For those of you that have never experienced plantar fasciitis (PF), consider yourself very lucky! While I don’t have it now, I have had it in the past and it’s no laughing matter. I still find myself doing foot exercises to ward off a potential recurrence.
What exactly IS plantar fasciitis?
Yes, those are my feet! 
As runners, we often hear the word “plantar fasciitis” tossed around casually in conversation—usually from a disgruntled runner who is currently out of commission.
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia—the ligament that connects your heel bone to your toes. When it gets inflamed, it hurts REALLY bad. It kind of feels like someone is taking a knife and stabbing the arch of your foot repeatedly. Definitely not a pleasant feeling.
How do you develop plantar fasciitis?
- You stand on your feet (or run!) for long periods of time.
- Your shoes are not properly fitted or they are too old.
- Your feet pronate inward.
- You have very high arches or flat feet.
How do you get rid of plantar fasciitis?
The frustrating thing about PF is that the fastest way to get rid of it is to rest. Your first step should be to stop (or at the very least, drastically reduce) the activity that is aggravating the plantar fasciitis. You can ice the bottoms of your feet, in addition to taking an anti-inflammatory medication like Motrin.
As a runner, you should also make sure that you are wearing the right running shoe for your foot. Try visiting your local running store and having them watch you run. They will be able to help make sure you are wearing the right shoe. Also make sure that your shoes are not past their expiration date.
What can you do to prevent plantar fasciitis?
One of the things I like to do to decrease tightness in my plantar fascia is to roll a golf ball (you can also use a tennis ball) under my feet. Hear me out—it actually feels really good!
- Make sure you are wearing the right shoes (see above).
- Resist the urge to do too much too soon when starting an exercise program—increase gradually.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Regularly stretch your Achilles tendon—a tight Achilles can make you more prone to developing plantar fasciitis.
Have you ever had plantar faciitis? How did you treat it?
I have had the ability to give myself runner injuries when not running at all (PiriformisWHATWHAT?) but have thus far escaped this.
so so many runnerfriends have struggle with it and seem to always end up back at the BOOT.
Miz recently posted..OM making changes.
I have been very lucky to avoid PF. It sounds terrible and all my friends who have had it took a long time to heal it. It seems like a hard injury to shake!
Kris @ http://www.kris-lawrence.com recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
When I started really increasing my distance early this spring I felt just that pain!! Fortunately my husband, who is a currently in school to get be a PTA, helped me research the issue and we were able to find the proper shoe for my flat flat feet – that and him helping me stretch better after my long runs on the weekends has made a world of difference!!
Liz {Learning to Juggle} recently posted..WW: I came. I ran. I conqured.
I developed PF a few years ago while training for a marathon. I was also working as an inspector on a construction site for 10 hours a day on my feet wearing work boots standing on railroad ballast. I trained through it for 2 months prior to the race and then took 3 weeks off from running after the race , iced, stretch my calves a lot and wore the strausburg sock at night. took about 3 months to completely recover but I have heard horror stories of it lasting for years.
I must say that getting up in the mornings was the worst thing about it. I dreaded those first few steps.
Ugh, I’ve been dealing with very severe PF for about 5 months now. Mine almost ruptured. I’ve been going to PT. I stretch, roll on a golf ball, and stretch some more daily – plus lots of calf raises and other strengthening exercises. It’s seriously no joke.
Heather (Where’s the Beach) recently posted..Perdido Key Vacation – Day 5
I have dealt with PF on and off for a couple of years now. ART (active release technique) helps, as does Topricin Foot Therapy cream. I had my doubts about the cream when I was asked to review it, but I have been nothing but impressed with it. I have had fewer issues this training season than ever, with higher mileage and more races.
Kim
Kim recently posted..Ramblings
I can’t remember if you posted on PF before or not, and if I commented or not? So excuse me if I’m redundant! But I have had it in both feet, and despite the doctor putting me in orthotics and telling me to never go barefoot, blah, blah, blah, the cure for me was doing just that. I literally got rid of it within a week by ditching the orthotics and supportive shoes. Bare feet and minimalist shoes have worked miracles for me with PF. Never feel a twinge these days
misszippy recently posted..Taking my medicine
The dreaded PF. Such a jerk of an injury and it lasts forever. I’m fighting it. Still running but fighting. I’m much improved over last summer/fall but it’s still holding on and doesn’t want to go away. My high arches & high miles “may” possibly be to blame….or maybe not, hard to tell with PF.
Amanda – TooTallFritz recently posted..Landscape Cross Training!
I’ve had a minor case, and it is definitely unpleasant!
Samantha recently posted..Playlist Thursday
As a therapist, plantar fasciitis is one of the more common injury complaints I treat for both runners and non runners.
I find that the combination of deep tissue fascial massage, self massage using a foam roller and ball, flexibility, and corrective exercise to be an excellent treatment option. I generally see great results with PF within 2-4 sessions. The great thing is that you can do most of the treatment on your own.
Here is an article with self treatment exercises and descriptions for treating plantar fasciitis. I hope this helps.
http://tao-fit.com/self-treatment-for-plantar-fasciitis
Jesse James
http://www.tao-fit.com
Wow thanks for posting this…just when I needed it! I’ve been having foot problems over the past month-ish and it seems similar to PF. I honestly think its from the flats I wear to commute-I always end up running to catch the train in my totally unsupportive flat shoes and my feet ache…and it’s gotten progressively worse! (I literally run about a mile through the city to catch the earliest train I can at night. And walk that distance to get to work in the mornings.) obviously I need to be smarter…it’s not just my running shoes that might be bad for me…it can be other “regular” shoes too!
Kara recently posted..Morning HIIT and Funny Blog Search Terms
About two months ago I felt the beginnings of it. I started with R.I.C.E., added rolling my arches with a tennis ball, then additional time stretching my calves. All of those things helped, but it wasn’t until I ditched my Nikes and switched to Mizunos that it went away entirely. At the height of it my baby girl was waking several times throughout the night…every time I jumped out of bed…ooofah!!!
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