How to quickly heel or lessen Plantar fasciitis?

_caseyb
_caseyb Posts: 51 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have my first 5K coming up this Saturday the 12th. To get ready for it I decided to do two mock 5Ks on my own this last Sunday. While running I felt fine - great actually. I had never run so far in one go before.

Yesterday I woke up and my right foot was a little sore. After walking around all day the arch of my right foot was killing me so I decided to take an unscheduled rest day from the gym. Today, I started walking again and the pain has returned. It came on quicker and more intense than yesterday.

I have not been to a doctor but it feels like I've strained or torn a tendon on the bottom of my foot at the arch so I am assuming Plantar fasciitis.

Any good meds or stretches to do to fix this ASAP? I was really looking forward to the 5K this weekend and don't want to have to drop out of my very first one.

*Also, just realized I totally messed up the title. "Heal" not "heel" but we can just play it off like a well placed pun.

Replies

  • softwind
    softwind Posts: 587 Member
    This is a god send. One day I couldn't put weight on my foot, and the next I could walk again... I don't know that it will help with the 5k, but it might help you feel better to maybe do a modified walk/run etc...

    https://www.thestick.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=FW-400
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    lots of stretching

    http://www.athletico.com/2012/05/09/plantar-fasciitis-solutions/


    ice it. and stay off it for a bit. get some inserts, like dr scholls. also, i found relief after getting some minimalist style shoes.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    tagged :flowerforyou:
  • bambi2578
    bambi2578 Posts: 155 Member
    One of things I was taught was freeze a water bottle and roll your foot back and forth over it. The cold will lessen the pain and the rolling will help stretch the plantar fascia. You could also use a tennis ball for the rolling.

    Good luck!
  • hnsaunde
    hnsaunde Posts: 757 Member
    The Strassburg Sock helped me immensely, and you'll probably be able to find it at a local running store.

    http://thesock.com/
  • Chickee8586
    Chickee8586 Posts: 155 Member
    Someone got to the ice bottle before me. Good luck!
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    Ice, rest.

    When the tendonitis flares up in my foot I roll my foot on a frozen water bottle, do heel dips on the stairs etc. I on the other hand am not lucky enough to wear minimalist style shoes. I had to have special orthotics made for my shoes and found if I go too long barefoot or over do it my foot starts hurting again.

    Regardless of what you try - don't let it go unattended or it will take "forever" to heal. Good luck
  • catjrow3
    catjrow3 Posts: 532 Member
    A good support orthotic was the only thing that helped my horrible plantar fascitis. I run almost every day, and do turbo kickboxing on the other days and my feet were horrible. I use a TM now with cushion absorption and I use orthotics in my shoes.. The exercises and ice are very important too.
  • Curleycue0314
    Curleycue0314 Posts: 245 Member
    One of things I was taught was freeze a water bottle and roll your foot back and forth over it. The cold will lessen the pain and the rolling will help stretch the plantar fascia. You could also use a tennis ball for the rolling.

    THIS!!!! Such a help for me. I also had to bring in on leg calf dips to help as well....There really isn't a short road to healing it though. You may also try taping while working out. It does wonders really!
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    Rest, rest, and more rest.

    And see a podiatrist to make sure that it is PF.

    You could do your 5k this weekend however you will run the risk of injuring your foot more or being forced to walk (read: limp) through most of it. PF is not something to mess around with. My husband had it many years ago when we were training for a half marathon. Ran through the pain during the race, ended up walking towards the end and was out of commission running for over a year. Also any other cardio that he did do bothered his foot. Even now he has to be careful because it has the tendency to flare up a bit. He had to get a few cortizone shot (maybe 2 or 3?) and he got customized orthodics for his shoes.

    One thing you also want to do is make sure you are in the correct shoes as well. Go to a RUNNING store and get a gait analysis done.

    ETA: Minimalist shoes don't work for everyone. I have a pair of vibrams that I used to run in (notice the past tense?). I also did other workouts in them and ended up messing up my foot pretty bad. Now I have to wear a special "thing" (that's the only way to describe it lol) beneath the toes on my left foot when I run or I am in excruciating pain.:frown:
  • _caseyb
    _caseyb Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks for the ideas guys! Currently at my desk doing some stretches and water bottle is in the freezer. Flexing my foot feels fine but trying to point is a total pain. Hopefully it'll work itself out if I keep it up.
  • smmadsen
    smmadsen Posts: 39 Member
    Hiya!

    There are stretching exercises you can google.
    Inserts sometimes help out.
    Don't walk around without shoes on even at home in the house.
    It takes time so don't get frustrated.
    Good luck with your 5K!!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Arch? I think most PF presents in the heel. That said, I guess it could still be PF since it runs along the arch too.

    Personally, I've had good success in healing it by frequent and persistent stretching. Put your toes on the wall near the floor and bend your foot back while leaning into the stretch. (I think this is conveniently called a "wall stretch".) Also, put your toes on a step and hang the rest of your foot over it to stretch the plantar tendon. Ice is awesome. Oh, and roll your foot on a golf ball many times throughout the day.

    Also, contradictory to common advice, I added barefoot walks onto my runs to help strengthen my feet and I think it helped (or at least didn't hurt).

    PF sucks because you don't really know if you've done something to hurt/help until the next day. It's easy to stop doing things that hurt when they hurt immediately, but not so much when it's delayed like this.

    The really bad news for you is that recovering from a tendon issue like this takes time...a *long* time...a hella long time. Many times longer than a muscle problem. My first experience took 4 months w/ very little activity to fully recover. My second experience with it, I worked around/through it (while continuing to run as I could) w/ ridiculous adherence to frequent stretching and it resolved in 2-3 months (but wasn't as far along when I started as I knew what it was that time).

    Best of luck.
  • aquarian89
    aquarian89 Posts: 3 Member
    Solid recommendations from above. Rolling with a tennis or golf ball under your foot can also help. I also am a huge fan of this cream: http://www.amazon.com/Penetrex®-Anti-Inflammatory-Tendonitis-Fibromyalgia-Inflammation/dp/B0026HDURA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396982725&sr=8-1&keywords=penetrex

    It's been very helpful for any foot pain and also ITB related issues. Best of luck in your 5K!
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    I think most PF presents in the heel. That said, I guess it could still be PF since it runs along the arch too.

    You feel it when you walk, it's like walking on tacks, however the injury itself is the inflammation of the plantar fascia which is the tendon that runs down the center of your foot.

    "Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot. This tissue is called the plantar fascia. It connects the heel bone to the toes and creates the arch of the foot."
  • str1ne
    str1ne Posts: 69 Member
    Agree about the Dr Scholls. On my non-running days I use these in my shoes and it helps reduce the pain.

    I also did the following heel stretches and massages to help. http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/plantar-fasciitis
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
    One of things I was taught was freeze a water bottle and roll your foot back and forth over it. The cold will lessen the pain and the rolling will help stretch the plantar fascia. You could also use a tennis ball for the rolling.

    Good luck!

    This, and use a tennis ball and roll back and forth under your foot. It'll massage your foot.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    So I have my first 5K coming up this Saturday the 12th. To get ready for it I decided to do two mock 5Ks on my own this last Sunday. While running I felt fine - great actually. I had never run so far in one go before.

    Yesterday I woke up and my right foot was a little sore. After walking around all day the arch of my right foot was killing me so I decided to take an unscheduled rest day from the gym. Today, I started walking again and the pain has returned. It came on quicker and more intense than yesterday.

    I have not been to a doctor but it feels like I've strained or torn a tendon on the bottom of my foot at the arch so I am assuming Plantar fasciitis.

    Any good meds or stretches to do to fix this ASAP? I was really looking forward to the 5K this weekend and don't want to have to drop out of my very first one.

    *Also, just realized I totally messed up the title. "Heal" not "heel" but we can just play it off like a well placed pun.



    Refer to this site - I've been running for almost 3 years and have read a huge numbers of sites. This is the best I've found.

    http://www.runningwritings.com/p/the-injury-series.html
  • Angimom
    Angimom Posts: 1,463 Member
    UGH, I have it again! So Bump for some good suggestions
  • sportzmom23
    sportzmom23 Posts: 103 Member
    this!!
    One of things I was taught was freeze a water bottle and roll your foot back and forth over it. The cold will lessen the pain and the rolling will help stretch the plantar fascia. You could also use a tennis ball for the rolling.

    Good luck!

    8 cortisone shots $800 in orthotics and quality running shoes later, here is what I learned: Ice, stretches, before you ever get out of bed, and when you go to bed. Get a decent pair of orthotics, IF you have high arches like me. the best runners for me, Asics, others prefer Brooks or New Balance.

    Write the ABC's with your toes, use a towel to pull your toes back, pick up a tissue with your toes, several times. put toes up against wall, stretch them out. If you are a flip flop wearer, limit them! I love my flips, but they are horrendous for people with PF, as are heels.

    All the above is what I learned over the course of 18 months with a podiatrist....my 12 year old is learning this thru PT right now, much cheaper, and no shots to alleviate the severity. My next step was surgery, thankfully didn't go that route.

    good luck!

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