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