How long to spend on IC??

[Ucandothis]

Think I have plantar faciitis issues since a parkrun on Saturday. I am wearing heels around the house - feel a bit like a burlesque artist in my dressing gown and heels! - doing a series of Achilles/calf stretching exercises at least every hour and icing my heel regularly. It is better but I haven't left the house since Saturday! Am going out this afternoon to work [I will drive there and then stand for a couple of hours].

How long do you think I will need to refrain from running? Do I need to wait until absolutely all pain has gone? Advice welcome - am very new to this game but hate the thought that having fallen in love with running I have got to stop.

[OldPossum]

Think I have the same problem 😞 I have been advised to freeze a 500ml round water bottle (3/4 full) and roll it along the underside of my foot. Ice and massage combined. This came from an osteopath who also recommended a heel insert in my shoes. She said I needn't necessarily stop the program as long as I took it very slowly - not that I can do anything else anyway! Don't know if this is of any help.

[Ucandothis Graduate in reply to OldPossum]

Old Possum - I have read your posts and think we have same thing. My heel hurt when I ran on Saturday and now the outside of my ankle hurts when I walk, particularly in flat shoes. Found some great exercises online and can at least walk and work but don't see myself running for a while. I'm doing the rolling thing as well! Have you tried the hanging over the edge of stairs thing? Your heels hang, not your who,e body! It seems to help.

[OldPossum in reply to Ucandothis]

Yes I have been doing the stair stretch. I rubbed arnica cooling gel into my feet at bed time and stretched and rotated my feet before getting out of bed this morning too. Definitely not so painful to come downstairs this morning. Have actually made a Physio appointment for Thursday morning as I want to get better as quickly as possible and want to make sure that is what is actually wrong.

[Ucandothis Graduate in reply to OldPossum]

I think I will make a physio appointment, you're right that we should find out exactly what is wrong. Keep me posted! Good luck.

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

I think if it persists it would be wise to get it checked out.

Nobody on here can possibly tell you how long it will take - it's your body and we are not qualified to offer an opinion.

Hope it feels better soon.

[Flossie62]

I've been out of running for months now with the same problem. I did make an attempt a few weeks ago but I suffered afterwards.

I do all the exercises but to no avail at the moment, just getting more frustrated and beginning to lose faith in ever getting back out running.

My physio told me it can take weeks or months to recover from this unfortunately .

[Ucandothis Graduate in reply to Flossie62]

Oh dear, I suspected this might be the case. Do you suffer when walking now or is it just when trying to run? And what type of exercises do you do?

[Flossie62 in reply to Ucandothis]

I get aches when I walk and its tender when I start walking after being sat down for a while.

I do the heel drops on the stairs and rolling a bottle under my foot.

It's Sod's law that I find something I enjoy doing and I class as me time and now I can't do it !!

I drive for a living and often wonder if that's something to do with not healing aswell .

[Ucandothis Graduate in reply to Flossie62]

I am going to a physio on Friday. I am icing, heel dropping, wall leaning, bottle/ball rolling. Can hobble but very slowly and it hurts. Funnily enough driving was fine, it is just walking that is the issue. Have a really busy three weeks coming up and am starting to catasphrophise about not being able to work for a while. Am worried that even walking is causing more damage!

I agree about the running - I have never, ever done any form of exercise before and was so proud of myself for getting to a sub-35 5k, now it seems a million miles away.