Plantar Fasciitis

stuffinmuffin
stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,

Does anyone have any experience or advice on the above?

I have a spot of it in my right foot from very high running mileage in comparison to normal and possibly needing to be fitted for some new shoes though I have not had this problem before.

I am currently laying off running and doing cross-training (cycling). I am doing various stretches throughout the day including standing on a step doing heel drops and stretching my toes towards me and rolling foot on a tin.

If anyone has had this - how long until symptoms started easing...?

Replies

  • PurpleTina
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
    I had it in both feet after buying some cheap trainers and starting on a marathon training schedule (power walking not running), it was awful :(
    I got fitted for new running shoes (support, as I overpronate), but it did take a few weeks of wearing them before I noticed a real difference. The good news was that it did go away!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Plantar Fasciitis is a nasty bugger, but it's manageable. Here is a punch list of things that you should do.

    1. Go to a running store and get properly fitted for shoes. Many foot and knee injuries are caused by the wrong, or old shoes.
    2. Never go barefoot. Step out of bed into something with some support. Slippers or slides.
    3. Stretch your calves three times a day.
    4. Ice you foot. Freeze a water bottle and roll your foot on the bottle.
    5. Loosen the sheets at the foot of the bed so you toes don't extend as much at night as you sleep
    6. Get a Strassburg Sock
    7. Go see an ART practitioner. www.activerelease.com Mine is covered by insurance as chiropractic.
  • Zekesmom
    Zekesmom Posts: 64
    I have it in my right foot after 17 years of being a figure skater and being an avid jogger. It made my world come a sudden halt :(

    I am currently taping my foot on a daily basis, wearing a night splint and a air walker low cast daily. Mine is extreme. I ignored the burning, pulling pain in my foot for weeks. I wold just think to myself " oh, it's nothing". I would push on and put ice on it when I got home. I'd give myself a day off and then get right back at it.
    I went to do errands one day, WALKING, in supportive running shoes and when I stepped down it felt as though my foot ripped apart. The pain was insane. My foot now looks as though I have no arch left. My plantar fasciitis is an extreme case, but it shows what can happen if you ignore your symptoms. My prognosis is not good. I have to wear the day cast from morning til night. It prevents me from doing most of the things I enjoy. I have 2 young children that have to suffer because I can't do all the fun stuff I used to with them.
    I have NSAIDS that I take daily, plus I have gone to steroid injections ( which help some but are very painful to get ). I am looking at surgery in 6 months or so on my foot as well as my calf as it has affected that as well. I also can no longer drive:(

    So I just stress to you...TAKE CARE OF IT. And do everything you can to heal it. Stay off of it, get amazing insoles if you can afford to. Taping your foot does provide quite a bit of relief and helps the muscle heal. Ice it and no running for a few weeks.
  • Hodar
    Hodar Posts: 338 Member
    Do you want to treat the symptom, or the cause?
    The cause is that as we get older, the muscles in our calf contract - you may notice that you point your foot when you sleep. When you wake up, this calf muscle is still "contracted", so when you step out of bed, your foot doesn't get the motion it requires - thus tearing your fascia, causing pain and inflation in the area. Because the facia is a cartilage type material - it doesn't record pain immediately - that comes later.

    To treat it - semi-permanently treat it - you need to stretch your calf muscles back where they should be. One way to do this is to go get a "boot" that forces your foot to point up towards your knee, stretching your calf muscles. Wear the boot for an hour a day for a week - and your planar fascitus problems will "magically" disappear, and won't come back.

    Or, you can hobble around, wear heel inserts, buy expensive footwear and get foot surgery.
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
    I suffered from this for YEARS. It would come and go. To me, one of the most painful conditions. You can even walk in the morning.

    Here is what finally worked for ME. i went to a podiatrist and he gave me a shot. That kept the pain away for a while. Then, she gave me these custom insoles. They were custom. I put them on all my shoes. It took me about a year before the pain was completely gone. I don't use them anymore. But that was the one thing that worked. Get custom insoles. They have a solid arch that puts your foot in the right position.

    Oh yeah and stretching your calves + yoga helped me.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    Thanks for all the advice and information on your experience. Some really helpful comments there. :flowerforyou:
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