if you can wear a real stiff shoe with a heel during the day it helps, I like red wing work boots for walking around. The marathon in Nov might be a bad idea, I’d be ready to just eat that entry fee and maybe do some more cycling and such. My own experience of walking up to the line of a marathon with PF was a) i ran a lousy race and ended up hurthing myself badly as I had to finish to get to my car and b) I was off running for the better part of a year.
Once it starts getting better there are some great strength exercises you can try in this video series, I’m working my way through it and it makes me realize how weak and off balance I had become
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 2 months 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 (Kinvaras). Instead, I put them in my shoes whenever I was NOT running to get more support and take stress off of some of the tendons down there 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.
I tried to run through it and lost the entire season this year. Have fun with that.
This was me as well. I went through a period maybe 3 or 4 months after I first got it where I felt it was good enough to start running again - Wrong!! It came back with a vengeance and I haven’t been able to run since.
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 storied that didn’t require time off?
I just skimmed the posts but I didn’t see anyone talk about taping your feet. I posted this in another PF thread. This is the only thing that worked for me. I tried running through using massage, ART, icing, etc but I still had pain. A few weeks of taping my foot and some ice and it was gone. Give this a try and if you have any questions let me know.
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 loosen 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.
PF is one of those insidious injuries. (like Achilles tendonosis). there are a long list of treatments, some may work for you, others not. My personal bout came 4 weeks before my A race marathon, sharp pain hit 18.5mi into a 21mi run with the last 13 at MP. my form broke down while I was trying to hold pace up a hill, and that was all she wrote. did all the rolling and self massage I could, while I went crazy on the bike and cross training for the next few weeks to maintain my aerobic base, and was able to PR/BQ without doing more damage to it, and was able to get right into marathon training for one 3 months later. I still have a nagging little PF, but that doesn’t stop me from running, it just reminds me it’s there all the time. I assume that will never go away. It’s far from my most debilitating running injury, so there are other weaker links in my chain.
Like many injuries, just because you have PF, it doesn’t mean that your PF is the same as everyone else’s. So- you need to figure out what works for YOU. I’m of the school of thought that most tendon issues are tough to heal because they lack blood flow. So, things like ice and advil, while they mask the pain well, only slow down the healing process. Instead, in many cases- ‘active’ recovery works better than complete rest. cycle, water run, elliptical are generally all safe. when it’s feeling well enough- find out what you can do without having it flair up… and do it. I find that a pair of superfeet or very supportive shoes will take much of the stress off mine, and allow me to run a bit more. Roll it, sleep in a boot, keep it moving and stretched- so when the scar tissue does form during the healing process- it forms in a nice elongated pattern rather than in a tight mess that will always constrain its motion.
so- depending on how bad you’ve strained it- yes, you may be able to almost run through it. Let pain be your guide- and listen carefully to what it tells you. better to cross train for a few weeks and work on the PF therapies. In the long term, this won’t slow you down. then- see how it feels in a few weeks. it may be serviceable. Or- you may really fuck yourself up. no way for us to tell. good luck. Running = Injuries.
I had very little success taking a few months off in curing it. As soon as I ran after a few weeks it came back. Finally, I had to make the decision to run a marathon I had already signed up for (Disney when it used to fill up 7 months early) or punt. The following worked for me.
I ended up going to a running specialty store and got fitted for a different shoe model and brand. I also changed to a Cole Haan Air shoe for work. But, the thing that probably helped me the most was using regular athletic tape and taping my arch for everyday for all activities (work, gym, and home) except running. I did not run while taped however as I felt that would change my foot strike and injure me in a different way. After several months of taping all of the time the PF went away and I was able to complete 2 marathons that season while still taping up. It finally just disappeared
I have had very little issues with PF since then. I cannot remember which foot it was anymore. I have had a flare up a couple of times (once was a day after I was doing semi-heavy squats). I would just tape for a few days again and the the flare up went away.
Thanks for all the tips. I think I’ll probably end up trying a combination of a lot of things. Right now it is just mild and nagging. It goes away midrun, but the initial pain is enough to diminish my desire to run. I get what I need to done, but it’s not that enjoyable. I’m especially interested in taping. Has anyone used kinesio tape for PF?
Kinesio may work but its more flexible. I tried it a few times and felt that I received more arch support from athletic tape. Also, athletic tape is much less expensive. But, the kinesio tape may be flexible enough for you to run it it without modifying your foot strike.
You can google search for this type of taping. There are several techniques. I went with speed and ease.
The pain goes away after a half a mile of running because you have just stretched the tendon out. Once you get off of your feet for an hour or so the pain will come back because the tendon has tightened. Its doubtful that you are healing it just because it does not hurt after a short amount of running.
Thanks for all the tips. I think I’ll probably end up trying a combination of a lot of things. Right now it is just mild and nagging. It goes away midrun, but the initial pain is enough to diminish my desire to run. I get what I need to done, but it’s not that enjoyable. I’m especially interested in taping. Has anyone used kinesio tape for PF?
I use LeukoTape. I have never tried kinesio tape, but it might be too stretchy. Maybe try the Leukotape for the first couple of weeks and then the kinesio tape after it gets better but you still want some support.
I’ve heard of very few success stories of PF and still running. In my particular case still running (but say 30% of what I used to run) while combining it with other workouts did great. Good luck!
I’m especially interested in taping. Has anyone used kinesio tape for PF?
I had plantar fasciitis and Tried any treatments. I followed my pain pattern to find the most effective ones for me. The best treatment for me was taping. I used athletic tape instead of kinesio cause I have found the athletic (more rigid) tape more supportive. There is a good review of taping for plantar fasciitis in this link. Practice makes much better in taping (as in everything). I really recommend this treatment.