Plantar Fasciitis and stomping on balls

Rolling or Self-Myofacial Release is a good thing. I don't know that there's a limit but at some point I would say there are diminishing returns. If I had PF I would probably do something like...

- wake-up: use a lacrosse ball (personal preference) for 1-min & static stretch 1-min hold
- midday: lax ball
- get home from work: lax ball -> static stretch

I had this problem a while ago. I would stretch my calf first thing in the morning prior to placing my feet on the ground. I would do this with a towel wrapped around the ball of my foot and pulling the towel while locking out my knee. I would also roll my foot on a frozen water bottle to minimize the swelling and inflammation of the tendon. It took awhile to heal since we are always on are feet but it did heal. I suggest you go low impact for a few weeks while you do these things. Ibuprofen also helps with the inflammation.

I have Plantar Fasciitis as well. I'm not sure about how often you can roll a ball on your foot, but my podiatrist recommended taking a towel (or something similar) and putting it around the ball of my foot while laying on my back, and then pulling back to stretch my foot back. I thought she was crazy if she thought that would end the pain in my foot that was so bad I literally had to crawl sometimes! But, shockingly, it works fantastically! But you need that extra help of something around the ball of your foot. Simply stretching my foot back doesn't do enough for me.

scraver2003 wrote: »

I have also been rolling my feet on a tennis ball (I keep it under my desk at work) and omg - it hurts so good.

I would think could roll your feet on something for as long and as much as desired. They make a brace for Plantar Fasciitis that you wear at night that offered me some relief. The best thing I came across was freezing two waterbottles and rolling your feet on that bc the ice numbs and reduces inflammation.

On a positive note, I went through a really bad spell w Plantar Fasciitis but not anymore. Why? I dunno. I do weigh less, maybe that's it. I tend to think it is, if nothing it encourages me to maintain a lower body weight.

I have been battling it for a couple years now. The injections are cortizone shots where the fasica attaches to the heel. For some it helps but in my experience the pain returned a couple months later. The injections are very very painful at least in my experience. I went thru a couple rounds of injections and finally had the surgery in Oct. I would do everything you can to avoid having the surgery. I am still having pain, but it is more nerve related now versus plantar fascia pain.

Easiest way to help, get something that helps support both the Transverse and Metatarsal Arch of the foot - Helping to take pressure off will help with the discomfort and allow the Fascia to relax.

If it's coming from the heel, then it just means that you're applying far too much pressure in that area and your Tranvserse arch isn't able to distribute the problem to the rest of the foot.

I used to suffer with HUGE heel pain when I was younger. I've also suffered a long term back pain problem and ITB pain.

Specialized inserts, it's been a year since I've felt any pain at all.

I was just diagnosed on Tuesday with PF. I had been foam rolling my legs with a foam roller and feet with tennis ball, frozen water bottle since last Friday. On Tuesday the doc perscribed a night splint and anti inflamatories and rest. I asked about foam rolling and he said to do it but be gentle. I'm doing about 5 min 2x per day and some light stretching. I am also wearing sneakers with orthotics all day. He said sneakers "from the minute your feet hit the ground in the morning until you get back in bed at night". Fingers crossed!

Are you guys still exercising? Any exercises that don't aggravate it? After a week of rest if I am pain-free i'm thinking of trying the bike or rowing machine......

When I had a case of it, I was told to just slowly roll my feet before standing up in the morning, making sure to stretch and flex/flatten my feet well in order to stretch the fascia. I was also told to wear otc orthotics with a good arch support since I have very high arches. In my case, mine were in part caused by very heavy shoes I had to wear for work. I would look at your running shoes and make sure they are properly supporting the arches of your feet.

Ah, my area of expertise since I wake up and roll that golf ball on my feet. Use a golf ball for starters it is the best thing to help.

That golf ball is painful. The reason is because of scar tissue. My Physical Therapist (PT) called them "Rice Krispies". You roll the ball to break up the scar tissue. You can roll that ball as much as you want as many times as you want and as painful as much as you can stand it.

That being said, the root cause is that your muscles are tight and weak which thus causes the PF. In addition there are other factors such as core strength mainly your hip flexors, weak muscles in your ankle & calves, and an achilles tendon that is tight. Also balance and where you are putting pressure on your feet.

I recommend getting proper footwear from a licensed pedorthist and possibly custom orthotics from a podiatrist as well.

My pedorthist finds me the correct fitting shoes to go with my custom orthotics. Example, I have to get the size D width in the toe area. I also need a deep toe bed in my shoe.

I also have "Morton's Neuroma" in my right foot. It is a ball of nerves that you do not want to tick off because THAT is torture.

This is why I exercise. If I don't my mobility is limited. I never want to go back to that place.

I will say I had to go to 3 different podiatrists before I found the one that helped me. My PT was the one who actually figured out I had a neuroma and not my podiatist.

Now my situation is a little more that the average person however the solutions to fix it are pretty universal. Fix this now before it becomes heel spurs, which are torture.

I feel your pain, literally.