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Plantar Fasciitis

Laura SearleLaura Searle
in General Training Discussions
Hello all- I've developed some plantar fasciitis pain in my left foot. (I've had it before, many years ago, so I know what it is. I haven't been to a doctor yet this time). It doesn't hurt at all when I bike, run or swim, but only AFTER I run. I can walk no problem (I did 19 mile hilly hike with no issues) but for a couple days after I run, it's awful, especially first thing in the morning. I do work on a really hard surface. I have lightweight running shoes (Kinvara) and am landing more on my fore/midfoot with shorter strides, which has helped my back pain that I used to have.

Does anyone have any ideas? I am going to try to go to the doctor and get P.T. or orthotics/night braces, whatever, but i thought I'd get some advice on here. Maybe I need more supportive shoes and/or land further back on my foot?

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    Scott GiljumScott Giljum
    Laura, I'm no doctor but have dealt with that issue a bunch myself. And it is always the worst first thing in the morning and after running when you have been off it a bit. I would say going to see a PT would be the best. There are things I was told to do that work for me and they will likely show you the same things. That will likely be easier than me trying to describe them to you. 
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    Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak
    Laura,
    I've dealt with this issue and have tried many things.  For me the thing that I have found most useful is stretching, and lower calf massage combined with my hot tub.  I also will ice my foot as well, rolling the calf up to the hamstrings. 

    Other things I've noted are, speed work or increasing distance quickly can bring on the soreness.  The changing of the foot strike may or may not be contributing but move to a fore/midfoot may have put addition stress on the calf muscles. 
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    Tom BoxTom Box
    I had this issue a few years ago.  I think it was brought on by a new brand of shoes.  Quickly went back to the old brand.  The thing that helped me the most was rolling my foot over a frozen can of whatever food item you can freeze up.  When sitting in I would just roll my foot over the can for 10-15 minutes at a time.  It stretched it and iced it at the same time.  When I didn't have the frozen can I rolled it over a tennis ball.  
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    Patti ThompsonPatti Thompson
    Laura, I developed this last summer, along with a flare up of a posterior tibial tendon issue that started back in 2013.  The biggest thing that has helped my PF has been wearing a night splint/boot which I got on Amazon for $21.00.  Before that getting out of bed in the morning was a 10 minute process!  As everyone else has already stated, definitely stretching the calf and PT goes a long way!
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    Brad MarcusBrad Marcus
    Laura - went through the worst of my PF this past winter. Everything that you described was me to a T. Was so bad initially, the doc thought I had a stress fracture, but the MRI dispelled that and showed PF. Stretching, icing, and "managing" my run frequency has helped me to get back on my feet. The managing part was more a matter of me just being smart and in touch with how it was feeling. That sometimes meant for me to cut back on run frequency or to cut back on speedwork. You also mention that you wear Kinarvas. If I am not mistaken, they are 4mm drop shoes. I switched from 4mm to 8mm drop with more cushioning and it seemed to help a little too. I don't love the more squishy feel, but seems to alleviate the pull on the Achilles and PF to some degree. I still feel the discomfort, especially after long runs, but it has become manageable. Good luck and be smart!
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    Phil MillsPhil Mills
    Ironic, I was getting ready to post an identical thread to this one.  Left foot PF and all.  Good info to work with here.  How do you know when to push the mileage after the soreness settles down?
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    Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak
    @Phil Millsfor me I've gone both ways where I've been able to get it under control while running and then actually having to take a significant amount of time off.  During race season it might be more about managing it until you can take some time off.  Most recently over my OS ramp up it was more about taking a week off here and there, which for me was almost doing no running.  I started the OS at 13' and just this week I'm now running 3 hours total for the week.

    I did no back to back runs for 12 weeks of the OS so going to 3 runs one week then 4 the next may also help.  As I did not let any issues arise the week of down time really helped. If you have more severe issues it could take some run jail or more down time.  Hard to say when you should ramp up but for me the key is to recognize it early and shut it down for the week. 
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    Laura SearleLaura Searle
    Thanks for all the tips! @Patti ThompsonI have heard about the brace- thanks for the tip! I'll check there...I know I should do formal PT/doctor but this time of year is crazy for me so that's not going to happen soon.... @Brad Marcus Yes Kinvaras are 4 mm drop. They used to work great for me, but I've never done this much mileage before, and as crazy as this sounds, I think my feet are getting flatter. I used to have high arches but I'm noticing less- maybe age or the hiking/running/biking I'm doing. Anyway, I appreciate the comments!
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