How To Treat And Beat Plantar Fasciitis – Competitor.com
|This continues to be a epidemic in our society. I like to make the statement to my patients that if everyone stopped wearing shoes, I’d be out of a job! Well, kind of. The majority of foot issues I see are in some way or another related to the shoes our society wears. This article touches on some treatment for plantar fasciitis, but in no way gives the answers. Bottom line is it’s an overuse condition of the foot where the muscles that originate on the heel bone become tire and sore. You do need to rest it, but you also need to strengthen the foot and break some bad habits which could be the way you walk or the shoes you wear. That’s typically the real challenge in fixing plantar fasciitis or stopping it from returning.
Have questions? Post them below. I’d love to start a conversation on this and help redirect the thinking of how many people are treating this.
Dr. Nick
Read more about strengthening the foot to treat plantar fasciitis.
Kelly O’Mara, like many runners, is all too familiar with the pain associated with plantar fasciitis.
Source: How To Treat And Beat Plantar Fasciitis – Competitor.com
Thanks Doc! I’m a Dayton transplant down here in SC :). PF is my current issue on the right foot, likely brought on by my switch to a standing desk, which I did to improve my posture. I wear basic biz shoes/loafers with hard soles and no standing pad – thus my conclusion that this is the culprit. Thoughts/advice on shoes, cushioned pad for standing desk, etc?
Hey Chip! Thanks for reaching out.
I would advise first getting out of the loafers that are hard soled if they have “heels”. Any elevation under the heel will interfere with posture and effect the foot. As for the cushioned pad, i’m not a fan of that. It may help at first (i.e. few hours) and then your muscles will be working harder to adjust to the change in surface resulting in more soreness elsewhere. I agree, you brought the PF on by increasing your activity through standing. Get out of the heel and strengthen the foot and give it time!
Hey Doc. I saw you for my PF a year ago. The combination of the injection to get the inflammation down, changing to a lower profile shoe, running to heart rate monitor, and increased cadence with shorter step length worked for me. I also do more core and dynamic stability exercises. I wanted to train again for a half but when my mileage gets up to 9 miles or so I am experiencing some pain in my foot. I use the ice bottle afterwards and rest and it helped. Not sure I’ll ever get back my mileage or my race pace though.
You may just need to increase more gradually as your body may not be adapting fast enough. Especially if you are doing well with less mileage. Try taking days off before and after your longer runs to allow more time for recovery.
I do have days off before and after my long run days and did ramp up slowly. At the moment I keep my longest run between 6-8 miles. It’s fine for the winter
Hi Dr Nick, for the past 6 months I’ve had an ache on the outside of my left heal. I don’t know if it’s PF but think it might be?? I’ve been wearing minimalist and barefoot shoes for everything (running, work etc) for 3 years (everything is zero drop). I’ve been trying to do everything right and am aware of the elements of good running form yet I’ve still developed this problem which restricts my mileage. I usually run with a light backpack as I run to work and wonder if this has contributed by altering my form. This may sound crazy but would a higher drop shoe – eg 6mm, for running only – be any help to me? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
Not sure that adding a 6mm heel would help. You know sometimes these overuse conditions occur. I developed plantar fasciitis last fall when training for a marathon. I ran the marathon with it and then took time after to let it heal. One would ask how could I get this condition when I treat it all day long! It’s overuse. I pushed it a bit too hard with some runs and speed workouts. Running every other day can help and bike on off days. Sometimes it takes several weeks of rest from running to resolve it. Not saying the 6mm drop shoes won’t help you, but it would be an indirect way of making you run or function differently that would be the result of the shoe if it did. Hope that helps!!
Thanks for the reply. Being patient with it will probably be good for me anyway!
Useful article. I had problems with my feet too and it was heel pain. Later I found out that I had plantar fasciitis. However, I got rid of it quite easily. If you don’t mind I’d like to share my experience of how I dealt with plantar fasciitis.
I’m a busy person, so I had no time to constantly see doctors, get acupuncture or physiotherapy. I didn’t know what to do and the pain was killing me, I could barely walk back then. So, I did a research hoping to find something that could help me. And guess what?
I found one e-book which taught me a lot about plantar fasciitis, it’s symptoms, causes and how to cure it. I followed it carefully, did specific exercises and stretches and I completely got rid of my plantar fasciitis in 10 days! Can you believe that? I thought it’s a miracle, but then I did some more research about this e-book and found a lot of satisfied people who also claimed that they cured they plantar fasciitis fast. What a finding!
I’m pasting a link below which leads to a review of this e-book:
http://dietandhealthreviews.com/fast-plantar-fasciitis-cure-review/
I hope this will help someone who has heel painor even plantar fasciitis 🙂
Dr. Nick, You always provide us with great advice and current info. Never had PF but currently have a little discomfort on the inside of my right heel at that soft pad where the arch begins. No pain anywhere else that would normally point to PF. Have been wearing zero drop, wide toe splay shoes (Altras, Lems) exclusively for almost a year and love them. Do regular foot exercises + 1-hr walk each day. Would PF cause that discomfort? Thanks! Pat
Dr. Nick, I suffered with PF for about 5 years. Two things contributed to it’s healing and I thought I’d share. I switched to a shoe with more arch support, AND, I lost 40lbs. I think the majority of the issue was resolved with weight loss. Also, I have another issue now. I am seeing a Podiatrist/Ankle and Foot surgeon in Houston, Tx. I am an ER nurse and am on my feet for LONG hours. On Jan 21, I woke up with stiffness in my R great toe that by 12-24 hours later was severe. It hurt constantly and my great toe joint was super red and swollen and painful. Saw the podiatrist 4 days later, pain was subsiding but was still unable to walk. She did xrays and dx me with a bipartite tibial sesamoid, (unknown if new or congenital) and put me in a boot to my knee and cut out a sesamoid pad. It is getting better, but now my heel bothers me, and I switched myself to a shorter aircast. I tape my foot at night to keep my toe from hyperextending. Well, now I cannot tolerate the aircast at all! I just want to wear shoes! So, I put the sesamoid pad on and tried on skecher shapeups. I am having no pain, I’m just being careful not to move my great toe. The rocker bottom helps tremendously. I see my podiatrist tomorrow and she might not be happy….but I’m having no pain to minimal pain…..more at night after being on my foot, but relieved with NSAIDS, ice, and rest. I just don’t want to be doing further damage. But if it’s not hurting, it should be okay, right? I am in a bad situation. My husband was laid off, and I am very active and a NURSE who MUST be on my feet. I cannot work on crutches and surgery right now ….or ever, is not an option!! I can press on my sesamoids and there is only minimal tenderness to the lateral sesamoid after being on it all day…..I really, really hope this fixes because it’s very depressing. I feel tied down. I have to sit down at least once or twice an hour just to rest it and make sure I’m not hurting it. Any advice? Should I stay in the boot longer? Oh….And I DO tend to pronate….but I am NOT a runner. I have NEVER had foot problems prior to this spontaneous “whatever it is! ” ….other than the PF that has completely resolved. The skecher Shape ups are a firm rocker sole. I do have some very flexible sketchers…my regular shoes. Would clogs be better? I believe I will be wearing a sesamoid pad for quite some time.