Plantar fasciitis Experts Please!

Hello... I have had a bit of PF niggling for a while last year in one foot only. I admit I probably do not stretch enough etc too. However, I went to get some new shoes last week and was told I have being wearing a whole size too small! I have ran two days back to back - only a 5 and 3 miler to be fair, but I could not believe I had no pain this morning when I first got up (when the PF is worse) sorry if this is a stupid question, but would the shoes of made such a difference immediately? Or I am being lulled into a false security? I am just starting training for a marathon in 15 weeks and just want to get to the start line without messing myself up. Any PF advice peeps? Thanks x

My advice to deal with pf is to forget about the shoes and work out what's happening in your calves. Sometimes the problem is caused by tight calves, but because the sole of the foot can be weaker that's the bit that gives way. Make sure you do plenty of calf stretches, especially after wearing heels, driving or walking up hills. Massage is good - and a professional sports massage person can quickly identify whether you have any knots going on that might be causing the problem. If you can have a look at the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies, that explains a lot. I had pf for ages, but now I know how to deal with the warning signs a bit of stretching and work on the calves sorts it out.

RR is correct about the calf BUT if you stretch your calf you also stretch you PF due to your foot position.

I think shoes and the lack of control of a shoe is vital.

Absolutely get your calf released or foam rolled.

If you need to stretch it then you have to do it with your foot held in a neutral position hen stretching.....that's making an arch in your foot and stopping the stretch when you loose control of your foot rather than feeling a calf muscle stretch.

The advice given to me by a physio when I developed PF was to do calf stretching AND stretch the plantar fascia. This is what worked for me: custom orthotics in a neutral shoe (the orthotics control motion - not the shoe, motion control shoes don't always work for everyone and it is better to be assessed individually and professionally) and the stair stretch, that is standing on a stair and letting the heels overhang as you gently lower them into a calf stretch. This stretches the fascia also. Good arch support is important to control the sudden stresses on the fascia that occurs on foot strike. And ice and massage after running. So far its worked for me, I had excruciating PF seven years ago, do the above regularly and have had no problem since. However, probably best to ask a pro physio and see if you get similar advice

....plantar fasciitis is an over stretch issue. Why stretch more?

Not arguing that point; yes there is a risk with overstretching the pf, but the advice I was given was that the plantar fascia needs to be gently stretched also. However, the key issue is tightness in the calves. Good arch support controls the sudden overstretch that occurs upon impact when the foot is at risk of flattening out. This is simply the advice I got years ago that's worked for me. Any stretching at all can turn into an overstretching issue if taken too far, especially tendon stretching and the pf is indeed tendon rather than muscle, but I was told that this also needs a little bit of flexibility to reduce the forces exerted at the point of insertion in the heel.