PLANTAR FASCIITIS IN ONE SPOT!

Oh no,Im sorry thats awful,I wonder if its because you kept doing small runs on the pf foot?? I met a serious runner over xmas and she had had a very bad case of pf last year,she also kept trying small runs etc.Eventually she broke her foot,had it in a cast for 6weeks and when she had it removed the pf had gone! She is back doing a lot of miles now and a year on is still ok.. She really believes its because she was forced to rest her foot completely that got rid of it for her?! So based on that I will give it a try,sounds like you will have to now..Oh well good luck,Im sure the other stuff will have its benefits and in the long term make you a better runner..

Was wondering if anyone has advice on dropped arches,still have PF not as bad,and can run now but only slow,as soon as I up my speed its back again next day.. I did go and have full check up with podiastrist/chiropracter in a well known sports clinic.He said my arches have dropped(I sorta knew this) which is why I am having foot problems,had Tibial Tendonitis in other foot last year but mild.. Well basically if i want to keep running I will need orthotics(mould,exam and made 367pounds!!) otherwise I will continue to have foot and possibly other issues.. Is there anyone out there that can advise me if I really need to do this,if I now continue running( assuming my PF goes) will I really knacker my arches,will barefoot running make it worse,and/or should I give up on that completely..Also he said if my arches drop I will not be able to get them back..BTW all the advice on here re treating PF is so good, it takes time but it works!

Hi Newy

Be ware of the "dropped arches" comments/tact/angle. In simple speak it means nada, zip, zero, nothing.

Most people with poor pronatory control will have "dropped arches". Its a description rather than a sign or symptoms. If you stand and squeeze your bum and roll your thighs out, your dropped arches will miraculously disappear as you've given your feet the ability to control your pronatory movement or the dreaded dropped arches.

You need to be taught this control in a functional and weigh bearing manner - good formed squates, single knee lunges and ballistic hops (later!) will do this. To recuit your gluts you'll need to have adequate movement in your thoracic spine and so giving adequate control to your low back so you can control your gluts to control your foot.....

Orthotics will also control your foot posture, but not from the pelvis down but from the foot up. A decent pair of off the shelf orthotics will set you back £40 - you can't get these from Boots but your pod/chiro should be able to get their hands on some....if they say they can't and you need to a custom pair because you've got a comlpex foot pattern then fair goes...if you haven't, bale out!

Hi mate, Had PF since June, am now back running very short distances and slowly! i bought loads of off the shelf orthotics and none of them worked! i went to a specailist and paid the £360 for new ones and after a month i now walk without pain and the next day after my liitle runs i feel ok! still get a few aches but nothing serious, i also get a sports massage once a month, and after exercise i stretch and roll my legs and calf, drop foot on the stairs etc, also after my shower i use the shower head on cold and run it up and down my leg and foot/ankle!

I will not bore with the full details but I have contributed to other threads on PF and I have after trying all the usual things been suffering from it for over 18 months now.That has meant I have mainly reverted to cycling to get some sort of exercise but I just love my running so its never been that satisfying.Frustration is probably too mild a word.

Many great days and mornings when I could have gone out for a run have been missed.As if PF was not bad enough I also injured my calf muscle so that compounded the problem as well.

Anyway the point of this message is do not give up hope because after all this time this week on alternative days I have been out for a 21, 16, and today a 33 minute run and boy does it feel good.Today my right ham string seems to be aching so I will make sure that has gone before I go for another run and my heel hurts but I can endure that if it means I can go out for a run.

Ok not very long times of running but far far better than no running I can assure you.

Good luck all you PF sufferers and I hope it gets better far quicker than mine has.

Interesting forum and all you sufferers have my sympathy; we runners tend to think we're invulnerable until we get injured and then that we'll never be able to run again.

The general tone seems to be nothing much works, and this may be true, in its very name Plantar Fascitis, it states the problem, this is inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is why anti-inflammatories like Ibuleve can give short term relief, but may not cure the problem.

The best cure may be simply rest from running until the condition settles down, which, of course, is what we runners won't do! We look for a treatment that will stop the symptoms while we continue to train, which may be why most treatments fail and the condition lingers for so long!

As a TCM Acupuncturist I have treated PF both on myself and other runners, usually 1 session, or at most, maximum 5, and problem is solved, though nothing is guaranteed of course.

Is a technique using a TENS machine on fluctuating wave length on two points, Bladder 57(or 58) and Kidney 3, after obtaining qi on both needles. Patient should feel a vibrating/tingling effect, not where the needles are but under the heel at the sight of the PF pain, and then this should last at least 1/2 an hour to an hour, the longer the better!

I appreciate this is not much use unless you know a good Acupuncturist but any BAcC registered one should be able to replicate this treatment - whether they will do so of course depends on their ego and how good they are with a TENS machine. I would probabaly avoid drop in centres unless you have no money worries (they may recommend a course plus herbal medicine costing a lot), and if you get no appreciable change in your pain levels further treatments may have no more effect than the first!