Plantar's or Spurs - No more running or new plan?

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BRobertson23
BRobertson23 Posts: 150 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! Over the past several weeks my heel has been in pain. I used to run regularly, but since May of last year, I decreased the amount that I ran. Within the past month I've developed a serious discomfort in my heel that seems worse in the morning when I wake up and walk on it then later in the day, but the pain is constant. I believe it could be either plantar fasciitis or a bone spur. This morning it was pretty bad and I attribute it to the fact that I hiked a couple of miles with my husband the night before. I know that I can get inserts to help with my feet for the immediate, but I'm not wanting to eliminate the ability to be active, so I guess my question is what do you do to help strength/assist yourself to be able to run and walk without the back lash of pain or do you suggest a different form of exercise that gets you your activity without more foot discomfort....and yes, I will be scheduling a Dr visit to confirm or deny my own assessment, but I'm trying to find a new plan in the meantime.

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  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    Search youtube for "plantar fascia stretch" and do it hourly. If you have high arches, stretch your calves hourly too. Wear Superfeet or Powerstep insoles, but only for activities that cause pain, and eventually wean yourself off them once the pain goes away (arch supports weaken the arch). :+1:
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Although I don't have this condition, I have terrible feet and a condition called a collapsed arch, which required full reconstruction of my left foot and will most likely require the same surgery on the right foot. I have screws and an implant in one foot and another foot that is so flat the bottom resembles the base of a boat because it has collapsed entirely. I thought I would never be able to work out but after a lot of conditioning and the right shoes, it has been possible. I suggest investing in Asics, they are designed for people with feet issues. Definitely head to your doctor and see about the little stick on pads that help a lot with heel pain, and Google band work for your condition. Stretching helps also!
  • browneyedgirl749
    browneyedgirl749 Posts: 4,984 Member
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    I have plantars and heel spurs in both feet. I went to a podiatrist that ended up giving me 2 cortisone shots (4 weeks apart). That has helped with the major pain I felt in the mornings (pain so severe I couldn't walk). I still have some discomfort, but that is the heel spurs. I had x-rays taken, that's how I know I have them.

    I have had to completely change my shoe wardrobe. My doctor suggested I wear Vionic Shoes, or get PowerStep inserts. I did both. I do stretches at night, sleep with a night splint, and roll a frozen water bottle under my foot.

    Check out YouTube for some stretches. There are so many! I do as many as I can. Walking is my go-to cardio. All of this has helped me be able to continue my hour long walks.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    I developed planters while training for a half marathon. I ran through it for months, but eventually got a cortisone shot which has helped. Stretch, stretch, and stretch more. Rolling your foot on a frozen water bottle or spiky ball also feels good.
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
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    A podiatrist is probably a better place than your dr for this one.

    In addition to suggestions above, I was also told to wear a compression sock all day for a few months (only 1 foot was affected for me). With footwear change, no barefeet and sock I recovered in about 3 months but I also havent been exercising for about 1 month. I plan to continue wearing the compression sock while exercising.

    I do have inserts for sneakers but dont wear enclosed shoes for work etc which meant I only wear inserts for exercise. If I wore enclosed shoes and thus inserts more I think that would have helped too, although footwear upgrade included more supportive shoes than I was previously wearing.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    STOP RUNNING! That's #1.

    Whatever you'll be doing for the next couple of weeks will not involve any running and probrably not any prolonged walking or standing...
  • BRobertson23
    BRobertson23 Posts: 150 Member
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    Thanks for the info! I will certainly look into all the stretches. I have very high arches and wore inserts with asic shoes for my first half marathon and several 5K races. Since then I haven't updated my shoes, so I guess I was my own feet killer. I'm looking forward to getting into these stretches and finding relief. Thanks again!
  • mgalovic01
    mgalovic01 Posts: 388 Member
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    If you've been landing on your heal when you strike the ground, you may want to consider striking the ground more-so with the front part of your foot. Your calves will absorb more impact, and reduce the stress on your heal and joints.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    BRobertson23 wrote: »
    .....Since then I haven't updated my shoes, so I guess I was my own feet killer.

    I'd suggest that your shoes will be lifed out as well and probably need replaced. Given the condition you're not going to get a solid gait analysis until the pain subsides.

    Depending on the quality of the shoe I'd generally anticipate about 400-500 miles out of a pair, although somewhat less for lower end shoes, if you're particularly overweight or if you're inexperienced.

    With high arches and insert it's possible that you're an under-pronator. PF can be reasonably common there but when you get back into running you'll get some benefit from working to relax your posture.
  • Baydogger
    Baydogger Posts: 37 Member
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    I've had PF more than once and the sneaky little bugger is trying to get me again! I continue to run but stretch the fascia daily with an accu ball and stretch my calves, achilles, etc. NSAID's as needed, always wear birkenstocks in the house etc etc. if I need extra help I see a PT to get me through a flare-up. Train smart and rest when needed. good luck!
  • jagodfrey08
    jagodfrey08 Posts: 425 Member
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    I suffered from PF for a long time. I had to wear a brace for about a month or two before it cleared up. I found good shoes also helped. I have a problem with overpronation, which didn't help. Check into a good ankle brace and wear it religiously. Also, get good arch support in your shoes. I found the Brooks Ravenna shoes were the most comfortable and helped my PF quite a bit.
  • amywendt
    amywendt Posts: 19 Member
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    Good luck. I'm not a runner but would like to do so. I'm currently recovery from Tenex surgery which is a newer, less invasive pf surgery. Hoping it works for me and hoping exercises are enough to help you.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,259 Member
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    Baydogger wrote: »
    I've had PF more than once and the sneaky little bugger is trying to get me again! I continue to run but stretch the fascia daily with an accu ball and stretch my calves, achilles, etc. NSAID's as needed, always wear birkenstocks in the house etc etc. if I need extra help I see a PT to get me through a flare-up. Train smart and rest when needed. good luck!

    This.
    And the advice to stop running. I got it in June of 2014 and ran until August ("It will get better..." didn't happen). By August, running was out of the question due to severe pain. This made work hard. It made standing and making dinner hard. It made Life hard :( I started swimming and doing a water cardio class. By January, I saw a podiatrist because in spite of my own PT (I've had it before with the same foot), it stopped improving. I got a shot and things got better--temporarily. We had a planned hike up Mt. St. Helens in July, so my podiatrist suggested shots in June and July. That seems to have done it, HOWEVER, I don't run 5x/week anymore. Swimming is still my primary exercise. I still do all of my stretching/PT religiously. I also sleep in a gigantic, supportive boot. Oh, and like one of the other posters, I have overhauled my entire shoe collection. If my orthotics won't fit in them, I won't buy them. I also have a few pairs of super nice, expensive shoes that don't need orthotics.

    Take people's advice. PF is nothing to mess around with. Why keep running in pain if it means it won't ever go away? Find something else for now, and nurse that foot back to health. Then you can build up your running again, and run forever :)

    Good luck
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    edited December 2016
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    The stretch that this guy developed helped about 7 of 8 people who had serious PF. it helped me too, dramatically. It's easy to do, too.
    http://jbjs.org/content/88/8/1775.full
    https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/ortho/foot-ankle/documents/plantarfasciitisteachingsheet.pdf
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,259 Member
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    GiddyupTim wrote: »
    The stretch that this guy developed helped about 7 of 8 people who had serious PF. it helped me too, dramatically. It's easy to do, too.
    http://jbjs.org/content/88/8/1775.full
    https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/ortho/foot-ankle/documents/plantarfasciitisteachingsheet.pdf

    Awesome info! Thank you! I'm always looking for ways to keep my PF at bay.

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