the insoles you use, the shoes you wear, the socks. If there’s a root cause the PF won’t go away until you eliminate it. Each run or even just walking in that same crappy footwear you’d be re-aggravating the PF all over again. For me I was wearing size 12 shoes with thick socks. My feet were sliding forward and insole arch support was digging into my arch. I got shoes size 11.5 and hyper thin socks and the PF resolved itself immediately. The foot was still sore but it started healing as soon as I switched shoes and I was able to run without making PF worse.
By all means do the usual: stretch the toes backwards. Roll the foot on a golf ball or a can of soup. Pick up small items with your toes. I used a golf ball for rolling and I practiced picking it up with my toes.
But also take a hard look at your footwear. Take the insoles out of your shoes. Lay them flat on the floor and step on them. Does it feel like they fit you better when they are out of the shoes? Also try your shoes with and without the socks you normally run in. Does it seem like the symptoms improve without socks? Etc. You get the idea.
Just what does ART do for PF? I’ve seen it suggested, but I’m inherently skeptical about something until I get some specifics.
Chronic PF has kept me from running for a couple of years now. I’ve done everything recommended – shoes, stretching, cold, hot, massage, Strassburg sock, don’t, run, flat shoes, cushioned shoes. The only thing that helps is to not run or walk anywhere at any time. Not viable, obviously.
I’m at my wits end and I’m making one last go at being able to manage this so I can do another IM next year.