Question for people who have plantar fascitits

kali31337

I've had Plantar fascititis and have for about 2 years. I've finally got it under control (through better shoes and exercise) and am just now walking daily without excruciating pain. I tried running at the gym today and felt every step in my bad arch. Should I stop running till I lose more weight (i'm 5'7 and about 200lbs) or just push through it? I don't want to hinder the progress that i've made? I am walking everyday but would love to start running (for really the first time in my life!). Thanks!

kali31337

bump anyone?

Lize11e

If it hurt, I wouldn't keep doing it. It would probably inflame it. I wear an ACE arch support around my bad foot and that seems to help a little. If I were you, I'd go to my doctor and talk to him/her about it. That mess HURTS.

Nic620

My planter fasciitis really got better with weight loss ( prior to the sight) and I had orthotics made from my podiatrist. They were a life saver!
Do you have inserts for your shoes? My Doc also gave me cortisone shots in my foot which helped tremendously!!!!

Raynne413

I don't think you should push it. I have it as well. Started with my left foot, now I have it in both feet. It's not to the point of being excruciating, but it is definitely painful and not fun. If you really feel the need to push it, then you need to buy some orthotics for your shoes that have REALLY good arch support. I went to my local New Balance store because they have the machine that tells you where you have the most pressure in your feet, and the best orthotics for you.

tegeos

I had it and this worked great for the times that I wanted to run.

http://www.heel-that-pain.com/plantar_fasciitis/taping/plantar_fasciitis_taping.php

RachelAnnHendrix

I first got plantar fasciitis after I had my second child-- I guess the extra weight didn't help. I don't think you should push through the pain--It's not going to help anything. I highly recommend getting good orthotics-inserts for your shoes and always wearing supportive shoes and never going barefoot, these things helped me a lot. I do run regularly now, but the key is to go slowly when you are building up. You also should learn some good streches, like a calf strech with your foot turned inward. I think exercise can help your faciitis if done properly, but you need to progress slowly. I don't think you have to worry about losing weight first. If you can see a podiatrist they can help. I think ibuprofen can help the inflammation, but I haven't tried it much.

kylTKe

If you really have PF you shouldn't push through it, it's like a chinese finger trap: the more you struggle against it the more it wins. Cut back, rest up, try cross training. You can try using a roller on your foot and stretching your PT periodically throughout the day. It can take a long time to fully heal.

Raynne413

My planter fasciitis really got better with weight loss ( prior to the sight) and I had orthotics made from my podiatrist. They were a life saver!
Do you have inserts for your shoes? My Doc also gave me cortisone shots in my foot which helped tremendously!!!!

Unfortunately, I am one of the unlucky ones that has a bad reaction to cortisone. I learned that after I severely twisted my ankle and it wasn't healing. SOOOOO not fun. LOL When they mentioned it for my plantar, I was like, h3ll No!!!

beachplumkat

Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. All the stretches my PT taught me to do when I had plantar fasciitis can be found if you google "plantar fascia stretches" -- at the about.com link.

I do the Achilles stretch as soon as I'm done with my elliptical workout.

KatieJane83

I'm no expert, and I suffered from plantar fasciitis before I started running, but if you're feeling significant pain I'd imagine it's probably not that good for you.

However, I've completely gotten rid of my plantar fasciitis, and have been running since October pain-free.

In order to get rid of it in the first place, I made sure all of my shoes had great arch support, never went barefoot, stretched, massaged/iced my arches (frozen water bottles are great for this), and just tried to take it easy.

As far as running, I'd make sure to get properly fitted for running shoes. Also, think about how your foot strikes the ground when you run. When I started running in October I consciously decided to strike ball/mid foot, rather than heel, because it's much less of an impact when you land. This helps me a lot because I also have very tight Achilles tendons (also a contributing factor to plantar fasciitis) and this can lead to shin splints if I land with a heel-striking impact. Lastly, I would just take it easy. If you are only JUST over the plantar fasciitis, maybe give it a little more time before you jump right into running. I was an elliptical devotee, and by the time I started running I had already built up a great endurance/stamina level from all the non-impact elliptical I was doing.

gavini

my case is very different from yours so i am not sure if my info will help but here goes.

i had it bad but not excrutiating for a couple months. i treated it by getting a strassburg sock (google it and call your local running store, $40 but worth it) to wear at night. ice'd the foot at least once a night and i have a desk job so i ice it at my desk by freezing water in a plastic gatorade bottle and rolling my foot on it for 20 min on 20 min off - get a bottle with lots of bumps so you get a massage as well as ice. whenever i am on a escalator or standing still i stretch the calves. i stayed away from running and did biking and swimming instead and eventually it got better.

plus get new shoes and dont walk barefoot around the house at all, stretch it before you get out of bed in the morning until you get the strassburg sock, once you have it you wont need to since that will be doing the stretching for you.

i think if you work on your weight with things other than running and treat the foot agressively in the mean time, you can go back to running when it feels good and not worry about the weight on it, just keep treating it even if it doesnt hurt (that is what i am doing now for at least the next couple of weeks to make sure it doesnt come back).

i had it a few years ago and got rid of it with some stretching before i got out of bed each day for a couple weeks, this time it was tougher, each case seems to be different from person to person.

hope that helps

kali31337

Thank you everyone for your answers. I have noticed since I got GOOD shoes (one for everyday, one for the gym), I have been much better. I definitely should do more stretches and will try to do them before and after my workouts and see if that helps. I'll take the running slowly and probably go and see my podiatrist again if the weight keeps coming off and the pain continues. Much appreciated everyone!