Plantar Fasciitis

[NoNameBrand]

Who's dealt with it and how did u get rid of it?
Anyone try to run through it and get rid of it at the same time?
What are the best modalities that help treat this injury?
mine's been going on for 2 month and doesn't seem to get better with rest

[john]

Yes, definitely a bit trying to get rid of.

A couple of things that have worked for me are:
1. Roll your foot over a frozen water bottle for about 10-15 minutes at least twice a day and especially soon after activity (i.e. run)
2. There's a special sock (the name escapes me) you can wear at night while you sleep. It keeps the plantar fascia stretched.
3. When you wake up make sure to immediately place your feet in supportive footwear because those initial steps (in bare feet) are when you will do the most damage.
4. Most running stores will have various foot rolling contraptions
5. If running is near impossible go to the gym and use an elliptical machine for a few days or at least once or twice a week if running is tollerable. This machine takes a little getting used to, but be patient.

Keep at it and don't get discouraged.

[SI]

I put up with mine for over 5 years until one burst. That 7 month layoff gave some new orthotics a chance to work and it hasn't flared up over 11 years. I tried all that stuff above and the orthotics finally got rid of it for good.

[Haller]

While at U of Windsor, one of the physiotherapists gave me a couple of lifts for under my heel. I didn't actually need the orthodics as the lifts were a miracle cure! That being said, I don't guarentee sucess with homemade methods;)

[roseyrunner]

I'd talk to a physio or chiro. Maybe consider a gait analysis, because most of us do a lot of weird things when we run.

I had plantar fasciitis and didn't have to take time off... and I was into some big mileage for marathon training. I think I just changed shoes... went into a more neutral shoe. I have no arch (completely flat footed) and for some reason, the neutral shoes have helped.

[runner869]

Like the frozen water bottle, a tennis ball or golf ball out of the freezer feels nice when rolled under you foot.

Also stretching the bottom of your foot by pulling back gently on your our small toes and pushing on the arch with your thumb may also help.

[scott]

Dealt with this for about 9 months. Have to agree with a bunch of the stuff the other guys are saying. Careful with the water bottles, tennis balls and golf balls though, if you overdo it you can actually make it worse. The sock is called a Strassbourg sock. They actually work very well if you can manage to sleep with them on (I could not). It's sort of like a soft night splint. I wasn't able to run through mine. Rest, the stretching mentioned above and strengthening were key.

I think strengthening has been overlooked so far. You can do stuff like scrunch up a towel with your toes to start, gradually moving up to pulling yourself along the floor by curling your toes. A main cause of PF is weakness in the foot and ankle, so working on those sorts of things really help. Bonus factor: the toe crunches are actually great for your speed too. Best of luck.

[CoachM]

Backward walking can be an effective treatment - I don't know exactly why it works, but it has been effective with many of the runners I've coached - a number who have tried traditional treatment methods first and seen no improvement. Here's an article and video that discusses it:
www.physicaleducationupdate.com/public/477.cfm

Plus a link to information about an alternate theory for the cause of plantar fasciitis:
runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18933

[coachfaulds]

I'll second the walking backwards thing. I had it badly about 12 years ago and the physio had me walking backwards, barefoot on a treadmill. I think it forces you to plant your forefoot and roll back which stretches and strengthens the problem area. I also put those U-shaped inserts into my regular shoes for extra support during the times I was on my feet and not running (which was all day since I'm a teacher) along with the standard rolling foot on tennis ball treatment. The physio also used ultrasound on it.

[spaff]

www.thesock.com/

....worked for me, though I made my own instead of buying it.