An injection of steroids can decrease the pain for a short duration (like to run a race) but is not a long term solution and should only be used as a last resort. The problem will recur if not allowed to heal properly.
I'm really lucky. My local gym is full of experts, good trainers, good coaches, and super fast athletes. I assure you I am not one of them. What I do possess is an ability to learn rapidly and share information though thanks to years teaching in the Navy.
I had some pretty awful early onset PF. If the calf is tight, the achilles will be tight, and it will make the entire foot tight.
Calf rolling! Especially the nerve and tendon on the outside edge. It hurts, but it's worth it. I do it watching TV in the evening. The calf stretch. I now use the board in the gym anytime I can. I stretch the calf with the knee almost locked and lean forward. The next one is one I came up with on my own but helps. Bend the knee and squat into it with your foot in the calf stretch position. I can take a photo if it will help. This stretch will not get the calf, but it stretches the achilles tendon! It also stretches the bottom of the foot! Relief...... oh sweet relief.
After getting my first case of PF in mid-2012, in the midst of training for my first IM, I tried every modality. I had an orthopedics MD specializing in rehabilitation medicine. He had a custom splint made for me. I slept in it and walked in it every day. He also gave me prolo therapy injection.
I went to a chiropractor that did deep tissue message in my foot (heal) and calf. He stretched me out each visit. He also dry needled me. Though not without pain, the needles helped a lot --mostly with relaxing my tight calves, and promoting blood flow to the heal area.
I used a golf ball to roll my facia. I tried an acupuncturist. I tried several sessions of ART. Then I went to a podiatrist. She tried four sessions of electronic wave stimulation. This felt like rubber bands snapping against my heal in rapid succession. She molded and sold me expensive orthodic shoe inserts to deal with the bio mechanics. I wear them in all my shoes.
Finally, my podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot. It took care of pain. I ran IMWI with mostly no heal pain until the last few miles. The scariest part about all this is I stopped running for 6 or 7 weeks while training for my first IM. But, I finished IMWI.
Last year (2013) I trained for a 1/2 marathon and two 1/2 IM's, and had no PF issues. This year it came back. I immediately went back to my podiatrist. She is a runner. She said, "So, how long are you going to keep this IM stuff up?" I was a little dumbstruck by the question. I am just 52. She basically said marathons, IM's and 1/2 IM's are hard on your joints. She then gave me another cortisone shot, and told me to take Ibuprofen to bring down the swelling. After about two weeks the pain mostly disappeared. Sometimes I am tender in the morning getting out of bed, so I wear my splint. Sunday I ran a half marathon race and still no pain.
Question: can a recovering, chronic PF athlete handle the run schedule in the EN intermediate IM training schedule? Or, should I substitute some of the runs for cycling?
Hi there, My pf lingered too long despite doing everything mentioned in this thread. I bought a plastic blue foot rocker designed specifically to help stretch pf..... It worked. You can find the product in any running store. Good luck.
Comments
I had some pretty awful early onset PF. If the calf is tight, the achilles will be tight, and it will make the entire foot tight.
Calf rolling! Especially the nerve and tendon on the outside edge. It hurts, but it's worth it. I do it watching TV in the evening. The calf stretch. I now use the board in the gym anytime I can. I stretch the calf with the knee almost locked and lean forward. The next one is one I came up with on my own but helps. Bend the knee and squat into it with your foot in the calf stretch position. I can take a photo if it will help. This stretch will not get the calf, but it stretches the achilles tendon! It also stretches the bottom of the foot! Relief...... oh sweet relief.
After getting my first case of PF in mid-2012, in the midst of training for my first IM, I tried every modality. I had an orthopedics MD specializing in rehabilitation medicine. He had a custom splint made for me. I slept in it and walked in it every day. He also gave me prolo therapy injection.
I went to a chiropractor that did deep tissue message in my foot (heal) and calf. He stretched me out each visit. He also dry needled me. Though not without pain, the needles helped a lot --mostly with relaxing my tight calves, and promoting blood flow to the heal area.
I used a golf ball to roll my facia. I tried an acupuncturist. I tried several sessions of ART. Then I went to a podiatrist. She tried four sessions of electronic wave stimulation. This felt like rubber bands snapping against my heal in rapid succession. She molded and sold me expensive orthodic shoe inserts to deal with the bio mechanics. I wear them in all my shoes.
Finally, my podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot. It took care of pain. I ran IMWI with mostly no heal pain until the last few miles. The scariest part about all this is I stopped running for 6 or 7 weeks while training for my first IM. But, I finished IMWI.
Last year (2013) I trained for a 1/2 marathon and two 1/2 IM's, and had no PF issues. This year it came back. I immediately went back to my podiatrist. She is a runner. She said, "So, how long are you going to keep this IM stuff up?" I was a little dumbstruck by the question. I am just 52. She basically said marathons, IM's and 1/2 IM's are hard on your joints. She then gave me another cortisone shot, and told me to take Ibuprofen to bring down the swelling. After about two weeks the pain mostly disappeared. Sometimes I am tender in the morning getting out of bed, so I wear my splint. Sunday I ran a half marathon race and still no pain.
Question: can a recovering, chronic PF athlete handle the run schedule in the EN intermediate IM training schedule? Or, should I substitute some of the runs for cycling?
My pf lingered too long despite doing everything mentioned in this thread. I bought a plastic blue foot rocker designed specifically to help stretch pf..... It worked. You can find the product in any running store. Good luck.