Plantar Fascitis Question (Read 1984 times)

Two words: superfeet. Wait. That's one word. Go to your running store. Ask for superfeet insoles. About $40. Our own JGoldsborough recommended them here. I'd dealt with PF for almost a year. I'd tried everything, the stretching, etc. I got the insoles and within 2 weeks, it was almost gone. Now its completely gone. Superfeet green. http://www.superfeet.com/

If you feel the need to train before 100% recovery consider foot tapping. A bit unconfortable changes your stride just a bit but greatly reduces the stress on the PF.

Super feet may work, I wear them, the sales guy at the store I bought them explained how they work. They apparently align your whole body. Interestingly enough he stated, without me asking that if you have Planters they won't cure the problem. Which surprised me because Superfeet are really just orthodics, aren't they?

Strange. I was told a Fleet Feet that they'd specifically fix PF. And JGoldsborough, our resident shoe expert here at RA, told me the same thing. And they did indeed magically fix a year-old problem in no more than two weeks. I tried everything else. And I mean everything. Nothing helped. Including staying off my feet; I found that running less just made it worse. For me the inserts were a miracle cure. It's completely gone.

thanks for the suggestions. I have orthodics already And I have been doing foot stretches. I have also stopped wearing filp flops this summer (which i hate!) I just wish this would go away!

Getting rid of the Flip flops is an awsome first start they are the worse thing you can do to your feet with PF. Make sure you are wearing supportive shoes all day. Then for the pain in the morning make sure that you are stretching your calves before you even get out of bed in the morning. Keep a towel at the side of the bed and do a good calf stretch. Also use a golf ball to rub your foot along the floor to do a good intense massage once a day. If it doesn't seem to be getting better with that then check in with a Sports Med Physical Therapist.

Yoga helps as well. I was doing Yoga regularly and the PF went away. since i've been deployed, i've not been as consistent (ok, I've done a yoga routine twice in 3 months) and it feels like the PF is coming back. I've started Yoga again....Downward Facing Dog really stretches the muscles out and helped tremendously. Karyn

Has anyone used the sock?

My DH used the sock because a friend, who had a whomping case of PF, recommended it. It did wonders for my friend and helped my DH. I had a mild bout with PF and new shoes made the difference for me.

I developed PF about 3 weeks ago; took 2 weeks off and that didn't help any, so I'm back to running about 30% of the weekly mileage I was running before. I've seen so many different things reported that helped/didn't help. Like too many other things, it seems like I'll just have to experiment till I find something that works. Even the professionals can't seem to agree on a treatment. Since I apparently have a milder case (no pain - just discomfort and soreness), I'm working on strengthening my feet while continuing to run some. I've started a little barefoot running (on the TM) - it's actually very comfortable and I enjoy it. Started at .25 mi and increased to 2 mi about twice a week, where I'll keep it for a few weeks. My heel feels better because barefoot allows/influences me to run on my forefoot (ball), rather than putting so much landing shock and pressure on my heels. Most of my running will be "shoed", however. Ordered a pair of Nike Free 5.0s (minimalist type shoes) to help in this regard also. BTW, I found out that the "5.0" means 'half way between wearing running shoes and runnning barefoot' according to the Nike 10-0 scale. Being on my feet on concrete most of the time at work sure dosen't help, so I've been trying to find ways to get off my feet more while I'm there! I see where many people with PF say that going barefoot is really bad, but I've got very sensitive feet and have always worn highly cushioned running shoes; so I figure my feet are probably weak and definitely need strengthening, which should eventually help the PF issue. (Which makes me wonder if I hadn't been wearing the cushioned shoes for the last 4 years, it's possible I wouldn't be having this problem now - but who knows?) So far so good, but it's early yet. Bill MTA: Rolling a tennis ball with the foot seems to help too.