Running with plantar fasciitis

Chad1117

Does anyone have any long term experience with this? I was recently diagnosed with the evil that is plantar fasciitis. I have since gotten better footwear, stretch constantly and I avoid walking around barefooted since my entire house is tiled. I am planning on resuming running activities shortly and wondered if there is anything else I could do to help eliminate some of the pain. Should I wait to lose more weight so their is less of an impact? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad

BenjaminMFP88

Losing weight definitely helps. I tend to stick to Elliptical and Bike unless i'm training for something specific. With PF, it was kind of an all or nothing approach for me. When I did everything right, it helped a ton, but if I missed something, it seemed to get worse. Below is what I did to help.

-Learn to run properly. There are a lot of athletic shoe stores that have treadmills/cameras set up and they'll do a "free" diagnostic if you buy their shoes... totally worth it.

-Stretch properly, it more so helped me if I stretched before I ran. Also, relaxing and stretching your foot on a frozen can of veggies helps after you run.

-Taping your foot (youtube/google will explain this better then I can)

-I took IBProfein before I ran, not sure if this is good advice

Wish you the best of luck.

phoebejeeby

I developed this from running also. Was pretty bad in both feet. Getting out of bed in the morning was quite painful. I wore good shoes all day and did lots of stretching. Stretching out my hamstrings and calf muscles helped me a lot. (Before getting out of bed in the morning especially) I believe that can be part of the problem. They get tight and pull on the plantar. I also wrapped my feet at night to keep the plantar stretched out overnight (not too tight that it effects circulation) This helped a little. But the big thing is I took 2 or 3 weeks off from running. Once I started running again, I took it easy and didn't push my luck. And stretched a lot. If I had pain the next day, I took that day off. Listen to your body. I haven't had a recurrence since then and that was over a year ago. I don't think you have to be thin or light to run. I started running when I was quite heavy. You just have to be more careful to make sure you don't overdo it, as the extra weight makes it much easier to injure yourself. Also, it would be easier on your feet and joints if you can run on dirt instead of concrete, although not always possible for everyone. Good luck! Don't be afraid to give your body time to heal properly before you get back out there.

hermann341

Do not wait to lose weight. PF was my number one indicator in the past that I had put on too much weight. I still use inserts in all my shoes (Superfeet green) even after losing the weight I needed to lose. Get a good set of custom orthotics for your day-to-day work shoes. Elliptical and cycling are good ways to burn calories if you're not running.

GiddyupTim

Most people run with PF. It is one of the reasons it generally takes so long to heal.
Get Superfeet insoles. Any running store will have them. Put them in all your shoes if need be.
And, then, stretch, stretch, stretch the bottom of your feet.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ortho/foot-ankle/_documents/plantarfasciitisteachingsheet.pdf

CLessMe

I developed horrible pf in both feet a few years ago and had to stop running. Expensive inserts and no running helped with the healing. I think for me it mostly comes down to form so I decided to start slowly with minimal shoes for walking to build up foot strength and find my natural gate and last year I purchased a pair of Newton's and I love them! They prevent me from heal striking yet provide enough support so it's not a minimal shoe. They take some getting used and are bit expensive, but for me where totally worth it. Just got my second pair. No heal (or shin) pain whatsoever.

CLessMe

Also, don't go to fast until you are really ready. That's a major cause of pf.

jgnatca

You might enjoy the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. I have done all the things mentioned; inserts, better shoes, stretching, and losing weight. It has slowly gotten better. I still avoid high-impact activities like running, though I do Zumba low-impact style.