Plantar Faciitis will not go away, and I've rested a month now.

My first major case lasted quite a while, although you mileage may vary. I had had multiple related problems and some earlier PF problems for which I got early (1970s) orthotics which worked miracles the first time, but I guess the mileage and an over-mobile foot eventually were too much. I started racing USCF (bike), which went well enough that I did not push the running for a number of years (although I did do a pretty good amount of running, but not marathon training).

A decade later I started ramping up, trying to hit 2:40 at age 40+, but other overly-mobile troubles cropped up.

Good luck, there is lots of variation, but it is not like muscle soreness, it takes a while to develop and time to unwind it as well. You should be able to ride, especially if you are careful not to over-stress the foot.

You're not through, but there's no timeline on when it'll get better. PF is one of those injuries with a mind of its own. It'll go away eventually, but only when it feels like it and for no particular reason. Do you have a season coming up? (i.e. college cross country) If so, cortisone can work miracles, but it's only a temporary fix (3 months or so).

Good luck man, I feel your pain!!

Yeah, riding never aggravated mine much - might even strengthen the foot?? Biking standing up is closer to running than biking sitting down.

[quote]i feel your pain wrote:

Do you have a season coming up? (i.e. college cross country) If so, cortisone can work miracles, but it's only a temporary fix (3 months or so).

yes. I am due to report for X-C workouts, one month from Monday and I am starting to panic that I have rested most of June and 1/2 of July now and it has not healed one bit. I need to start training for X-C within a couple of weeks from now or I might as well write off having a decent season. I think I will see the Dr. (orthepedic guy), about getting a cortisone shot. (and hope the pain doesn't come back. If if does, I guess I will have to look into some custom made orthotics).

I had PF this spring and found that really getting after it was a lot more productive than rest. Things that helped mine:

- stretching the plantar fascia per

http://medgadget.com/archives/2006/11/new_stretch_rel.html

(stretch your calves - gastroc and soleus - too if you don't already)

- ice massage: froze a standard bottle of Gatorade, rolled it with my foot, firm pressure, for 5-10 minutes

- ice after running

- finding the best shoes: for me low-heeled flats clearly worked a lot better (it was really obvious after the run) than trainers despite my instinct to the contrary

I eventually also got and used a Strassburg sock, but this didn't seem to have as much impact as the others. Then again I never found the PF was bad first thing in the morning as most people do; it might help a lot more if that's your deal.

One thing that kept it around longer for me was that once I was 90% rid of it, I'd let up on this stuff and it'd get worse again. I still feel it a little bit sometimes. It's just easier to stay motivated to treat it when it's more of a constant pain.

Good luck.

I had bad PF for like 4 months. It got better when I put in heel cups to relieve the stress from the plantar fascia, and started running more miles to get my body used to it. It will go away with rest, but it will come back when you strain your PF to the same extent. You need to work through it and make your feet stronger. Cortisone shots are excellent short term solutions.

Two words- Custom Orthotics

Seriously, I had the same problem in 1984. A friend recommended a podiatrist, he prescribed orthotics adn I was running the day I got them (even though hte Doc told me to wait 3 days.

I am also going through PF problems right now.

I am currently researching ART or Graston and may end up looking for a doc who will perform it. Anyone got any information of either of these therapies?

In the meantime I am stretching my heel chords 5 or 6 times every day/night and massaging my arches and sleeping in the Strassburg Sock. It's gotten a little better since I started all this stretching.

Good luck.

Look into shockwave therapy for it. See if you can find a podiatrist/physician in the area who advertises that (Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, or ESWT). It seems to work for many people when nothing else does... That said, your month of no changes may not be considered enough time.

Good luck!

I had to take a full year off running after trying to run through it for about six months. No fun at all, but I tried the sleeping boot, tape, never having bare feet . . . everything but custom orthodics. From what I've read, orthodics would have most likely made a big difference -- but at the time I was poor and my insurance sucked.

The boot works for me. I have one of those big clunky ones (got it from road runner sports years ago). It's a pain sleeping with it on, because I roll around a lot, but when I wake up, no pain.

I've had it for 14 years. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes worse. I've done everything there is to do, so I just run through it--as much as 115 miles in a week. I do not anticipate mine ever getting better--I just live with it. Sorry to be the voice of doom, but you did ask.

Mine has gotten so that I barely notice it. Last Fall & Winter, every run hurt like hell!! Mornings were the worse. I pretty much trained right thru it, usually about 70 mile weeks. I took alot of Aleve and Rolled my feet on frozen water bottles after most runs. I think I first noticed it last May...So, after 14 months, it looks like I'm finally thru it....Good Luck.

I've had PF on and off for quite awhile, it was really bad in college and I slept with a boot for the better part of 2 years. I have flare ups now and then, but nothing that I can't tolerate. Here are my tips:

Make sure you have good shoes with the best support possible for YOUR foot.

Wear good shoes ALL THE TIME (working, running errands, etc - no flip-flops)

Stretch, stretch, stretch (usually when it bothers me now, its directly related to tight calves)

DMSO and crushed up aspirin/advil. Do your research on this one, but this will help alleviate your inflammation. DMSO is awesome.

Mine wouldn't go away for about a year. Hopefully your coach will be understanding, cause its a hell of an injury to have.

I've taught the following tips to many runners in my local Nashville area over the years. It works. I've used it myself for over 12 years.

A possible cause of plantar fasciitis is lack of support in the arch area. Sure, there are other causes, but stay with me on this one. Exercises, special socks, ice, and corticosteroids will help AFTER you get injured, but you want to prevent it from reoccurring. To do that, you must address the source… lack of support for your arch. Exercises will help with mild cases, but you should still give yourself more arch support.

Many running injuries start at the arch, not just plantar fasciitis. Try this. Stand barefoot. Step forward about a foot with your right foot, placing it very lightly on the ground. Then, shift your weight to right foot. Watch what happens. For many runners, the arch flattens. The ankle rocks slightly inward. The Achilles tendon bends to the inside. Finally, as you rock forward more, the shin rolls inward. Finally, the kneecap rolls inward. When you go for a long run, this twisting happens several thousand times. The end result can plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, ITB syndrome, chondromalacia. Repeat this test, but this time with your running shoes on. When you rock your weight forward, the ankle, Achilles, shin, and kneecap should stay in the proper plane. Since you are having plantar problems, you will probably still see some significant flexing.

I used to wear orthotics, but then I discovered that as the shoe aged or if I got a different model of shoe (or even the same model the next year) the orthotic would no longer fit. I decided to make my own. To begin, take out the existing insert. In most training shoes, it's a flimsy piece of cloth covered foam with only a tiny bit of extra support foam around the heel cup and under the arch. Since you have plantar fasciitis, you obviously need more support under the arch, but the reason shoe manufactures don't add more is that the insert would then be too much for runners with lower arches.

Try the easy fix first. Replace the original flimsy insert with an off-the-shelf orthotic, such as SuperFeet Green, SuperFeet Blue (less padding) or Powersteps. I've used all three. All are good and the fit is slightly different with each. Cost is about $30, except the SuperFeet Green is $35. I'd suggest you try them all to see if you can get a perfect fit right out of the box. Take your running shoes with you to try them on. Take out the existing insert, insert the new insert and stand up. If the fit is good, you should feel a little more pressure on the arch area of your foot than with the old insert. With the old insert, you probably felt nothing. Next, do the same exercise mentioned earlier. Step forward, put the right shoe down, and then put your weight on the shoe. The shoe should rock a little less to the inside than with the old insert. However, even with a good fit, it will still probably rock inwards somewhat. You don't want your shoe to fit like a brick. Next, try running with the shoe. Of course, by that time, you've been walking all day and the plantar fasciitis probably isn't bothering you, but if it is, you should notice a reduction of pain with the SuperFeet (PowerSteps) insert. Even with a perfect fit, you may still have some pain because you have already aggravated the plantar muscle. It will need to heal to eliminate all the pain.

In choosing the right insert for your current pair of shoes, be sure to try different sizes if your size is on the borderline between small and medium, or medium to large. The larger size may need to be trimmed, but it also has slightly more arch support. I prefer the slightly larger size and then trimming it, but that’s my arch, not yours. You be the judge.

Run in the shoe with the new insert. The pain should be less, but since the arch is already aggravated, it may take a few days to go away completely.

IMPORTANT. You MUST add some arch support to the shoes you wear when you are NOT running. You’ll be in these non-running shoes 14-16 hours a day. I found that a simple Dr Scholls leather arch support was enough for me. If you don't add support to your non-running shoes, you are just aggravating the arch with every non-running step.

WHEN OFF THE SHELF ORTHOTICS AREN’T ENOUGH

If the new insert doesn't solve the problem in a few days, or if you want to do what I do, follow the remaining steps. When I buy a new pair of shoes, I immediately take out the existing insert and start modifying it. You’ll need a pair of scissors, duct tape, and a few 12 inch squares of craft’s felt. It’s available at Wal Mart in the crafts section for 20 cents per one foot square. Buy several pieces. Cut this big piece into a few 2 inch squares. Remove the shoe insert. Add a few of these small squares of craft felt under your shoe’s insert in the arch area until you feel “support” on the arch when wearing the shoes. You’ll have to overlap the felt squares to avoid getting all the bulk in one place. Use a small strip of duct tape to hold the felt in place as you are testing the various felt positions. Put the insert back in the shoe. To test the fit, take your tape, felt squares, and scissors with you to a place where you can run at least 50 meters. Run out and see how it feels. Make a note of where you need to make adjustments. Jog back and adjust the felt by adding, moving or removing pieces as necessary. Repeat until it feels right. What’s “right?” you ask. Basically you want to feel support all along the arch, not just the front or the back or the outer edge. If you don’t feel noticeable support anywhere, just keep adding more felt until you do. You also don’t want to feel more support on the arch than anywhere else on the foot.

Next, take a longer run of a few miles by yourself. I’d strongly recommend that you wear a fanny belt and carry a pocket knife or blunt scissors (don't run with scissors!!!) , a few more squares of felt, and a small roll of tape. You’ll probably notice a need for some minor adjustment along the way. I carry an old almost empty roll of duct tape for this, but scotch tape will work for a couple of miles until you get back.

Getting this right will be trial and error for you at first. Basically, you keep adding felt along the inside of the arch area of the insert until you feel like you are running with a tennis ball under your arch. That’s too much, so you need to back off a bit. Of course, the 2 inch square is only a starting point, you can fold those felt squares or trim them to give you support in the area you need. Most likely, it will take 3-10 squares to build up the arch enough. The outside edge of the felt will stick out past the inside edge of the insert. How much it needs to stick out varies with different shoes. For me it’s typically a quarter inch to a full inch

IF THAT FAILS...

After your first real run, you’ll know if this is working for you. If it doesn’t work and the shoes aren’t worn out, repeat the process by adding felt to the arch of Powersteps or SuperFeet inserts. What works best for you won’t always be the same. In some of my running shoes, I use the existing insert and felt. In others, I use the PowerSteps. In others, only the SuperFeet insert works.

One caution. While this process will work on with stability, motion control, lightweight performance trainers, and some racing flats, it won’t work on some cushion shoes. These shoes as a rule are too unstable even with all the extra arch support.

This whole process may sound like a lot of work, but it’s a lot faster than making one trip to and from your doctor’s office. In fact, you’ll be able to complete the entire process faster than you can read these instructions once you’ve done it a couple of times. IF THAT FAILS, there are a couple more steps you can take, but this post is already too long. Try what's been suggested so far. It should be enough.

Three years later, and I'm STILL dealing with PF. I have tried everything but surgery to release the fascia - and I dont want to do that. I haven't actually run in two years (jogging with the dog and playing with the kid dont count as actual running to me). Good luck. Try to knock it out now before too much scar tissue forms - likely what has happened to me.

have you gotten cortisone shots yet? They cleared up my p.f. pain in less than a week, when rest and other treatments did nothing for 3 months.

three times! hurt like a bitch!

Ive done (and still do) the stretching...every day. I've gotten custom orthotics - wear them too. Gotten the shots, take the NSAIDs, and on, and on, and on with all the other crap. It began to really consume a LOT of time. I had ART done on it, too. It is better than it used to be, but it is not healed or cured. My insurance wont pay for physical therapy, but if it did, i'd go. It is the most frustrating injury i've ever had.

And as 26mi285 mentioned above, I have a very mobile foot that is fairly flat and quite thin. I dont overpronate; actually, my mechanics are pretty darn good. But the foot is just so flexible in so many spots - it has caused other problems too in the metatarsals over the years.

I've almost become resigned to just living with it. I just read about ESWT the other day...looking for someone to do it now.