Plantar Fasciitis - Health + Injury

cheryl craven

31/03/2011 at 10:05

HELP PLEASE NEEDED!

I've been diagnosed with this at the hospital 4 days ago and I'm in constant pain/ ache with this and have been told I can only swim for atleast 4 weeks. I have just returned from 3 months of back injury which stopped me from running only to now have this. VERY FRUSTRATED becasue I love running and the back injury has already had a dramatic affect on my running ability.

I love exercise and training please can anyone give me anymore advice I feel like giving up!

lurker

31/03/2011 at 10:08

cheryl - i should think there are about 100 threads already written on this subject as it is very common

if you use the search function you will find loads of good advice

Jeepers

31/03/2011 at 10:43

+ 1 for lurker.

I had it and was out for 2 years, but I made it back and was due to have run my first mara last December (only it was cancelled due to snow).

So, it is possible to recover.

Check out the threads, we all found that different things work, the only common aspect being patience. If you try to return before it's healed, you'll make it worse.

Stretching (calves and pf tendon) worked for me, I roll a rounders ball under both feet every day, 2 mins each foot and more than once a day if I can. I wear orthotics and have had them adjusted for PF, warmth also worked for me because when my feet get cold, the tendon really contracts. I had a night splint which I wore all the time when resting and gradually, things improved. I had physio treatment (firstly just sonic massage then exercises) but in between, I worked at the tendon constantly, massaging and lengthening it all the time.

Even though it's a few years since I had PF, I still stretch every day and after every run.

There is plenty you can do while waiting for the PF to repair, swimming and x-training, so work out an alternative programme and take it slowly when you start back. You might also want to consider pool running.

But the main thing is - you can recover.

Phantom Tom

01/04/2011 at 00:27

I agree with Jeepers.

I had a catastrophic recovery over my Plantar of about 6 months, when the back of a fork lift hit the side of my leg and I broke the Tibia and Fibia, and had a nail and 6 screws in the opposite leg.

The key to the Plantar healing completely was the fact that I was confined to a hospital bed for about 3 weeks. It totally disappeared.

Three years after the fact , I did recover from the compound fracture and am back running and racing , thanks to my faith in a supreme coach, and learned to run Pose; which I feel makes the Plantar and arch functional. I also go to midstrike shoes and stay away from all that cushoning.

JAMIE STOCKLEY

02/04/2011 at 22:23

Your back injury could be causing your PF. I suffered for a year with the dreaded PF until a physio noticed i had limited / restricted movement in my upper back. Since have done a program of nerve releasing exercises in upper back and PF has improved to point where i can train for VLM this year. Goodluck.

Adrian Ling

03/04/2011 at 18:56

I have pain in the arch and heel . Is this PF. It is ok when running but when I stop it is dreadful.any recommendation please?

JAMIE STOCKLEY

04/04/2011 at 19:16

Sounds like PF AL. Go on You Tube loads of exercises/remedies and info. PF is so different in each individual you have to find the right thing for you. For starters i would try some foot rolling with small bottle with frozen water inside (coke 500ml) calf stretches are helpful but you have to be religious with it. (You tube will show you stretch) You have to manage it, if it gets unbearable stop running and cross train. Anti inflamms ie ibrufen and diclofenic are great but only mask it. Think about your shoes/orthotics and get a gait analysis you may find that in one foot you slightly overpronate and the other is fairly neutral. Hope this helps.

Barry B

04/04/2011 at 19:47

Just recovering from PF. Got it back in January doing a slow run 4 days after a marathon. Very frustrating, the main advice I can give is proper rest and give it time to heal, I tried to run 4 weeks after first getting it and the pain returned straight away. The pain is usually worse first thing in the morning and it is agony. I went to see a physio who confirmed PF and showed me how to apply tape to support it. I have been doing this aswell as rolling with golf ball/ice and stretching and this week have managed two short runs on the treadmill without any pain, big test tomorrow night with first road run. I found x training OK to keep some form of fitness.

Edited: 04/04/2011 at 19:49

JAMIE STOCKLEY

04/04/2011 at 20:51

Its funny how everyone remembers exactly when they got the dreaded PF. Mine was Bath Half marathon 2010

( about mile 10!

mark connor

06/04/2011 at 16:25

Sadly like most injuries there is no quick fix! bu I found that that a empty coke bottle filled with water and frozen was great pain relief but not really effective in curing the problem.

Calf stretches help a lot, stending on the end of a step and letting your heel drop to force a deep strectch of the calf was like heaven when I had pf.

But the main thing really is rest!

Since I have experienced the sheer agony of pf, I focus now more on prevention than cure, I stretch every morning when I get up, and also stretch throughout the day, in addittion I massage the pf on the bottom of my foot there is some good pf massage techniques on youtube (the best one is some guy sat in his car before a run)

Hope any of this helps, and wish you a speedy recovery!

Treadmill Hater

06/04/2011 at 19:08

whats the best cross training you do?

(complete rest isnt going to happen!)

i read on another forum cycling is fine as long as you have the right shoes and eliptical trainers are good as well.

Barry B

06/04/2011 at 19:16

I used an eliptical trainer and found it was OK as long as I had taped my foot.

Edited: 06/04/2011 at 21:09

kaye deal

09/05/2011 at 09:05

i have had plantar fasciitis for 3 months now with some improvement. I am stretching and icing religously but when i stop for a couple of days the pain is back. I have seen the physio who has given other advice on what exercises to do in terms of addressing weaknesses in my running form. i have not run for 3 months now and miss it dreadfully, i pray for recovery as i have already missed Brighton marathon and should be running Lochness Marathon in October.

For those with the dreaded PF ice hourly if you can and stretch religously. Another good stretch i have found is to lie on your back, leg straight and in the air with tea towel round ball of foot and pull gently towards you. I do it this way to address the tight ham strings as well.

For anyone with the early signs of this injury you should stop running and treat it. I wish i had stopped as soon as it had started hurrting because it may have meant i could still run now. This injury gets worse with continued impact. Good shoes are a must also if like me you have to do a lot of walking at work.

leadfoot

11/05/2011 at 10:42

I had it about 3 weeks ago after over training and then walking on hard London pavements in worn shoes (not broke, just hadn't got round to replacing business shoes).

I had previously had it about four years ago and was cured in short time (3 or 4 weeks from memory) by seeing a specialist and getting orthotic insoles made up. I hadn't been wearing these when I over trained.

Three weeks ago, my tendon from heel to ball of the big toe was rigid and I had a painful heel. I had to break from training and used RICE and exercises to stretch the hamstrings and tendons. I started using the orthotics again and used a frozen bottle of water as a roller to run the tendon over for a couple of days over the weekend. At work I used a hand span of broom stick as a roller every hour or so. I stopped training apart from on the Wii Fit (muscle and yoga exercises)

On Sunday I ran my first marathon and have had no further problems. Good orthotics from a specialist are the cure. Don't try and get these off the shelf - that's a waste of time. Mine cost me about £110 and are worth every penny.

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