I wanted to write a post to describe the treatments that I found most useful during my recovery from plantar fasciitis. I received a lot of good suggestions from readers and I tried just about every one of them. I also tried some products sent to my from manufacturers and purchased some additional products on my own. Of everything I tried, I can narrow it down to the following six tips for treating plantar fasciitis.
Tip 1. Stop Running
OK, this first tip is almost a no-brainer. If it hurts to walk, don't run. Pretty simple! And once the pain subsides, start out with short runs and build gradually. When I figured out that I had developed plantar fasciitis I took a couple of days off and then tried a couple of short runs. But my foot still hurt, so I took a full week off and then tried a few short runs. Still hurt so I took more time off. I think I probably would have recovered quicker if I had more patience and allowed more time to heal between test runs.
So my advice is to stop running on it until the pain goes away. Then start back up with very short test runs every other day and then gradually build your mileage back up. If it starts to hurt again, drop the miles or stop complete. Bottom line, the more time you give it to heal the faster you can return to training.
This doesn't mean that you have totally stop exercising. Just switch to a sport that has less impact on your feet like biking or swimming.
Tip 2. Ice, Ice, Baby
This one is also an almost no-brainer. Ice is the default treatment for most running-related aches and pains, including plantar fasciitis. I typically do not ice after runs, even after my long training runs and races. In my mind, I'd rather let my body recover naturally than to aid the recovery through external stimuli like ice. However, in the case of injury, I really felt that the ice helped.
Tip 3. Get Some Balls
This tip is probably the most useful but also the most painful. Rolling your foot on a ball massages the tissue and aids in recovery. However, IT HURTS LIKE A $%#@!!! I tried different sizes of balls and different types. Probably the most effective was a golf ball. I even tried freezing it so that I could ice and massage at the same time, but I don't really think I was able to get much of an icing effect with this approach.
Tip 4. That's A Stretch
My doctor explained that the plantar muscle and calf muscle work together like a pulley system. As a result, a calf muscle with limited flexibility adds strain to the plantar muscle. So his advice was to stretch the calf muscle, not just after a run, but also at regular intervals throughout the day.
Also see a guide to 10 basic stretches.
Tip 5. Let It Hang Out
This one might sound strange, but it really does help! Plantar fasciitis is most noticeable when you take your first steps in the morning. This is caused in part because of the contracted calf muscle position that we sleep in. Whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach, your feet will tend to point away (like you are standing on your toes). This contracts your calf muscle and puts additional strain on the plantar muscle when you take your first steps.
The solution is to keep your feet pointed at a 45 degree angle to your legs (like the position they are in when you are standing). But how do you do that?
Tip 6. Support It
Typically I walk around in my bare feet when the situation is appropriate. I feel like this helps to strengthen my feet. However, in the case of recovering from plantar fasciitis you must provide your feet with arch support in order to reduce the strain. That means wearing shoes--all the time--everywhere you go. If you do not have shoes with good arch support, or prefer waking around bare footed or in sandals like me, you need to add support.
Alright. I'm done. Those were the six tips I found most useful for treating plantar fasciitis. For more information on treating plantar fasciitis, see www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0201/p467.html
Now it's your turn! What tips do you have for other readers? What have you found useful for treating your own case of plantar fasciitis?
I do the frozen water bottle as well, tennis ball, racquetball, and one of those wooden nobby things. But one thing I really love is to find a playground or something with little rounded pebbles on it. Take off your shoes and socks and walk around. Painful but very effective. There is one on the path that I usually run on. I wish it was closer to my house but sometimes I take a break to walk the pebbles, then put my shoes back on and continue home.
ReplyDeleteI had chronic PF for a year. Tried all of your great advice above and that helped, but it didn't fully heal until I got Graston work done on it by a Chiropractor. It's a fairly new technique, but studies show it can be very effective in treating PF (google has great info on it). I'm back up to running 3 days a week and I'm thrilled (now if I could only get my speed back!). Thanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great tips. I will be saving this article and refer back to it in the future... Better advice than the doctor I saw "Tape it and run" Ya I don't go to that one anymore. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteplantar treating muscle stretch support
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