Plantar Fasciitis Questions

I had it for a few weeks but not so bad I had to quit running (had to drop back on the mileage but only for maybe 2 weeks). I got the Dr. Sholls inserts which worked well, also did the stretch where you pull your big toe back as far as you can, while at the same time digging your thumb as hard as you can into the fascia right under the bump of your big toe on the bottom of your foot. It hurt SO MUCH the first few days I did that, but really helped. Also, the first thing I did (still do) before I get out of bed in the morning is roll my foot around on a tennis ball.

In my experience, it's OK to run if you have that little bit of discomfort in the morning, as long as it's OK while you are running.

I'm a PT and according to current pain science research, ALL pain is derived from the central nervous system. Research shows that PF pain is actually sensitivity of the tibial nerve. If you are suffering from chronic PF pain and not seeing results from traditional treatments of ART, Graston, STM blah blah blah....then you are barking up the wrong tree.

Go ahead and YouTube tibial nerve mobilizations. Also, many people actually have irritated nerve roots in the lumbar spine and are just feeling radicular neural pain from that spot. I have had a lot of success using MDT or the McKenzie method to treat non specific heel and arch pain. So I would learn up on the McKenzie method or MDT and learn how to treat yourself.

Rocky Balboa wrote:

One good, well-placed cortisone shot (Triamcinolone Acetonide) in the heel, and you are done with PF.

nope. i had one about a month ago and my pf is worse than ever. shot didn't do a damn thing. if anything, i'm wondering if it made it worse.

fdhdf wrote:

Wow this seems odd to me. In my case I could not get the PF to go away at all using my orthotics just made it worse.

I suffered with mine for two years before finally getting rid of it. I also had orthotics which I stopped using and I think they contributed to me having it. Got green superfeet insoles and I do the stretches before and after each run. Also researched shoes for overpronators and I'm running in Mizunos now. Now and then I feel a twinge, like it wants to come back, but I double down on the stretches and hike for a few days instead of running...it never progresses.

has anyone actually had a bump on their pf? i have a sizeable knot that's very tender to the touch right on the inside at the base of the heel/arch junction. feels about the size of my thumb.

in the mornings it's really hard like a marble but it softens up as the day goes on, but still always present. i've been icing 2-3x a day as well as digging into it with the end of a spoon and using a golf ball and rolling pin for two weeks and it only seems worse.

ouchers wrote:

has anyone actually had a bump on their pf? i have a sizeable knot that's very tender to the touch right on the inside at the base of the heel/arch junction. feels about the size of my thumb.

in the mornings it's really hard like a marble but it softens up as the day goes on, but still always present. i've been icing 2-3x a day as well as digging into it with the end of a spoon and using a golf ball and rolling pin for two weeks and it only seems worse.

You might have a bone spur, requiring surgery.

I had pf for about 1.5 years. It was terrible. I even took a month off of running and it did not heal it one bit. I finally went to a pt and he did ASTYM on it. It hurt like crazy but he told me to keep running as much as I could and he would keep working on it. I was 100 percent healed in 2 weeks. I was so pissed I ran injured for that long when I could have had the problem fixed much sooner!

There's a rule in medicine that states that the more medical "solutions" to a problem there are, the less likely any of them did anything.

Whaaat? wrote:

ouchers wrote:

has anyone actually had a bump on their pf? i have a sizeable knot that's very tender to the touch right on the inside at the base of the heel/arch junction. feels about the size of my thumb.

in the mornings it's really hard like a marble but it softens up as the day goes on, but still always present. i've been icing 2-3x a day as well as digging into it with the end of a spoon and using a golf ball and rolling pin for two weeks and it only seems worse.

You might have a bone spur, requiring surgery.

you're such an a$$. what's the point of staying something so dbagl like?

I was walking along a boardwalk in bare feet yesterday when suddenly something in the sole of my foot went "CRACK!"

It was painful for a couple of minutes but now my heel pain has completely disappeared.

I don't know if it was walking barefoot that did it or walking in soft sand a few minutes earlier. I imagine it was the sand, or a miracle.

Man, I want that.

You want crack?

Orthotics basically cured my PF and also resolved some arch issues I was having. However, I have very flat feet. I think that the success of orthotics as a cure depends largely on the podiatrist you work with; some are good and some are very bad, unfortunately.

Bursae sac

ouchers wrote:

has anyone actually had a bump on their pf? i have a sizeable knot that's very tender to the touch right on the inside at the base of the heel/arch junction. feels about the size of my thumb.

in the mornings it's really hard like a marble but it softens up as the day goes on, but still always present. i've been icing 2-3x a day as well as digging into it with the end of a spoon and using a golf ball and rolling pin for two weeks and it only seems worse.

Not all pain is derived from the central nervous system. Anyone who claims that is trying to make a name for themselves by saying something ridiculoushoping others will follow. Poppycock.

2 things...1) if I sprain my ankle is that pain derived from the CNS? Um, no.2) if all pain is derived from the CNS as you are implying, why are you advocating a tibial nerve floss when the tibial nerve is in the peripheral nervous system?Are you really even a PT? Doesn't sound like it.

Evidence based medicine wrote:

I'm a PT and according to current pain science research, ALL pain is derived from the central nervous system. Research shows that PF pain is actually sensitivity of the tibial nerve. If you are suffering from chronic PF pain and not seeing results from traditional treatments of ART, Graston, STM blah blah blah....then you are barking up the wrong tree.

Go ahead and YouTube tibial nerve mobilizations. Also, many people actually have irritated nerve roots in the lumbar spine and are just feeling radicular neural pain from that spot. I have had a lot of success using MDT or the McKenzie method to treat non specific heel and arch pain. So I would learn up on the McKenzie method or MDT and learn how to treat yourself.

theohiostate wrote:

There's a rule in medicine that states that the more medical "solutions" to a problem there are, the less likely any of them did anything.

This is so true. I've had PF for over a year and have gone to doctors and PT for a big chunk of it. The explanations I was given as to why I had pf amount to this (i'm going to remove all the jargon):

an angel came down from heaven and decided that it was time for you to stop running for a while. And, by the way, it will hurt to walk as well. Don't forget to pay your $20 co-pay before you leave.

I took three months off with only a little improvement. A night time splint has greatly reduced my PF in a matter of days. It prevents my foot from straightening out. Without it the ligaments would relax and shrink overnight, which would then lead to terrible pain with the first steps in the morning.

I've suffered from PF for the last eighteen months, during which time I've worn orthotics and support shoes, stretched calves, eccentric heel drops, rolled the PF with a golf ball, ultrasound, etc.

The only thing that has helped is the most recent treatment attempt, the stick. I started rolling my gastrocs. I had quite a few knots to work out, and after two days, I was running again -- with no pain during or after. The lateral head of the gastrocnemius on my affected side, had two significant knots, while all four (both legs) had some.

I've been running for two weeks now. Finally! I have not been able to run for a year and a half. I feel like a new person.

The stick. The gastrocs. The fix.