plantar fasciitis: when does it go away?

Worried wrote:

Does everyone agree that running through this is the best option? Why is that so?

Yes.Yes.Yes.Money.Money.Money.

Well, i had my orthodics made today (only $200 and i am getting back half from insurance). Will get them in a 10 days.

In the meantime, my foot was feeling better today, so of course i hammered out a 35-40 minute tempo. And of course i started to feel pain towards the end of the run. Easy come easy go. Now i am sitting here icing the motherf*cker.

The podiatrist made me feel better about the whole thing by insisting that this was not rocket science. Just get the orthodic and it will take care of itself.

He is right. It took time for mine to go away ( one month), but it did. The timeframe is different for many people. Just take care of the foot, stretch and it will come back.

I agree. I love people that just throw out bad information with no knowledge. I had 4 in my heal within 6 months. Could you imagine if that were true? Everyone in the NFL would be completely crystalized. They stick those guys like pin cushions.

I guess everyone's different but off the shelf orthotics did the trick for me. A good place to start.

learn to cope? wrote:

Well, i had my orthodics made today (only $200 and i am getting back half from insurance). Will get them in a 10 days.

In the meantime, my foot was feeling better today, so of course i hammered out a 35-40 minute tempo. And of course i started to feel pain towards the end of the run. Easy come easy go. Now i am sitting here icing the motherf*cker.

The podiatrist made me feel better about the whole thing by insisting that this was not rocket science. Just get the orthodic and it will take care of itself.

it doesn't happen overnight and you will probably need a cortisone shot to clear up the inflamation, then wear your orthotics.

bfullem's advice is the best I've ever received...it keeps coming up on all pf threads...check out the links, do the exercises...give it some time...you will get better...

bfullem wrote:

Article on Plantar Fasciitis and treatments etc:

http://www.docfullem.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=1

Photos of how to tape:

http://www.docfullem.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=10

My son was just told the same thing. Only a couple of cortizone shots in the same area in a lifetime. Will some Doctor please comment on this?

robin wrote:

My son was just told the same thing. Only a couple of cortizone shots in the same area in a lifetime. Will some Doctor please comment on this?

Robin, there is absolutely zero scientific evidence to support only 2 or any specific number of injections in any area.

From my own personal experience, I have had over 10 in my left heel since 1983. Absolutely zero side effects, in fact the last 5-6 I have given to myself.

Speaking as a Podiatrist, here is what we know: any corticosteroid given multiple times in an area will cause some degeneration and weakness of the tissue. Biggest risk of multiple corticosteroid injections in the plantar fascia is that you can rupture your fascia.

Guess what? That is not a bad thing. Short term it takes an average of 9 weeks to get back from a rupture of the fascia. Long term? It will probably cure you from ever having plantar fasciitis again.

I thought you could have surgery on the PF and that it could "tighten up" again? Isn't the surgery like tearing it? Just a temporary (possibly) loosing up of the fascia? By the way, thank you very much for your professional information. The stuff that I have been spewing was told to me by physcians.

I currently have pf as well.

I ice it and rest for two days -- then i run. And it feels great. But then it starts to hurt again. This cycle has been going on for a few months and can't seem to shake it. It has totally screwed up my summer plan of building a stronger aerobic base. I feel cheated!

Buy a bike and join the club. It's probably inevitable.

Going to sound weird here, but:

I had PF for a year, tried everything and figured I'd just have to live with it. And then we got a trampoline for the kids.

After jumping on the trampoline with the kids for about 2 weeks, PF was gone.

Now I jump at least 1000 jumps (about 15 minutes) two times per week. I be sure to jump forwards/backwards/sideways to get all stabilizer muscles involved, and always do it barefoot.

Haven't been injured since.

robin wrote:

My son was just told the same thing. Only a couple of cortizone shots in the same area in a lifetime. Will some Doctor please comment on this?

I'm not a doctor so please feel free to stop reading NOW. If you are still reading please consider that most elite runners will only consider getting a cortisone shot as a last resort. There isn't one "true answer" that all doctor's are going to give you. It will vary from doctor to doctor. Undoubtedly, some will tell you (and have told me) that there's really no problem getting multiple jabs and you can run within a couple of days after getting one. HOWEVER, other doctors WILL tell you that you should only get 1-2 (especially in vulnerable areas like the plantar) AND even THAT should be a last resort. On top of that they will tell you that you shouldn't be on your feet for 3 days, not running for 7-10 days, and not training properly for a good time after that.

Again, I am no doctor, but my legal background tends to help me to think objectively on these things. If one doctor is saying GO FOR IT and the other is saying DON'T... which one are you going to trust? Which one has more to gain?

I believe that any time you are LUCKY enough to have a doctor that is honest enough to tell you that he doesn't have a magic cure... you should listen.

There is no magic cure for plantar... just patience.

Well what worked for me was getting orthotics. I battled pf for about 3 months with little success, but once I got a pair of custom made orthotics I was immediately able to run. It was basically a miracle cure for me, however my pf stemed from having high arches that depressed upon footstrike which was alleviated by my orthotics, if you have flat feet they might not do as much good. . .

I am getting encouraged by some of the comments here. I am getting my orthodics on Thursday and have decided to stop being an a-hole and to cease running altogether until i get them. I will do some swimming this week and perhaps elliptical.

The past month has been a nightmare: feel good, run, ouch, ice, stretch, feel good, run, ouch, ice, stretch, feel good, run etc.

(On the other hand, if i avoid running for a few days, i still notice that the pain is not gone totally. So i think that the few earlier posters who wrote that rest is not relevent are correct.)

I am going to give the orthos a go and will avoid the cortizone if i can. regarding the cortizone, I have been getting a truly mixed reaction both here on letsrun and in the real world from runners and professionals. Very strange that there is no consensus on it.

Getting rid of PF.

1/ stop running, wear night splint

2/ Ice 3 times daily, take anti-inflammatory

3/ Gently rotate ankle several times p/ day

4/ Once inflammation has settled, perform foot strengthening exercises daily, 2x

5/ Visit PT therapist to determine if orthotics are needed, plus advice on foot exercises

6/ Stretch the shit out of your calves

7/ go see a massage therapist 3/5 times, ask them to abuse you calves and arches

8/ return to running gradually, you need to apply gentle massage before each run, this run should be pain free, if discomfort exists you've started back too soon

9/ Continue massage therapy with emphasis on calves and arches 2x p/month

10/ perform strength exercises 2x per week with your normal workout routine, stretch the shit out of your calves

Getting rid of PF.

1/ stop running, wear night splint

2/ Ice 3 times daily, take anti-inflammatory

3/ Gently rotate ankle several times p/ day

4/ Once inflammation has settled, perform foot strengthening exercises daily, 2x

5/ Visit PT therapist to determine if orthotics are needed, plus advice on foot exercises

6/ Stretch the shit out of your calves

7/ go see a massage therapist 3/5 times, ask them to abuse you calves and arches

8/ return to running gradually, you need to apply gentle massage before each run, this run should be pain free, if discomfort exists you've started back too soon

9/ Continue massage therapy with emphasis on calves and arches 2x p/month

10/ perform strength exercises 2x per week with your normal workout routine, stretch the shit out of your calves

Getting rid of PF.

1/ stop running, wear night splint

2/ Ice 3 times daily, take anti-inflammatory

3/ Gently rotate ankle several times p/ day

4/ Once inflammation has settled, perform foot strengthening exercises daily, 2x

5/ Visit PT therapist to determine if orthotics are needed, plus advice on foot exercises

6/ Stretch the shit out of your calves

7/ go see a massage therapist 3/5 times, ask them to abuse you calves and arches

8/ return to running gradually, you need to apply gentle massage before each run, this run should be pain free, if discomfort exists you've started back too soon

9/ Continue massage therapy with emphasis on calves and arches 2x p/month

10/ perform strength exercises 2x per week with your normal workout routine, stretch the shit out of your calves