Plantar Fasciitis - still....

[USMC2378]

I could use some advice. I developed PF in my right heel last October after overdoing it on a pack workout with my incline treadmill. Prior to that, I had been training for my 1st marathon and was running (road) 25+ miles/week.

Since last October, the PF got progressively worse and at one point it was in both heels. I started treating it with the golf ball method and frozen water bottles and orthotic insoles back in March, and quit running entirely.

I can still do bleachers to some degree as my heels never hit the steps, but I haven't run in months and my fitness is definitely not where it needs to be for this fall's hunt.

Every time I think it's getting better and I'll be running again, I go for a walk or a hike and wake up the next morning barely able to walk to the kitchen to make coffee.

This really sucks. Before I go to a doctor and get cortisone shots or anything like that, what else should I try? I've considered those braces that keep your calves stretched while you sleep. Some folks say they helped.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Get some rest until you heal completely which means until you don’t have any pain at all then still rest another week or so. Stretch as you are able to start very slowly during this time after you don’t feel any pain anymore. You should start slowly again into your training routine with regular stretches. It took me I believe like two months to completely heal. It’s sucks you just have to suck it up and rest until you heal completely then get into it again, but be smart about it.

 

[Newtosavage]

Get some rest until you heal completely which means until you don’t have any pain at all then still rest another week or so. Stretch as you are able to start very slowly during this time after you don’t feel any pain anymore. You should start slowly again into your training routine with regular stretches. It took me I believe like two months to completely heal. It’s sucks you just have to suck it up and rest until you heal completely then get into it again, but be smart about it.

Thanks.

It's now 17 months after my PF first appeared, and I'm still dealing with it to some degree. I have not had the courage to try running again, but my wife and I have gradually started to do bleachers again. After every time I walk more than a mile or so, or do bleachers, I can expect pain in my right heel for at least a half day. I'm almost to the point where I'm used to it, which concerns me. At least getting out of bed in the morning isn't the painful experience it was for nearly a year. So that much has improved. I really hate being this inactive.

 

[bat-cave]

My PF was very debilitating, but quickly addressed via custom orthotics prescribed by my pediatrist along with some exercises. I was back in my feet and at ~75% in less than a week. Assume you are looking at orthotics for the rest of your life. The reality is you can fall off the wagon and not immediately flare it up again. Things like waling around the house barefoot can set you back, so get used to being proactive with orthotics and I very rarely have issues. FWIW

 

[pirogue]

Had 2 or 3 bouts with it, and bad. Cortisone shots, day and night boots, orthotics, etc. What I felt was best cure was dry needling from a therapist. This is not just acupuncture. It is the needles with electrical stimulus.

 

[Newtosavage]

I wanted to offer an update to this thread that might help some folks.

Yesterday, for the first time in almost 2 years, I ran a mile and a half and didn't have sore feet/heels the next morning.

I attribute this to a couple things. 1) lots of rest (that unfortunately has me at my highest weight ever), 2) stretching, 3) good insoles for my work boots, and 4) the good fortune of stumbling across the "Foot Dynamics" store while visiting Boise, ID a few weeks ago.

If you have foot issues and are anywhere near Boise, I highly recommend you stop in. They have some incredibly knowledgeable people in that store that will help you find the right footwear or insoles. They also have an in-store Podiatrist who you can schedule an appointment with and will make recommendations to you and the salespeople for what you should be wearing and how you should be treating your specific issue.

We were on a drive through so I didn't have an appointment scheduled (although I would have loved to get one) but the salespeople in there were so knowledgeable I felt like I was getting professional help for free.

I ended up walking out with two pairs of insoles (not Superfeet but something else) that were custom trimmed to my own shoes as well as a pair of Altra running shoes that I've been using since I got home. I'm sure plenty of you know about Altra shoes but that was the first I'd heard of them. So far, they really seem to work.

I've been walking rounds of golf in my Asics trail runners with the new insoles and running in those Altras and it is the best combination I've found so far to take care of my PF.

Again, I can't recommend that Foot Dynamics store enough. Great folks.