Plantar fasciitis

[Footleg]

I love running but have not run for nearly 3 weeks. On my last run I 'concentrated on posture': while running I stretched by back. This gave me quite a sore lower back so I rested. Then I noticed that my heel was sore. I have self diagnosed 🫣 from the NHS website and am applying ice. But I want to run. Has anyone had these issues and can you offer me some advice?? And hope....

[nowster Graduate10]

The advice is: if it doesn't clear up in a few days, seek proper medical advice, not some random folk on an internet forum.

You might want also to look at your gait. If you're a heel striker, that might be the cause. Have a look at the Japanese Slow Running video linked to in the C25K FAQ post.

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to nowster]

Thank you nowster.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate10]

Plantar fasciitis is one of those things that happens to runners and they do recover! It’s common in the middle of an injury to feel like you’ll never get better but the vast majority of us hit the pavements again with the right sort of support. It’s worth seeking proper expert advice if it doesn’t settle, as suggested on the NHS website.

nhs.uk/conditions/plantar-f...

Good luck!

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you, I will shortly be seeking medical advise....

[Sax64 Graduate10]

I get this at intervals too. I find the best exercises involve stretching and curling the toes, trying to pick up a pencil from the floor with curled toes and massage by rolling your foot over a spiky ball. In addition I have insoles to relieve the condition. They feel weird at first, but I rapidly became accustomed to them. If it is plantar fasciatus, there's no quick fix. It's just doing the exercises and, for me, having footwear with supportive soles. I can run etc if it's mild, only you can work out if that's possible or wise even. Hope that helps.

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to Sax64]

Thank you. I'm going to get the spikey ball out of the tumble dryer now

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Sax64]

It can work the other way too.

Counter-intuitively sometimes going for much less supportive shoes can help with PF, for precisely the same reason that the spiky ball and picking up a pencil or rubber ball from the floor with your toes works.

But, of course, we're all different and what works for one person might be the absolute worst thing for another. That's where a trained professional comes in.

[GTFC Graduate10]

Hope it's a speedy recovery Footleg Also check your running shoes are ok for you. Were they your usual ones? Are they worn etc? There's lots of tips on YouTube for PF if it is that. Best wishes 😊

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to GTFC]

I actually bought some zero heel drop trainers, could they have made it worse, I wonder....

[GTFC Graduate10 in reply to Footleg]

They could well have, especially if you've come from shoes with a much higher stack height.

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Footleg]

Absolutely! Transitioning too quickly from high drop to zero drop can cause many problems, especially in the tendons and the calf muscles.

It can also be stretching your fascia, which will have not had as much stretching when in higher heels. (The angle the foot makes in the shoe will be shallower.)

Don't ditch the new shoes just yet, but do go back to your older ones for now. You need to gradually phase the newer ones in over several weeks.

(I've been wearing "barefoot" shoes for twelve years now. I transitioned over about six months. It was a further eight years before I actually started running.)

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to nowster]

I wanted to transition (but not run actually barefoot) thinking it's more natural to run in 0 heel drop shoes (I've come from 10 to 6 to 4 to 3 to 0). I've been thinking all day I may have to ditch the new shoes but I'm much happier with your comment. Thank you.I do still run in my 10s etc thinking it's good for my bones. What would you say, nowster, about running in various heel drops?

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Footleg]

After all these years I can't now tolerate high heel drops. They actually cause me discomfort.

Frequently changing between high drop and low drop is probably not helping things. You may be stressing your feet even more.

As a guy wearing heels higher than 25mm is not something I'd do, but I know lots of ladies do. If you regularly wear heels for long periods (eg. at work) it's probably not a good idea to go to zero drop running shoes.

[Footleg 60minGraduate]

As soon as I asked I thought of course switching between various heel drops won't help. Thank goodness I don't wear heels imagine going from 50mm to 0

[drl212]

Plantar fasciitis is not fun! I agree with nowster and if you don't have any relief in a few days, you probably should get to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment.

When I had it about 15 years ago, I remember putting a tennis ball and a golf ball into a sock and tieing them in. I would alternate between the two rolling them under my foot. I also wore a sock that kept my foot in dorsiflexion.

Mine improved over time and I haven't had it since.

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to drl212]

Thank you. I'll try the tennis and golf ball and have just learnt of dorsiflexion in the articles offered by Flimflab.You had such a positive outcome, thank you for giving me hope!

[Flimflab]

Good to see you will be getting medical advice and have checked the NHS website. This is fortunately not something I have had (yet).

If it helps with background, this is a link to an article by a physio who specialises in running on recovering from PF matthewboydphysio.com/treat...

He also did an article on diagnosing PF matthewboydphysio.com/heel-...

He also does youtube videos e.g. on heel pain but I find his articles more useful.

Good luck and I hope you are back to running soon.

P.S. with shoes he suggests rotating between different shoes and I found this helped with my ankle injury.

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to Flimflab]

THANK YOU for these articles! I am optimustic that Training Load Management will help me. And i am relie ed that i can still run, although run less, while i recover. Such useful info throughout these articles!I already rotate my running shoes but am thinking the heel drops I rotate through are probably too large.

[Lola-bear]

hi there, I have no experience of the running shoe debate however I have had PF- I went to see a podiatrist who gave me silicone heel insoles, exercises for stretching as said previously, told me to wear nothing but trainers ( no slippers in the house even) and have 3 weeks off - I followed his advice and have had no problem since and that was 3 years ago- hope that gives you comfort that it will pass if you’re sensible.

[Footleg 60minGraduate in reply to Lola-bear]

Thank you, it's heartening to know that it gets better

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Hi Footleg, sorry to hear you’re suffering with horrid plantar fasciitis. It’s the one running-related injury I have experienced, and it was purely due to the rookie error of running during C25K six years ago wearing totally inappropriate trainers. Basically a pair of “fashion” Nikes. I knew no better!

However. I used a tennis ball, and when I ran I wore a compression bandage. Bizarrely it felt much worse walking, but was fine for the short interval style C25K runs. After gait analysis and some proper trainers I can happily say it never recurred.

Hope yours is purely shoe-related too. 🤞