Anyone here with Plantar Fascia issues?

bshedwick

Has anyone here ever ruptured there Plantar fascia? I'm freaking out a bit. I havent been to the doc yet, but I think I may have done it, and am looking to see if any else has. And wanted to see if what it felt like and such.

zsaoosh

Yep! Been there! SUCKS! It was two weeks after I did a half marathon...not during but AFTER LOL It took a year until I could run and two years later it still hurts if I dont have the right shoes. Stretch, stretch, stretch and get the right shoes. I would get a can of food, put it in the freezer and use that to help with my foot. The docs didnt really do much. They just had me spend alot of money on crap that didnt help.

CarsonRuns

From another post I wrote earlier today:

I had PF several years ago and it was fixed by a combination of things mentioned in these posts. One piece that was critical for me , that I didn't see mentioned, was ART treatments.

http://activereleasetechnique.com/

This has been a Godsend for me. My PT is an ART practitioner. The combination of the treatment along with rolling on a frozen water bottle, not walking around barefoot and stretching the calves knocked out a bad case of PF in about 6 weeks. I saw my PT for treatment 2 to 3 times a week during that period and he encouraged me to keep running on it. I noticed an immediate difference right after the treatment. I have used ART for a couple other soft tissue maladies as well with equally positive results.

Once the PF was resolved, I went back to barefoot around the house because I believe it's critical for strengthening the feet, toes and ankles.

A comment on barefoot running. I don't believe it's the end all, be all for running. It has it's place. I do form drills and strides barefoot when weather and terrain permit, but wear shoes for everything else. I also don't prescribe to the theory that you need to have shoes built like airbags for your feet. You have to have some feel for the road (or trails).

bshedwick

Did it hurt really bad after you did it? LIke so bad you couldnt walk? Or was it just a nagging pain that you could deal with?

I just got fitted for some better shoes with good insoles, and i stretch a lot.

bcf7683

I didn't rupture mine, but I had a mild case of Plantar Fasciitis. I started running again after taking a few months off, and lucky me- I ended up with a bruised heel. I am a heavy heel runner, so that was my contributing factor. I also ended my run with an incline on the large hill back to my house- incline running also contributes to bruised heels.
Do you have a pain in your heel when you walk/run/workout? That's what I was experiencing so I went to the doctor and she said it was Plantar Fasciitis. To help deal with it, I first cut down my running from everyday to every other day until it felt better. To manage the pain, I took tylenol about an hour before I ran, and I also bought awesome little thing called Tulli's Heavy Duty Heel Cups. I got them on Amazon (if you're looking, they're the ones that are the turquoise color and have the waffle pattern on the bottom) . They're little rubber cups you slip into your shoes (I kept them in my running shoes, that's when I had the pain the most) and they worked wonders. They absorb the shock from the foot plant on the ground to help ease some of the pain. I also started doing more resistance training since it's relatively low impact on your heels, and I ended up absolutely loving it- now I do strength training 4 times a week, with cardio now only 3 days. My condition took about 2 1/2 weeks to heal up.

If your pain is unbearable though, I wouldn't recommend working out. It'll only make it worse, further hurting your exercise routine. The last thing you want is to be laid up not being able to even walk.

bshedwick

My pain is pretty classic PF. Starts at the ball and runs the length of my arc back to the front of my heel.

jdennis719

Yes, I had it for several years. Every morning as soon as my feet hit the hardwood floors, there was incredible pain on the heels of my feet. I put up with this for what seemed like forever. I did all the over-the-counter type of insoles, gels, etc., to no avail. Went to a podiatrist -- who fitted me for a special made and expensive insert for my shoe as well. Absolutely no relief whatsoever. I rolled the balls under my feet while at my desk, the frozen water bottles, the warm bottles, anything that I could find on the internet and from friends suggestions to get relief. Finally, I went to an acupuncturist --- after two friends swore by getting relief -- and much to my surprise after 3, maybe 4 treatments at most, it was completely gone. All the pain completely gone. Its been over a year now, I'm barefoot every chance I get or in shoes with very little support (flip flops, flats, etc). Prior to my own experience, I would have never in a million years thought acupuncture could help me, but it did. :happy: But its miserable living with it day in and day out...I hope you find something that helps.

bshedwick

Finally, I went to an acupuncturist --- after two friends swore by getting relief -- and much to my surprise after 3, maybe 4 treatments at most, it was completely gone. All the pain completely gone. Its been over a year now, I'm barefoot every chance I get or in shoes with very little support (flip flops, flats, etc). Prior to my own experience, I would have never in a million years thought acupuncture could help me, but it did. :happy: But its miserable living with it day in and day out...I hope you find something that helps.

I have a non-runner co-worker who had PF issues and went to an acupuncturist as well, and she got some relief.

simplysassi

Yes, I have PF.

At times it was so bad I literally could not walk in the morning. I once dropped to my knees and crawled to bathroom. Another time I kept my feet in full tip-toe mode and made it that way.

The pain is worse after the foot is in the extended position for a long period of time and the heel muscle is shortened/tightened during sleep. Then in the morning when you try to stretch the heel out again you end up ripping the muscle again and have pain.

I get relief from stretching the heels on the edge of a step. Let the heel drop below the edge and hold it there. No bouncing, just hold for a few minutes. Do this daily.

I also use shoe inserts (just the over-the-counter kind) and that helps me tremendously.

The best relief I get though is from wearing a boot at night. It's designed for plantar fascitis and it holds the foot perpendicular to your ankle. It's awkward to wear in bed but the benefits are unbelievable.