Plantar Fascitis and Running

AChildAtHeart

I've got plantar fascitis which is most annoying when I get up in the morning or sit for a while. I want to do C25K but it bothers me sometimes while walking so there's a chance it would interfere with runs. I tried a night brace but it stiffens up my leg so I mostly ignore it. From what I've read, exercise can help so would running ultimately help it by giving me more exercise and getting my weight now (I've read that weight is a factor)? I plan to ask my doc at my next visit but that's a month or two away so maybe some here have experience to share. The foot pain worse over the past year which is the same time I've gain more weight.

sarahharas5

From my understanding you should really be resting your foot/feet, not exercising through the pain. I've been dealing with plantar fasciitis and am still sometimes having to deal with it.

I took a full week off from any sort of exercise. I bought some compression socks off amazon and iced my feet every night. I also did stretches a few times a day. I bought insoles, stopped going bare foot, wore tennis shoes as much as possible and started using the elliptical more and running less.

I am starting to run more again since I prefer that but if I start feeling pain, I go back to the elliptical for a while. I still wear the socks to bed a few nights a week and also ice my feet pretty often. I roll my feet on tennis balls while sitting on the couch. I figured I should probably try to fix the problem now so it didn't get worse. My dad had issues so severe there were days he almost had to crawl the the bathroom when he woke up in the morning. My mother in law's doctor recommended she get surgery. So you really should deal with the issue before it gets worse.

Good luck I know how frustrating it can be!

disasterman

I suffered with it for 6+ months-it's one of those injuries that really sucks because it seems like it takes forever to heal and it just keeps lingering Rest, stretching, supportive insoles or shoes for everyday wear, and the Feetures plantar fasciitis sock all seemed to help me. I roll my feet on a lacrosse ball too.

discretekim

Yeah I have it and a related issue. I'm severely disabled. I can't even walk much more than a mile. I do zumba. It doesn't seem to bother my feet too much. I agree you should speak with your doctor but ultimately you have to listen to your body and do what works for you.

jgnatca

I wore inserts and walked through my plantar's. I also stretched my feet throughout the day though. I did not get permanent relief until I lost a lot of weight. Sometimes after a run the plantar's will act up again and I'll go back to doing more stretches.

Don't underestimate the value of regular stretching!

http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/plantar-fasciitis

Cherimoose

AChildAtHeart wrote: »

From what I've read, exercise can help so would running ultimately help it by giving me more exercise and getting my weight now (I've read that weight is a factor)?

If you get pain from walking, it'll probably be worse from running, unless you wear a supportive insole, like Superfeet or Powerstep. But here's the key - only wear them when you feel pain, or they will weaken your arches and make you reliant on the insoles. This is because PF is usually from the arch not flexing enough throughout the day, due to being sedentary, or wearing shoes with an overly rigid sole (= most shoes). Regular movement = healthy arches. For this reason, stretch your arch every 15 minutes throughout the day. Set a timer if you forget.

For extra stretching, wear a Strassburg sock at night. Conventional night braces (the black kind) aren't as effective, because they don't pull the toes up much, which stretches the plantar fascia.

beemerphile1

If you have PF you are done running until it heals. Got a bicycle?