Grrrr... Plantar Fasciitis

I have this as well - it used to be so bad I had to get a handicap parking pass as the pain was so awful. You can get a lot of good help from www.heelspurs.com. My tips for you:

1/ the pain is worst when you first get up from sleeping or sitting for a while. This is because you are re-injuring yourself by tearing it again when you put pressure on it. So, before you get up, stretch the foot first. In the morning before getting out of bed, do foot circles. Write the alphabet or your name with your foot. Pretend your bit toe is a pen and just move your foot to form each letter. By the time you are done w/ the alphabet, your foot will be loosened up & it won't hurt so much to walk on it.

2/ I went through physical therapy, custom orthotics, custom orthotic shoes made for me, wrapping the foot (this helped the most). What finally made my life normal again?

3/ birkenstocks. I replaced all my shoes with birkenstocks. You may not want to go to such extremes (now, several years later, I can wear other brands again). I have told co-workers and my brother the same - and as soon as they got a pair of birkenstocks to wear, at least around the house, they improved a lot. Another good one to try is orthaheel brand shoes. These shoes have a high arch, and they help to support the foot to ease the pain. Birks have a hard footbed, which works great for me. Orthaheel has a softer footbed. Go to a QUALITY shoe store and get fitted with one of those.

In the meantime, bike or swim.

I had this horrible condition for quite some time and was "diagnosed" by a friend who had suffered it when a professional rugby league player. The "cur" for him was cortizone/pain killing injections - kept him playing but didn't do much.

However, his experience and his post retirement career as a physiotherapist helped him find somethjing of a cure - MBT shoes. I bought some and....bingo, pain gone.

The only issue is the price - MBTs are not cheap. They do, however, work. Skechers Shape Ups (I think even the mens version is the same name?) work just as well too.

I've worn out one pair of MBTs and the Skechers are never off my feet - plantar fasciitis.....gone.

Losing weight helped a lot too though....I lost 140 pounds 4 years ago, pain went. Piled weight back on and...pain started to return.

30lbs loss in last five weeks - pain going away again.

Good luck in getting rid of the pain - seriously folks, try the shoes!

Mr. Peanut is all I can say.

I suffered from plantar fasciitis for about 5 years. I did all the exercises, had a couple of cortisone shots & I have the orthotic inserts, but nothing really helped & it got so bad that I had back & hip problems from it & could barely walk upright. Then last summer I went to a place called Synergy Chiropractic Spine & Joint Center. They perform Active Release Technique (ART), which means they actually work on the tissues surrounding the affected areas. It took about 3-4 months of treatment, but I am pain free. I feel like a whole new person. I've lost about 40 pounds this year & I actually ran my first ever race (a 10K). I cannot recommend ART highly enough! Here's a link to find out if there are any ART providers near you.

http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp

I agree 100%. I did this and the Graston Technique and it helped my PF immensely. I had a nasty case and had it for about 2.5 years. If you get Grastoned, make sure the practitioner does it all the time. I go to a sports physical therapist because they do it everyday. You can also find a practitioner on the site.

Here is a link to learn about Graston:

www.grastontechnique.com

Oh, and I have 3 pairs of orthotics in rotation.

Hi! I struggle with this problem myself and I am training for my fifth half marathon and first full marathon in Feb 2013. I have some good tips for the pain:

1. Get a tennis ball and a golf ball. While you are sitting on the couch watching tv simply roll the tennis ball under your foot applying gentle pressure. You will be amazed at how much this works. The golf ball can be used for more condensed pressure. It will hurt at first, but the more you do this the greater it feels!

2. Get a foam roller and really stretch out your achilles and calf muscles. You can find great demos online for specific exercises like this: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--11556-0,00.html

You can work through this pain! You really can. Don't let it stop you.

I had it and had to have surgery for it as no other options were working for me. Best move I've ever made considering I was to the point that I couldn't walk any more. Most painful thing I've ever experienced. Good luck with your treatment! :happy:

I went through the same at the beginning of the year. Make sure you are stretching the muscles in the area well every morning and each night. An anit inflammatory like ibuprofen after any workouts and rolling a frozen water bottle under your feet after workouts/walking. As for cardio, the ARC trainer does not pound your feet and I find it much easier on my knees than the elliptical.

Good Luck, but be safe, you really need your feet in good shape

Once you get your orthotics figured out never go barefoot. I have them in my walking shoes and my slippers. Birkenstocks actually help me too. I keep them by the bed and I get out of bed and slip right into them. It was so hard to give up going barefoot, but my plantar fasciitis thanks me. I live in a no shoe house, but I'm the only one who is allowed to wear shoes.

I remember once I got my footwear situation figured out and with icing my foot pain took a few months to settle down. Then I slowly began walking for exercise again.

Don't get discouraged. Keep working on it with your Dr. It will get better.

Been there done that. My story is similar, so I sympathize. I still get flare ups periodically and I have tried most everything without a Rx. The pain is spectacular while it lasts. I have had broken bones in my feet that hurt a good deal less.

The good news is it is kind of a pain driven thing (for me anyway). The fascia stretching and tearing pretty much always delivers pain in proportion to the extent of the problem, so your pain level will tell you how far you can go if you listen to it. For regular cardio like walking mine never seems to get worse during the exercise, so if it's manageable at the start, I don't have any problem finishing. Sprinting or other power movements are another story. When you are kind of in-between when you can feel it, but it isn't terrible, rowing biking, elliptical or other non impact movements work pretty well.

If you are like me you may be prone to it for a long while, so you'll have to take steps to minmize flare ups.

What has worked for me:

1. Never go barefoot, wear something with an arch that fits your foot even around the house. Ortho inserts for your shoes can also help give better arch support and prevent the problem.

2. Use a night splint that keeps your foot flexed during sleep, which helps relieve the pressure. You can get them online or at your local drug store.

3. Roll a ball (baseball, golf ball, etc.) with some pressure under your arch periodically to break up scar tissue and relieve the tension. It hurts at first, but it does help with the pain. You can also roll a frozen 16oz water or gatorade bottle under there, which also provides some relief from swelling and pain.

4. Get a foam roller and roll out your calf muscles every day. Apparently too much tension in the calf can exacerbate the problem. This is a kind of Active Release Therapy without the actual physical therapy, which can also be an option.

5. Do towel stretches of your calf and hamstring every day to help prevent further problems.

6. Negative calf raises seem to help me prevent further problems when the pain subsides.

7. If all else fails, your local doctor may Rx cortizone shots and orther therapies. Mine mentioned them as an option, but wanted me to rest and try stretches first.

Good Luck!

Calf stretching is key to keeping the problem at bay.

Both of my parents were long distance runners and both developed PF and heels spurs. My dad did the quick fix surgery while my mom eased the pain with cold wine bottles and stretching. My mom is pain free and can still run. My dad continues to struggle with both PF and spurts (he refuses the extra stretching).

Another suggestion is willPower and Grace if there is a certified class in your area. I started taking the class because I enjoyed the cardio portion but found out it is actually billed as a foot fitness class (you do it barefoot). I've noticed that since taking the class regularly, I have less tightness in my legs and feet when I run. I believe it is because I'm better aligned and now run toe to heel.

Here's the website: http://www.willpowermethod.com/willpower-grace

And yes, men do take the class

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Golf ball/tennis ball/frozen soda bottle for stretching the fascia under your foot, and then read up on barefoot/minimalist running and why the shoes we wear cause all kinds of problems with our feet.

I'm NOT recommending you run barefoot, just that you think about how orthotics and other types of shoes restrict the natural movement of your foot and the problems that causes.

I had the same thing a few years ago. Cortisone injections with wraps for about 3 weeks helped. Also an anti inflammatory meds. I now do stretches for my feet that seem to help. The orthotics were a complete waste of money. I spent $400 for 2 pieces of crap that stay in my dresser drawer. Invest in a good pair of shoes with good arch support. Check out Footsmart.com. Good luck!!!

Cortisone injection, stretching, ice and especially orthotics helped. I wear orthotics all the time or flip flops by ortha heel and have no problems now.

I suffered with PF for years not knowing that was what it was. Every morning I'd get up and couldn't put any weight on my heel. Manage to hobble to the bathroom and then magically it would be gone. It would go away for awhile and then come back. Finally, I remembered to tell my doctor about it and he diagnosed it. He gave me a sheet of exercises and instruction for taping my foot. Stretching my foot and keeping it taped at night (24 hours for the first couple of weeks) was the most effective. I was worried about walking too but that actually helped although initially it was painful. Losing weight has brought a lot of relief.

When mine flares up I resort to the Strausberg (sp?) sock when I sleep. It keeps the foot bent while you sleep so your tendon heals extended, so when you wake up you don't injure it again with your first step.