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I have plantar fasciitus. And I’ve had it for a good year or so, but I’m finally ready to get serious about treating it because it hurts and leaves me screaming after runs like a banshee from Celtic hell.
It’s in my left foot, as it always has been. I’ve had this before. The first time was back in college. I recall the athletic trainer prescribing me muscle relaxers. Someone less official advised me to buy a new pair of shoes. The shoes remedied my plantar fasciitus – which I get because my left foot over pronates. The muscle relaxers – after washing them down with beer – left me in a state of extremely relaxed inhibitions. Thankfully this was before everyone carried a camera phone in their pocket connected to YouTube.
Technically I’ve been treating this for several months, just not effectively. I’ve read up on it and am doing the following. I bought new inserts and am trying to wear them as much as possible. I’ve added inserts to my house slippers and am considering simply trashing my Crocs. Crocs are crap. I am also performing toe curls, wherein I curl my toes to the point of cramping my foot, and then release. I perform about 20 reps. I plan to start doing arch stretches as well.
I want to work through this because I don’t want to lose my fitness level. But also, I don’t think simply taking time off from working out helps unless I do these other actions of stretches and wearing proper arch support. Wish me luck.
A Runner's Story 
Oh man, that’s a drag. I’ve never had it, but I know it’s a pain (NPI) to get rid of. I do wish you luck.
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Thanks Alan. The pain is less of a concern than thinking I’ll lose my fitness level from having to slack off. Having to read some of the medical web sites is painful too, like the one that starts out saying, “Plantar Faciitus is common among middle aged and more likely if you are over weight.” Bastards!
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Ed,
I fought an epic battle with PF myself. Its resolution is why I’m such an advocate of minimal footwear.
You might consider trying to add some barefoot training. Carry your shoes with you for the first little bit of a workout…
I won’t go so far as to say that minimal gear will fix all that ails you; it’s caused me pain in other areas – achilles tendon and top of my foot. But, it may strengthen the muscles and tendons in your feet so that you ditch the PF forever.
Here’s hoping whatever you do works out, I’ll lift a Pacena tonight with that in mind.
J
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My first response to that Jay is I think I need to focus on maximum support in order to heal. I’ve been considering the minimalist approach though. Who isn’t? I’ve talked to other runners when I’m standing next to them at the starting line about their experiences. One theme I get is that it takes a long time, 6 months to a year, in order to adapt. Another theme I’ve captured is it appears to be runners much younger than me who’ve adapted successfully. Not sure a 49 year old 180 pound runner is a decent candidate. If I get over this current injury, I might buy a pair of Vibrams to give it a try.
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Nine years isn’t that much (maybe 40 years ago it was) and when I started the transition, I tipped the scales at 225 (now 200)…
It does take a long time to adapt, but that’s if you were to adopt “the minimal” aesthetic fully. I think it’s possible to reap benefits from logging short 15-20 minute stints a couple of times a week. My PF vanished with 3x per week and 2-3 miles per trip.
That’s part of the reason I suggest barefoot entirely. Carry your regular shoes and once you start to feel the tiniest bit of discomfort switch to your normal gear (This assumes you have sidewalks to run on in your neighborhood). It won’t take long to get to where the skin in the bottom of your feet can handle a couple of miles…
The other thing:::Barefoot running is without cost (discounting the weird looks), if it’s not working – ditch it with no consequence.
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@Jay, are you suggesting minimalist shoes could be part of the PF recovery regimen?
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Absolutely.
In short, my battle with PF lasted something on the order of 3 years and was heading in the direction of surgery when I thought there was nothing left to lose.
I’ve got a 2 part post on my blog with the gory details…
http://letsrunhomey.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-injuries-and-barefoot-running-part-1.html
http://letsrunhomey.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-injuries-and-barefoot-running-part-2.html
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You have me intrigued now Jay. I’ve been looking for a sensible reason to try the minimalist shoes. I don’t think I would ever go barefoot – it’s not like I can’t afford shoes. I do recall being able to sprint balls out barefoot on gravel as a kid – but those days are gone for good. It’s interesting, I discovered that because you added links to your comment – I had to manually approve it. Apparently a spam filter.
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