Am I running in proper shoes to correct plantar fasciitis?

In my experience, if your shoe has a medial post or anything like it, you're increasing your risk of plantar fascitis or decreasing your likelihood of getting over it.

Try lighter shoes, I've switched to running in lightweight trainers, the asics Gel Ds trainers have cleared up my PF< take about 3 months off for it to heal completely. Dont try running through it~ I did it and low and behold I had a case of runners knee I still battle from time to time! Rest, ICE and GOLF BALL, Roll the golf ball on your foot while at work if you can, makes a difference, and go to a massage therapist that will work out the scar tissue as it heals! 3 months, massage and GOLF ball

Nick

don't tie your shoes too tightly either.

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!!

Kayano= motion control shoe=medial post

SN cushion =neutral cushion shoe= no post

do you pronate? if not than you don't need the post. The post is there to stop your foot from rolling in.

~MP

I pronate some but not a lot. When I've been looked at by good running coaches or by knowledgeable running shoe salesmen (ie in specialty running shops) the consensus has been a pretty neutral gait overall. Everyone pronates some, no??

I was not aware the Kayana had a medial post. this is huge news to me and I will stay away from Kayano starting now.

Know of any other models which would be appropriate for me??

thanks again.

I'll second that on lighter shoes. I run in racing shoes every day. After you get used to it you will never want to put on a pair of heavyweight trainers again.

You could try joining road runner sports, 20.00 per year, and you can try out shoes and mail them back within 90 days, you do this 2-3 times for the year, hey it's worth it, the medial post is very stiff it takes the curve out the arch, like a pair of old flats, notice they are small where arch support supposed to be? The pronation shoes are straight you can lay your finger along the greay area in asics shoes, I like ones that are light and flexible! let the arch be natural, they make lighter shoes for people who are efficient! back in the old days when PRE ran! They didnt have fancy shoes! the less techinal the better

Nick

If you like Asics...try the Cumulus or Nimbus. Both are well cushioned and both are without a medial post.I also run in lighter trainers, but mostly on tempo runs. Models I like are the Asics gel-verdict and New Balance 830/831(great shoe!)

Absolutely right, acicsman! The shoes companys have made a killing convincing runners they need orthodics, medial post, motion control, blah blah blah. The best shoes are very light, flexible, and minimal. Shoes that restrict your foot's natural movement are not good. God desinged the foot correctly, the shoe companies try to mess it up.

Super guys. this is the stuff I love to see on this forum; quite helpful.

any comment on the Supernova Cushion??

Some other comments:

I also have been battling PF. The biggest improvement I found was going to a different insole. I had been using Super Feet but changed to DownUnders. For me, the fit was better and within a two days the PF pain dramatically decreased. My brother needed to go to customer othotics.

I have trained with DS Trainers for years and love em. I got some Kayanos last fall for some marathon training and they seemed to aggravate the PF.

Like everyone I have spoke, each person is slightly different in how to approach it and how to cure it.

Good Luck.

ditto all that about minimal shoes - i had really bad PF problems - switched to the new balance 830's & i'm fine now - except i can't find the shoe anymore.

Erik, I think the most effective treatment is calf mobility and foot mobility. If your calves are too tight, they'll pull on your heel and PF. Start stretching-all kinds of calf stretches.

I have discovered a cause of pf.There might be others but

this one is a doozy and you will not like what I am about to

tell you.

First let me tell you about my last month of running and how it

relates to my pf cure.

I have been searching for the perfect running shoe for many years.

The perfect shoe is one that is as close to barefoot while providing

protection from rocks,glass etc.A month ago while in REI I noticed a

very interesting water shoe the Teva Proton.The shoe is like a mocasin

with a rounded sole that is very much like the roundness of the sides

of

your foot.The proton has no midsole and no raised heel.

At first running in these shoes quickly fatigued my mid calf to the

point where

I had to quit running.It also put a slight strain on my achilles

tendons and my

heels were taking some pounding but my pf totally quit hurting.Also I

really

liked the amount of proprioception/feel.My stride really cleaned up.I

also

limited my proton runs to slow softsurface as the shoe has very little

cushion

and the low/no heel stressed my achilles/calves.I did start to notice

just how

much my regular running shoes were built up in the heel area.They

really

started to feel like high heel shoes not good at all and my pf would

allways

reappear after running in the running shoes.

Gradually I did more and more of my runs in the protons even the faster

ones

and even on pavement.My body just adapted to not having the cushion.My

legs

started acting as cushions,my heels,achilles and calfs adapted to

having no

heel.I started running alot faster and with no pf pain!

About 2 weeks ago while running down a slight hill I figured out the

cause of

pf....I noticed a slight forward slide of my foot upon contacting the

ground at

a downward angle from the downhill.I also noticed a slight pulling at

the

inside front of my heel.This is exactly the point where the pf attaches

to the

heel!So I am saying that running shoes which have a heel built up

higher than

the forefoot is like allways running downhill!!!!This is the cause of

pf.

Take your bare foot and scuff it against the ground with some forward

motion

and you will understand what I am saying.

On every foot landing shoes with a builtup heels iritates the pf

connection

point.Eventually this causes pf.

I no longer wear running shoes at all.I only run in the heeless teva

protons(did a 16.5 miler the other day no problem) and I wear either

heeless

birkenstock sandals or heeless tennis shoes during the day(a pair of

womens

hanes tennis shoes 9 bucks at wallmart).

I suggest that during the day you wear a shoe with no builtup heel that

is also

very flexible just to see if it helps , then if it does get a pair of

the teva

protons(35 bucks) and try jogging in them on softsurface.

Being blessed to work in one of the two running stores in the whole state of WI I feel obligated to help. The best feedback I've gotten from customers are those shoes with nice soft heels and good all around cushioning. As said before I'd probably stay away from the high stability(Kayano, 2080, Saucony Omni, etc.). I'll just list a few shoes you could possibly look into.

Nike:

Pegasus

Little bit lighter shoe, Air Span Triax, true it's considered light stability but i had 'em and never noticed the heel support

Asics:

Cumulus

Nimbus

Saucony:

Jazz

Trigon

Shadow

Web

Adidas:

Response

Supernova Cushion

Softest shoes I can think of that we carry, good luck with that

BULLSHIT what's all that plastic shit on the shoe, (adidas SN cushion)? I own it & would NOT advise you too also. Whoever said less is more is right on the mark. Fix your feet don't use a freaking crutch.

nobody your somebody, nice I agree!! LESS is MORE! How long again did it take you to get back? I have a friend who once ran 29:50 at 19 & he runs now in a pair of $19.99 Walmart shoes DR Scholes sp?, after which he he suffered from many injuries, which he bought 5 pair! My question would be how far can we go back to "being an AMerican Indian", how lite can we we go?

Inquiring minds, as stated in my opening I am doing everything possible to correct any underlying biomechanical problems I might have like tight hams, calves or achilles. I have an active and dedicated stretching program and am also using a rolling device I bought at RRS to break up the adhesions, etc as well as stretching my feet on a curved stretching device. so I am attempting to correct the underlying problem using as much infor as I can find on the web. but I wanted shoe advice from the forum not so much to use as a crutch but simply to try and find the best shoe for me with my problems, to the extent is possible thru a forum ie no one has actually looked at my foot's shape, etc.