I am really struggling with heel pain. I have proper trainers (following gait analysis), have bought various gel inserts & tried different socks but I am still really struggling. I feel like I am not progressing as I have to have about 4-5 days rest between runs for my heel to recover enough to get back out so I can damage it some more! I am considering a podiatrist but I have no idea of the costs involved or whether it would even help.
I am enjoying running but I can't continue if it's always going to hurt like this - I can't walk properly for days after!
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks x
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Scenglish64a
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Quite possibly - I am heavy-footed and have tried to modify how I land but that resulted in hip pain, presumably from going against my natural step! I'm not sure what over-striding is?
They didn't give me any advice as such but I was a bit confused as they said I was neutral - I have always been an over-pronator in the past. The trainers I bought on their advice don't feel as cushioned as my old ones.
That said, I tried my old trainers for tonight's run on someone's advice and my heel is still bad.
I'm usually in trainers/wellies or Converse (not very good for feet at all!) I stopped wearing heels a few years ago - the last time I took up running in fact - due to achilles issues.
I spend most of my time in bare feet and walk on my tip toes which I have been told is bad so I am trying to stop that.
I will try to land on the mid foot and see how I go.
I can sympathise - sounds like Plantar Fascitis. I've had it for around three months now. I have been doing Park Run every Saturday for a couple of years and also completed C25K in the middle with no problems at all. Then, at the start of lockdown, I started to do three 5k runs a week which set the pain off. Stopped all exercise for two weeks but it didnt improve so I've given up & started running again. I try to use different pairs of trainers with and without heel inserts but can't discern any particular benefits. I have some exercises which I try to do daily. I've been told rest it indefinitely but I feel that if I don't keep moving I'll never be able to get back to my current level of fitness. I did have this about 10 years ago, although not as bad , when I did a lot of walking and it just disappeared by itself eventually - I live in hope! Physiotherapy may be the answer.
That has crossed my mind...I try to really stretch my lower leg out before bed and then before I get out of bed in the morning. It helps a little! I use a resistance band to do the stretches. The last time I started running (a few years ago now) I had no issues but I was doing pilates a few times a week. I wonder if the stretching I was doing in sessions then was stretching me out and preventing the pain?
Ordinarily I’d say you should go to the doctor and let them decide whether it is plantar fasciitis or not.
There’s a lot of things you can do to help yourself if it is, putting your foot on the opposite thigh - as if to cross your legs - and firmly stroking the arch of your foot towards your toes is one. Filling a small sized pop bottle with water, freezing it and then rolling your foot over it is another.
You can do them as often as you feel like during the day.
I usually start every day with the foot stroking thing. I forgot to say you need to pull your toes up as well. But if you google plantar fasciitis exercises there’ll be a good description somewhere, I’m sure. You can roll with a bottle/rolling pin etc while you wait for the kettle to boil, you don’t have to do it for long.
I’d also make sure to do some calf stretches every day, making sure to stretch both muscles, not just one.
I had this literally one week in to couch25k. It was so painful I had to give up - it was plantar fasciitis - is this what you have? If so the only cure is supportive shoes with good arch support and rest! I had to wait around 6 months before starting again - it was worth the wait. I’m a C25k graduate now and run twice a week - the pain has never returned
I have plantar fasciitis too so I really do feel your pain but I was given a spikey ball by the podiatrist and it’s the most amazing thing ever! It’s only about the size of a tennis ball but I roll it under my feet, and the backs of my heels and the relief is instant.
I love the spiky ball! I also find that my tight calves are part of my heel pain, but doing a yoga with adriene 7 minute post run warm up helps (downward dog pedalling works wonders for me). I also stretch post run and massage my feet and arches. Scenglish64a - I hope it begins to improve. Sounds v painful! Good luck.
Hi . I am a foot health practitioner and reflexologist and see alot of patients with this . Depending on the cause it could be a combination of treatments from changing footwear to support arches , heel, stretching calf muscles , flexing the facia by stretching exercises . using a range of techniques. Rolling your foot over an iced bottle, or tennis ball, standing on the edge of stairs with balls of feet and doing a stepping motion to stretch. You need to take the inflammation away . Reflexology helps to stimulate the nerve endings and promote blood flow too. Correct footwear makes a huge difference
I am rolling it over a water bottle right now and the relief is immense. I am just about to order a roller from Amazon so i'm hoping that works.
I had severe heel pain that turned out to be plantar fasciitis. It took six weeks to get back to anything like normal. For that you need to work on the arch of your foot by rolling it on a tennis ball sized ball or a bottle of cold water or a special roller from Amazon. I found that my best solution was a part of my dining room table leg that was curved and came out from the upright - like a smooth rounded L. I found resting it wasn't enough to make any difference.
Heel pain can be caused by a few different sources. Heel spur, AT tightness, plantar fasciitis to name the most common. Most people over probate to a degree. Question is how did they do the gait analysis and who.
Tell me more about the pain ie when does it start, dies it go away, where is it etc. Does anything help.
I would not keep buying and sticking anything in your shoes as you could make it worse.
Seeing a podiatrist who specialises in gait should be no more than £60 ish.
Hi Rod - thanks for your reply! It started with C25K (around week 5 or 6).
The pain is in my right heel - it feels like there's one particular spot that really hurts. It is on the bottom of my foot, towards the inside where it starts to go up into the arch.
It hurts during and after running - especially when I take my trainers off and try to walk in bare feet. I end up having to walk on my tip-toes for a time. The pain will ease off after a little while - I can still feel discomfort but I am then ok to walk with my feet flat.
In the morning, the pain is excruciating - there's no way I can put my foot flat. I end up walking on my tip toes for an hour or so. I got some padded flip flops to ease this but even they don't help immediately when I get up. I try to stretch before getting out of bed but that doesn't seem to help too much either!
Then it is tender for a few days - it is at least 4-5 days before it eases up enough for me to run again and I am now conscious of it when I walk day to day in trainers.
I feel like I have a few things to take away and try from this forum so may give those a go and get in touch with a podiatrist.
So much advice.Some good some not so. Could be PF equally wrong footwear or a posterior tib problem.
Best thing to do I would say is see a podiatrist that specialises in bio mechanics not a general pod. Rest it now. No running for three/four weeks. Use the physio band to stretch your foot/AT Before you get out of bed and weight bear. Ibuprofen and the ice advice. Roll your arch over the ball or a frozen pop can.
Finally look at the bottom of a pair of well worn shoes that will tell you a lot about how you run/walk.
Looking at shoe wear is something that I've noticed all podiatrists do. It's a good indicator of which bit of the foot is exerting the most force on the ground (and vice versa, in accordance with Newton's third law).
Sounds like plantar fasciitis. I had it In both feet about 20 years ago from running. Saw a physio, did all the things, inserts, stretching, iced bottle rolling, steroid injections etc etc......... ended up having surgery😥......I was really unlucky, as it is quite uncommon to end up having surgery.
However, both feet now fine, and completed Couch to 5K earlier in lockdown.
I definitely don't want surgery - i'd give up running rather than go down that route...it's great that you have been able to run again though - that gives me hope!
I've had exactly the same problem. I'm just about to start week 6 but I've not been able to put any weight on it at all some days. I tried my mother in laws Revitive which is like a tens machine. Twice a day with the pads on my ankle has been amazing. Without that I wouldn't have been able to walk for 20 minutes let alone the run I've just done .Worked for me anyway. Hope you get it sorted as i feel your pain x
Try stretching your hamstrings and calf muscles a few times per day.
Also sit on a chair with a towel around the ball of your foot and pull the towel towards yourself, as soon as you feel the stretch hold it for about 20 secs, do it 3 times.
You might need to see how your foot is landing when you run, you need to land on the ball of your foot and not your heel, it might help.
If you look on YouTube for Japanese slow running, it shows you how to run while landing on the ball of your foot.
If it is PF you can get support socks on amazon from a company called Fit Nation, they are good for pain relief.
I watched some YouTube videos last night about how to run - I definitely think I am doing it wrong! I will look up the slow running technique.
I have some FitNation socks - I feel like they were effective the first couple of times I used them but then the benefits stopped. I might try them again in conjunction with slow running to see if that helps.
I also have this issue. For me I know it is Plantar Fasciitis. I find it hurts when I get up, I go for a run and by the time I have finished the pain has eased off and is almost gone. When I finish the run, I sit at my desk and the pain returns as the day goes on. There are a few things I do which help:
1) Sit the foot on an ice pack for around 20 minutes.
2) Use a muscle roller and roll the foot across it to relieve the pain. You can use dryer balls for this too.
3) Don't walk around the house in bare feet, always wear flip flops with a thick padded heal. I have the ones which are supposed to work your calves while you walk.
4) I bought some socks from amazon which are compression socks, which help to reduce the pain.
I have had this issue in the past and it has just resolved itself, so I am hopeful this will happen again. Otherwise, I understand there is an injection the doctors can do into the heal to relieve it. I am very keen to avoid that option.
I am icing as we speak! I have to admit, I am terrible for walking in bare feet plus we have hard floors throughout the house. I'd imagine that doesn't help. I have some padded flip flops that I use as slippers but I always forget to put them on...
I have collapsed arches and one of the things especially if you are suffering from PF, is to avoid walking barefoot on hard surfaces and also avoiding things like flip flops. I find my heels start hurting if I've been in my flip-flops too long as they provide no support.
Lol I know that's not possible at all times not to be barefoot if your house has hard floor but I bought some bare foot arch supports : amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HL5B59L/...
I don't know if they'll help you but they definitely helped me. I also used a sports roller pin to relieve the tissue under my foot and the back of my calves, I used a frozen bottle of water to roll my feet on as well. I also scrunched my toes over and over again on cloth to increase resistance. I tried a bunch of stuff and it seemed to work so now I only use the roller pin in the morning and night (if my 1 year old hasn't hidden it somewhere) , and wear the bare foot arch supports at home as I like being bare foot!
My calves/heels are the stiffest/sensitive in the morning, and I usually have to wear arch supports in any shoes I wear. I only realised I had PF when I woke up at night with heel pain, so I knew it was bad then :/
I had this. I regularly stretch my feet now. New shoes helped a bit but your feet may need stretching too I use a physio band at the top of your foot near toes and with your leg straight and you sitting up straight on floor pull your toes/foot towards you. Then do the other one. It sounds like it could be plantar fasciitis which the inserts would help or achilles tendinitis look up on YouTube for stretches to help. If you are in U.K. you can refer yourself to a physio it takes ages but then you will know for sure.
Just to update - I saw a podiatrist today who has said it's definitely PF. I have been strapped up and advised not to run for a few weeks and to do lots of strengthening exercises.
He was horrified that I had been sold neutral trainers as it is very clear that I pronate so now I get the excitement of picking out some new trainers!
Thanks so much everyone for all the advice - it's really appreciated!
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