PLANTAR FASCIITIS IN ONE SPOT!

has anyone attempted to marathon train with a bad case of plantar fasciitis.. Getting treatment at moment and it seems to be just on my heel and not down my foot but it has stopped me running for 2 weeks as it hurts a lot!!  Its driving me mad not running as I had become very fit prior to this happening.. Done few halfs,10k 5k etc but never marathon,base build up of 30 miles per week. Its a vlm charity place so extra pressure not to mention family life and part time work.. Should I give place up or is it realistic to get rid of plantar in time to train.. any suggestions greatly appreciatedimage

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Comments

  • Plantar Fascitis will stop you running. You can't train through it. Try icing it and gentle self massage. Rest until it feels ok and try it again after a few days. If the pain returns, stop running and ice and massage again and try a longer lay off. Keep trying until you don't feel any pain.
  • Thanks,Im prob not icing it enough,its just the first injury Ive had to stop me in my tracks,also the prognosis on the internet is rather depressing! I shall try in a few days and see how I get on and just keep trying I guess...

     

  • if it is PF - there are other conditions that can cause similar discomfort so you really need a professional assessment to tell - then it can take some time to resolve.  I guess the internet has told you that already.  some people recover from PF quickly, others can take ages - I've been suffering with it since January as an example.

    rest is the obvious first choice with foot massage and stretching the plantar (loads of advice in t'internet).  once it feels OK again, then try a gentle run and if pain returns, the stop and rest again.  it might be useful if after a period of this and it's not improving, then getting some professional advice.  they may suggest solutions such as orthotics, night splints (keeps the plantar stretched in bed) or even cortisone.   

    you can still keep fit by by cycling or rowing machine but thet doesn't help for full marathon training as they aren't impact sports like running.

    for me, rest, stretching, night splints and a change of running shoe has helped and I'm getting back to sopme decent miles but I know I still have a way to go.

    and you don't have to pull out of VLM yet - you have 6 months to get ready.  give it till the New Year.

  • Thanks for advice,saw physio on Mon and she said tightness in calves causing lots of my problem,usual story,time to run but never time enough to stretch afterwards! Will try and treat it as you say and hope for best. I think even with a charity commitment I may have until end of Jan to give place back! Just so frustrating when I had build a good base up, nervous as its my first marathon and feeling overwhelmed at the moment!!
  • Fwiw, when marathon training I've found a monthly sports massage a very worthwhile investment. Sometimes stretching is just not enough to keep muscles in good order

  • ToroToro ✭✭✭

    My doc gave me 1 week ibuprofen 400mg 3x a day.  Rest.  I supplemented with night splint and heel air cast. 2 weeks and it 2 was pretty much gone.  It rarely bothers me a month later but i still wear the air cast daily and night splint occasionally.  I have started icing as I up mileage cautiously.  I am an otherwise healthy 29 yo male.   

  • Thanks everyone,I did look at nightsplints but wasn't sure they were just a gimmick,I have also looked at a sock thing! The ibuprofen is interesting as some prime say it didn't make a long term difference.. Will try all of these things now as I'm not very nice when not running! Massages will def play a part if I do marathon.. And sadly I would love to be able to say I'm 29 not 40#.. Perhaps that's why I am always injured lately..
  • ToroToro ✭✭✭

    The strassburg sock is what I use.  It is proven to some extent an seems to help.  I heard ibuprofen doesn't work as there is no blood supply in the tendon.  I was sceptical but appeared to work.  I heard cortisone is better but it is very aggresive and weakens the tendons (I also wondered if it'd help me lose weight as a side effect - a reason cyclists dope with it but the doc wouldn't give it me)!  

  • I have had PF since November 2011. It went after a couple of months and then I started training for this years VLM. All went well until I upped my mileage and then it returned. I had to stop training and withdrew from the marathon. I have only just started training again on soft ground and it still hurts a bit.

    I have tried ice, stretching exercises, physio, heel cups, etc. My GP has told me to start training again as the excercise might help. He thinks after nine months it should be on the mend. My advice is try different things see what helps but you have to give it time  not rush back into training. There doesn't seem to be any easy answer.

     

  • cortisone is hot and  miss with PF - various reports from those who say it cleared the issue, opther say it didn't and caused other problems.  take from that what you can!

    nightsplints/strassburg socks only prevent that first foot on the ground morning pain - which can be very very painful - but I'm not convinced they actually do offer a solution to the root cause of the problem.  but then I'm not sure anything actually sorts the problem out - it's the combination of a number of approaches that seems best.   

    I've changed to Kona One One shoes recently as reviews have said they help - and I think they do.  recent runs have produced little or no post-run PF pain

  • I think Cortisone seems to be a last resort,it definately seems to be a combination of trying different things.Someone has recommeded a physio that assures me is the "king" of getting rid of it. He lives locally so will see how I get on and post back. Am doing all other stuff at moment and have been given more time from charity to decide. The shoes are interesting as that would have been my next question when I get back to running. Its only been a few weeks,so I guess Im not very patient,all of you guys have had it ages,so I appreciate the time taken to offer solutions. I will learn never to ignore niggles again and had no idea the effect on my mood, not running has had! I can barely walk at the moment so would be happy to do just that for now..

  • physios can be fine but you might be better served seeing a podiatriast as they specialise in foot issues.  I used the services of a local sports injury centre and was treated by the chief medic (he was in charge of the medical support for the Paralympics) who admitted that PF is one of the most difficult injuries to treat effectively as there's no single treatment that is guaranteed to bring a positive outcome.

  • Plantar fasciitis can be treated very effectively with shockwave therapy. Combining shockwave with all other conventional physiotherapy stretches and massage etc. will give you a better chance of fully recovering from plantar fasciitis.

    PM me for any personal enquiries I am based in beds and bucks.

  • I'm based on the sofa.
  • Hi  Newy  it seems strange you have only got this in your heel,

    I had P.F in both feet at different times it is horrible i used the wooden foot rollers on it for an hour in the evening,  i have a foot spa which i added 6 tablespoons of rocksalt each evening,, to be honest i never stopped running with this, i just cut down my distance, Also i does not hurt when you run with P.F. its the following morning trying to get out of bed which is the killer. i had it in my left foot for 4 months befor things looked up, Im affraid to say i had it for 6 months in my right footimage good luck time is a great healer

  • Dear bloggers,

    I have read some interesting comments regarding the management of this dreadful condition we know as plantar fasciitis.

    Some of the comments are quite true with regards to available treatments and the avoidance of corticosteroid injections.

    I am a musculoskeletal specialist podiatrist based in Southampton. I am also a runner and manage sports related injuries. As plantar fasciitis is so common I have developed my own website dedicated to the condition. Feel free to take a look at the free videos. There is plenty of information on available treatments.

    www.plantarfasciitisgone.com

    If anyone has any questions please get in touch

    kind regards

    Benn Boshell

  • Hello,

    Have been off here for a while as trying all  the suggestions given on here ,and it became a full time job as well as working! For me what has worked so far,and I have a long way to go but it I can walk almost normally now and I have been limping for 3 weeks!!, is icing morning and night,full bowl of iced water,freezing my foot off, towel grabbing and step calf stretches every day. I have also resorted to ibubrofen 3xtimes a day 400mg as toro suggested..I did not want to go down this road but it HAS helped. Heel cups,shoe inserts for me was useless and painful.I am also having a leg massage every two weeks for 1 hr. The exercise programme HAS to be followed EVERY day . Its a pain but if you only do it the odd time it will not work.. I am feeling more positive but I know I have a long way to go..Btw I am planning to go the barefoot route over the next year if i can run normally. I am now unsure what to do about marathon training,it looks like I will be off 6 weeks in total if im lucky which means by mid dec I will try running.. well I cant start following a marathon training programme from Jan can I after being off so long?? Any advice please would be great...

  • Benn

    Thanks for these videos,very helpful and hopeful.. I will pass them on..Its great that you run as you can understand the frustration and the podiatrists I have visited have all suggested stopping running and almost taking up knitting!! If you saw my blog about returning to running after 6 weeks,perhaps you could advise if I would be wise to give up VLM training.. I was doing about 30miles per week before injury..

  • Benn - nice site - wish I'd known about it when my PF was bad but most of the method of cure you suggest I've tried - it's just nice to see it all in one place.

    you might want to take a look at Hoka One One running shoes which have been a big help to me - and there is a lot of evidence to support them as a good way of overcoming PF pain from running.  a zero drop, forward rocking motion and deep cushioning all help

  • Sussex Runner (NLR) wrote (see)
    Plantar Fascitis will stop you running. You can't train through it. Try icing it and gentle self massage. Rest until it feels ok and try it again after a few days. If the pain returns, stop running and ice and massage again and try a longer lay off. Keep trying until you don't feel any pain.

    Yes you can. I have.

  • Hi Newy,

    I had PF for 5 months. i tried everything. stretching, taping, night splints, orthotics blah balh and although some things seemed to help a little nothing really worked.

    I self referred to NHS podiatry hoping they might say i could have injections. Podiatrist said 'you must stretch' to which i answered 'i have been stretching, i've tried everything'. podiatrist - 'how long are you holding each stretch for and how many times a day'? me- About 10 seconds once or twice a day. Podiatrist - thats nowhere near enough. You need to hold each stretch for 30 seconds and do 6 reps of each stretch  on each foot and do the whole lot 3 times a day..

    She gave me 3 different calf stretches to do. I was really cheesed off. Podiatrist was quite stroppy when i said i couldn't stretch midday as i would be at work. her answer was 'would they rather you were off sick?'

    Anyway, i thought right i'll show her. i'll do her bloomin stretches and she'll see it doesn't work. i was so determined to prove her wrong that i timed myself with a stop watch to ensure i held each stretch for the full 30 seconds. the whole routine took me 12 minutes 3 times a day.

    I had to eat my words. By the fourth day my PF had gone. After months of discomfort. Therefore my question is are you REALLY following advise. get stretching!!

  • Hi I'm relatively new to running and after reading up I seem to have the same problem . Could you please advise me of the stretches you did to help you

    Many thanks

    Dave
  • If you could list the stretches Splodge that would be great, suffereing a bit myself.

  • I had plantar fascitius. What a pain.

    Problem occured after a drunken night at a party by running around in loose converse (trainers) . Torn the tendon. OUCH!  I learnt from that mistake!  I could not do my full gym, classes and running for a few months. As pain occured on and off.

    But gradually built the intensity up overtime. I recovered VERY quickly. By doing some strenghtening exercise that my physio showed me. Also, ensuring I fully stretch at warm up and cool down.  And the biggest factor that I belived helped me was changing my trainers to ASICS gel cumulus 14 , a good quality trainer.  Also, I'm not completely sure but I feel that my age may have influnced my recovery time. Am in my late teens image 

    Hope I have helped image 

     

  • hi thank you all for the help with this, i have bought a pair of orthotics and hopefully this will eleiviate it.

    many thanks

    dave

  • Tight calf muscles can definitely cause PF!   As spoldge said, stretching at least 3 times a day for at least 30 secs.  I normally say hold each stretch for 45 - 60 secs as most of my clients don't use a stop watch image

    As to which stretches, it depends what muscles are found to be tight.  The three most common culprits are Soleus - bent knee stretch, Gastrocnemus - straight knee stretch and toe flexor group - bent toes up against a wall/step, keep heel to floor and   bend knee over middle toes.   Don't stretch into pain, try to keep relaxed,   3 x day, 60 secs each one...

     

  • Thanks for new suggestions,have not been on in a while..I used a stopwatch and followed stretches properly for a bit,iced every night and two weeks ago it was def better,I could walk at work with no pain(I can walk up to 5miles per shift on hard floors some evenings) Anyway in my excitiment I started to build up last 1 run a week only1/2 miles,still ok but on pressing knew it was def there still.. On sat I did my local parkrun only 5k in a very slow pace to be cautuous 28mins!! Well it has now gone right back to the worst of the pain in the beginning all over again,cant walk for long and pain at night.. Im so fed up that this week I have not done any stretching and also pulled out of marathon! I did wonder doing my parkrun, that if doing that every sat for a year always around 21mins was too much for my 40 plus body,I used it as a speed run but to me that felt like racing! Anyway thank you all again,I will look at more suggestions when I get over my fed up feeling!

  • PS. Strassburg sock seems to only help on rising for me,am also considering a cortisone shot now too

  • "Im so fed up that this week I have not done any stretching"

    mistake no.1

    NEWY - unfortunately, and there's no getting away from it, you have to be very patient with PF and almost accept that running is a no go area for a period so the plantar can return to some state of normality.  yes, for a committed runner, that's a right bugger but it is what it is.

    find another form of exercise that doesn't load the plantar such as rowing, cycling, swimming (or all 3 to mix it up) and do NOT run for more than 5 mins, gradually building to 15mins, at low tempo and definitley stop if you feel pain.  keep on with the Strassburg sock.  get some decent supportive shoes - on the recommendation of a few people I have been wearing FitFlops (sandals and shoes) since around June and they have helped a lot.  look at taping up before a run (loads of info online and on here about that)

    perhaps look at your running style and try to move more to a midfoot strike (not forefoot as that hurts if you're a heelstriker) so you don't load the plantar so much.   get some Hoka One One running shoes - they have helped me enormously and I'm now back to just shy of a 2hr run with no post-run pain.

    most importantly - be patient.  it will get better!

  • Splodge, nice to hear that people do listen to our advice and yes, it does work - it would just be a waste of breath advissing you to do these things if there was going to be zero benefit to you.

    Ablefeet image

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