Am I running in proper shoes to correct plantar fasciitis?

Another thing, remember you have to let this heal! Try running barefoot on grass for 10-15 minutes, No kidding this will help as well, you need to stregthen the arch. Good pair of shoes I would advice trying a shoe like the superfly by la sportiva, I wear this out and about a street shoe, it's 85 bucks, but it is a good shoe and helped with my PF as well, I wear birkenstock dress shoes at work with a yoursole in them.

Http://www.yoursole.com

they are a mix between prescription orthotics and regular insoles, they feel good and ease up the tensions on the foot from time to time.

Nick

The your sole inserts work very well. I have many podiatists reccomending these inserts before going to a full-on orthodic. And at $40.00 they are worth the try. Try them first without molding them in the oven. You need to pay attention to the shoes you wear during the other 14 hours a day you are not working. Get out of your running shoes when you are not running. And stretch your calves and hamstrings.

Are you kidding??? Running barefoot with plantar fasciitis??? Why not just shove a sharp knife into your arches? You'd get the same result. Want to strengthen the plantar fascia? Drape a towel over a foam wedge and pull it towards you bit by bit only by scrunching your toes. Do it a few times at first, then increase to 6-8 times once you get good at it.

Erik.

A suggestion. It worked for a guy that I know who swears by them. He is about the same age as you and whatnot. Also, I got them for my mom (more common in middle aged women) and they worked for her as well. Its better than buying a new pair of shoes. You just wear them against skin every part of the day; not just when running. Take them off for bed. Give it a month or two. go to the link below

www.archaid.net

I think they both do. The Supernova does. A medial post is that gray stuff in the midsole that's under the inside of the heel. I struggled with PF for months some years ago and rotated shoes. I had three pairs, two with no post and one with. Eventually I noticed that the PF would seem to get better for a couple of days and then get worse again. I finally figured out that it got worse on the day I ran in the medial posted shoes.I've since learned that I can run in some medial-posted shoes if I take a knife and cut a slit across the top of the post. This seems to neutralize it.

Erik wrote:

HRE, you have me concerned now. Does the Kayano or Supernova Cushion have a medial post?? I've looked at the descriptions of both on the Adidas and Asics websites and they have midfoot cushioning but don't mention a true post. What is an example of a shoe with a medial post?? (Not trying to diss any particular models here, just trying to learn)

Thanks!!

let me re-phrase that, Running barefoot after it heals!!! It will keep it strong! No, dont try it while it is hurting, just ice and golf ball massage, 3-4 months to heal completely!!!! Experiment with the shoes!!! and take a can of soup and put on a towl and scrunch it till the soup can is upon you! This is a good exercise most PT's would make you do!

Nick

I know this is going to contradict what most of you all have said, however I came down with PF while wearing NB 830s and after some downtime, I switched to the Nike Motos (which have a moderate amount of support) and they were just what I needed for my recovery.

Hey, in case you don't know, SHOES DON'T CORRECT PLANTAR PROBLEMS. Stupid question, if you ask me.

Erik wrote:

I've recently developed plantar fasciitis and am getting all new running shoes as well as replacing my socks and using a stretch device. I am 44 y/o, 5'11" 150# with 12 years running experience. My foot is narrow with a medium arch. My favorite shoe is the Gel Kayano and on the recc of a friend who has a similarly shaped foot and who had plantar probs I have just bought the Adidas Supernova Cushion....he says it fixed his PF because of cushioning in the heel area. Does anyone have any thoughts on these two shoes and PF, or any other shoes you think are good OR bad for PF?? Would like input from the board.

thanks so much!!

I think the 900's have a medial post. I wear them, and have developed some mild PF, although I've worn NB lightweight trainers for a while without trouble. But should I switch to something else in the meantime while recovering? What is an example of a non-medial post shoe with a bit more support?

i got injured with some heal problem similar to pf wearing the supernova cushion and switched to the control which were much better for me.

Technically, with an over use injury like this, you should move towards a firmer shoe, not a softer shoe. I think that really you should go to a pediatrist, and not ask the opinion of a bunch a college freshman.

Check out Mizuno shoes...with their wave technology they are kept extremely responsive and lighter than most. I found that the Mizuno's wave gives with each foot strike. Being in too stiff a shoe for your gait only will make PF worse...

i've been told the pain i have in my heel could be plantar fascitis. i have no pain in the arch, but when i dorsal flex when running, i have a ton of pain right below the achilles tendon in my heel. it also hurts to touch and if i bump anything, the pain is very intense. i walk with a limp in the morning and the first couple miles of a run are not pretty either. however, after a couple miles, i hardly feel it. it's slowly getting worse and it's been painful for the past 3-4 months. is this really plantar fascitis or something else?

The shoe companies mess up the foot? God created our foot right? Well does that since everyone has different feet that god created all those feet right? NO, some of us have imperfections in our feet and need help with them. Anybody who says that stability is bad has never worked with high school kids who complain about shins hurting or knees killing them. Not everyone is as effecient as some of you and needs help with overpronations. Its proven that stability can help with pain. Not by the shoe companies, but by us who work with runners everyday! I know the idea that stability shoes weaken the foot and that as kids we should all walk around barefoot. But we dont, this is America, kids have been wearing crappy shoes since they started walking. So when thier feet start to flatten out, all we can do is help them feel better and to enjoy running. We all have different feet and we all need different things. Dont assume that because you can get away with something light, that everyone can, because most runners in America can't. And the shoe companies are trying to appeal to the everyday runner, not the person who doesnt have any problems.

I posted this on the other pf thread - not sure if it will be helpful or not, but here goes:

I've gone back and read nearly every post ever submitted to letsrun, and it's amazing how many posts said that they went from a stability shoe to a cushioned shoe or flat and it got better, and an equal number of those who said they got pf in flats and it went away with a stability shoe!!

I think my pf, and perhaps many of your pf cases, are made worse by gradual weakening of the foot - running is so specific a movement that the overall foot stability probably decays over time. You read many posts that say "strengthen the arches" to get rid of pf, and it's probably because running doesn't recruit all foot muscles evenly.

The changing of shoes, either to more stability or less stability, may make some of our feet stronger as they adjust to a slightly different movement. Perhaps that's really the key to getting rid of this - increasing overall foot strength (along with good calf flexibility). I just had ESWT (shock wave therapy - ossatron) about 8 weeks ago, and I'm probably 95% pain free, but haven't run yet and won't until I get a couple of weeks of foot strengthening (walking backwards, on toes, barefoot) but you can't do this till the pain subsides.

My 2 pennies, for what it's worth. Reduce the swelling, then strengthen your feet and stretch your calves (I wouldn't stretch them if the pf is badly imflamed), then switch your shoes, and start back slow. I'll let you know in a few weeks if it's working.

Good Post!