Plantar fasciitis and exercise

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  • jenrn12
    jenrn12 Posts: 2 Member
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    I had plantar fascitis in right foot 2 years ago. I was training for Chicago marathon and continued to ignore the heel pain and the fact I couldn't walk well in the morning until the foot "warmed up" I finally saw a podiatrist, he sent me for custom orthodics which took about a month to get used to. I was told it would take this long. My feet would hurt if I wore them to long in the beginning. I had to get Keen shoes for work, since they are the only casual shoe that the orthodic fits in. I kissed cute shoes goodbye...never walk barefoot, and still wear these orthodics 90% of the time since it took 9 mo to heal. The doc said to take the amount of time you have had pain and double it...and this is approx how long it will take to heal. I was also advised to see PT, ice, roll a golfball in foot ( this is very painfull) stretch the back of the calf ALOT ...and I also got massage therapy. I quit running and all other high impact sports. I rode my bike alot to get exercise in. I never got the shots. I got back to running, but I am very careful about stretching now to. This is such a pain to have and I never want it again. I wish you luck with recovery.
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
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    When I suffered from it, my podiatrist said it's because my feet are semi flat. I asked if I needed special insoles. He laughed and said not really. Just strengthen my calves and hamstrings. And stretch them everyday for 5 minutes. That was 1 year ago almost and I have never had a problem since thank God!
  • trinitylyons01
    trinitylyons01 Posts: 126 Member
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    I have it too. In all honesty mine probably would be much better by now but I walk around barefoot a lot in my house, which is an AWFUL thing to do if you have PF. (I know. I'm a bad patient).

    Anyway, one thing my doctor recommended was getting the 12 or 16 oz plastic coke bottle, filling it with water and freezing it. When pain is at its worse I roll my feet back and forth over the coke bottle and it really helps. She also gave me inserts and recommended daily stretches.

    I have also found that shoes with really good support help. I can instantly tell when I have on shoes that don't offer proper support.

    Basically, what I've found to really help me is NOT standing for long periods of time (even with proper support), stretching regularly (which I do now that I work out regularly), wearing shoes with excellent support, not wearing heels too much, not walking around barefoot and using the frozen coke bottle when pain is severe. When I do these things reguarly I do not have pain.

    Good luck and I hope you get some relief soon!
  • abadaba
    abadaba Posts: 44
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    I have PF in my right foot, and it was awful until I started losing weight. But then again, I also started taking glucosamine for my right knee, so maybe that's doing something? It used to be so bad that just getting up out of bed in the morning was so painful--I was also not consistent with doing my recommended stretches or wearing shoes around the house, like my Dr. wanted me too!

    I invested in a really good pair of tennis shoes, and it's been significantly improved! I do sometimes wear my inserts, but I'm lazy about those as well.

    The first exercise I started was in the water, as it's easiest on joints overall. I gradually moved on to the elliptical, treadmill and bike.
  • astargirlpower
    astargirlpower Posts: 8
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    I had to stop jogging and even waking aggravated it. I do yoga at a real studio and my pain is subsiding and my body is changing. good stuff.
  • olee67
    olee67 Posts: 208 Member
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    I've had issues with PF for about 13 years. I was a hockey referee and, believe it or not, hockey skates aren't made for comfort. I have two huge (much smaller than they used to be) bone spurs on my heels. At it's peak, I could barely walk in the morning and had constant pain the balls of my feet. So much so that my toes would go numb. I still have issues with it today due to playing hockey and, well, tearing my feet up so much over the years. At one point, I even developed gout in my right big toe. I've had me some foot issues. I would take up to 8 NSAIDs a day depending on activity level. Clearly not a long term option.

    So, now that I don't skate as much, I literally NEVER walk in bare feet. I try to use orthodics of some sort in every pair of anything I wear. If things get really bad, I'll tape my arches. I have slightly high arches. I swim for cardio or bike as much as I can. I think the best approach is to have support for your feet as much as possible to take stress off that tendon.

    What my biggest advice is though, don't "push" through the pain like I did. This isn't something you can "push" through. The most drastic thing you can do is eliminate all impact exercise from your routine. Circuit training with weights instead of treadmill work. Swimming is the best. Zero foot impact.

    You just have to take it easy and make sure you are healed before you start getting really active on your feet again. PF is just so easy to reaggrivate.
  • Aello11
    Aello11 Posts: 312 Member
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    I usually just read the boards - but will throw my 2 cents on this one. while barefoot, roll a tennis ball with the foot - plus roll a frozen water bottle. That really helped me.
  • cowenc1
    cowenc1 Posts: 3 Member
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    I've had this problem on my left foot since Dec. 2011.. ice, stretching.... yeah... no help. I've had the shots... lasted a week. I have my x-rays... and see the dr. later this month... I am prepared to beg for surgery!!! I stand all day at my job... been off all summer (teacher) not sure how long I can go until I naw my own foot off!!!
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
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    Yoga is a good way to stretch that calf AND exercise. Also biking and swimming are good no-impact ways to work out. They've been keeping me sane, anyway...
  • lhitchman
    lhitchman Posts: 3
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    I've had it for about a year in my right foot...tried orthotics and Birkenstocks, stretching, never going barefoot etc. Nothing helped. I started seeing a chiropractor for a neck issue a month ago and mentioned the PF. She said it can be caused by bones in your foot being misaligned and causing undue stress on the plantar tendon. My foot had several misalignments and after several sessions I haven't had pain now for over a week...first time in a year. I'm hopeful that it's doing the trick. Worth a try?
  • psychRN83
    psychRN83 Posts: 71 Member
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    I am a nurse and i have plantar fasciitis in both feet due to standing all the time at work and gaining weight. I have had issues for two years. I have probably spent about 2000 dollars looking for the right shoe. Birkenstocks didnt work for me. I tried to break mine in and i tried softbeds as well. Right now i live in Orthaheel flip flops. They are made to support your arch. I wear rx relief crocs with Orthaheel inserts at work. I went to a chiropractor and physical therapist who tried massage, muscle stimulation therapy, and laser light therapy. It worked if i did it three times a week. Then i tore my ACL during MMA and had to save all my physical therapy sessions for after that surgery.The best things i have found to relieve pain are GOLF BALLS!! No joke. I have them everywhere and i do not even play golf. Roll your feet on one every time before you stand up from sitting for long periods especially in the morning after sleeping. It decreases my pain about 70 percent. I also do not use those round plastic ice sticks that are in most water bottles for my drinks so i just keep them in the freezer and roll them under my feet for quick relief. They are easy to refreeze.

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