Active Community: Message List - Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

Run Pitt 80 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:24:11 GMT

Be sure and do self massage: while sitting here at the computer, have a tennis ball on the floor and roll your foot around on it. You can use any type of ball, but I recommend you start with a soft one, like a tennis ball, so you can get a good feel for how and where you have tightness in the plantar region.

Another exercise is to try and pick up a marble or golf ball with your toes and drop it in a cup.

Coach Anthony, Wilson, NC

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

Kris Wiley — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:21:56 GMT

I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis and a heel spur in left foot last year. The podiatrist prescribed multiple things since removing heel spur is not a recommended option. First he taped my foot weekly to keep arches up, tried non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (not sure if helped), ice and physical therapy. What really helped the most is stretching (flexing the foot) a lot. Heel drops off a step and also rolling bottom of foot on a frozen water bottle. I know it sounds crazy and hurts while doing it but definitely gives relief after. He also molded my feet for customer orthotics, which stay in my sneakers at all times.

As long as I remember to flex my foot to stretch before getting out of bed in the morning, I have no pain when I step down. Plus stretch daily.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

acfitsu — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:26:01 GMT

Plantar fasciitis is often due to overuse or muscle tightness. I have seen it a lot during my 20 plus years career as a trainer. I don't see it a lot in the young athletes that I train, but I see it a lot in adults. More often than not it is tightness in the achilles tendon, calf muscle and the peroneals. If you can stretch those muscles on a regular basis, you most likely will stay injury free or be in less pain.

Remember to stretch even when you are not in pain. I do a muscular treatment called Repetitive Use Injury Therapy; 100% of my clients leave my office with at least 50% less pain than when they come in. Good luck to you let me know if you have any questions. Good luck.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

isletrigrrl — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:02:33 GMT

Sorry for the late chime-in, but I figure you're probably still dealing with this as it sounded acute. I've had pf in the past and have also coached a number of triathletes who've gone through it and have a couple of suggestions that haven't been raised. First off, agree totally with stopping running entirely. In fact, no running until you have no pain on walking. I also did elliptical and that helped but may aggravate your achilles problem. A great alternative is aqua jogging. Absolutely no strain on the lower leg but can be a great workout. Most women have enough body fat that they don't need a buoyancy belt, so just get into the water and start jogging. There are different schools of thought regarding style in the water during aqua-jogging, but I get my best workout when I stand upright and move my legs in a crosscountry skiing type motion, i.e., legs gliding back and forth against the water's resistance, rather than in a "jogging" style (i.e., knee toward the chest), but it's also good (and less boring) to mix it up. Do it in deep water (i.e., not touching the bottom). You might think aqua-jogging is lame but you'll find it pretty demanding if you do it right and I know several people who have kept their fitness and even trained for an ironman race using aquajoggin! See a great article about aqua-jogging at http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6032&PageNum=1

Regarding stretching, etc... you do have to be a little careful not to overstretch so that you keep tearing the tendon, especially now that you have an achilles tear. However, a couple of things really helped me. Try to not walk in bare feet. Since it's worse first thing in the morning when the tendons shorten overnight, I would have a pair of good slippers (you probably call them flip-flops where you live) with arch support (Crocs make good ones) by the bed to step into before my feet hit the floor. I wore them around the house all the time. And made sure I only wore shoes with good arch supports. I used a gel heel pad sometimes if a particular set of shoes didn't have enough padding in the ****. Ice is better for reducing inflammation than medicinal anti-inflammants, which are so hard on your stomach and kidneys. Although I HATE icing my foot, it definitely helped. Just don't overdo that either (better to do it several times a day for only 10 minutes or so). There's also a great exercise to strengthen your plantar fascia that I still use to PREVENT pf. Take a small, thin towel such as a dish towel and put it on a wood or tile floor (not carpet). Place your heel on the near end of the towel and use your toes to pull the towel toward you, scrunching the towel under your foot. You'll feel your plantar tendon working on this one!

Good luck and hang in there! If you're smart and patient, this will get better and you will be back to enjoying your regular exercise routine.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

Spinrider_1 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:52:10 GMT

You should try a boot for sleep and ice in your feet and antiflamatory for a while, another away try 1tabl CLa and 1 tabl L-Carletine both in the morning and lunch other way the Hydroxicut (Fat burn) it work reducing inches at the abdomen i am sure that can help a lot, you can buy at the GNC I am a Personal Trainer and I recommend you, and try to do Cardio, (jogging) at least 3 days a week.and some massage with Paraphine.if you need some help let me know to rider_312@yahoo.com,

have good day,

Marlene

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

MelaMarla — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:45:37 GMT

As much as I hate to admit it, you are exactly right. That's actually verbatim of what I got from my physical therapist today. In addition, to stop attempting to run and walk only at a snails pace and any pain is no good. I have a follow-up on Monday with my podiatrist to get my custom orthotics. Before I had the injury I had just gotten into a groove with crossfit and began to enjoy exercise for the first time. I just didn't want to lose the progress I'd made. Many moons ago I was in the Army and I had to exercise and I didn't enjoy it as much. I just hope this doesn't take too long to heal.

I don't do video games but today I purchased the Wii console with the Wiifit game and hopefully in conjunction with riding my incumbent bike it'll supplement my cardio.

Woois me, I guess it could be worst!

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

alroad431 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:57:18 GMT

MelaMarla - In the "For Whatever It's Worth" and "Unsolicited Advice" Departments, your pf issues are obviously acute. Compounded by the addition of a torn Achilles tendon, your walking/running program should be curtailed - (read that to mean "stopped") - until you've allowed these existing maladies to heal completely. Frustrating as that may be, I rather expect that your sports medicine practioner would/will advice the same. During this self-imposed running hiatus, I'd recommend that you use the time to research, develop and implement a program to help you drop your extra weight. There are a plethora of exercise, diet and nutrition options and alternatives available through this website. Once you're healed, have lost the extra weight (or at least some of it), and have obtained medial clearance to again resume running, do so cautiously ... walk first, then slowly begin combining running. Ensure that you use quality running shoes fitted to your foot structure. Since you're already undergoing physical therapy, ask your therapist to evaluate your running biomechanics, i.e., hips, legs, knees, feet, etc. - you may be a candidate for custom orthotics which can help biomechanically challenged persons considerably. Again - good luck.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

MelaMarla — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:02:01 GMT

I'm definitely going to try this. Since my first post I was found to have a 2in vertical tear on my Achilles tendon. I've been going to physical therapy and I now at least can put some weight on my left foot but there is still stiffness in the morning and after long periods of rest. I have pain when I make sudden movements it's like every movement has to be calculated and if I step without concentrating it's going to hurt. I went walking this morning and tried to run a little but the pain is unbearable. I'm trying to overcome this injury so no suggestion is out dated. I need all the help I can get.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

alroad431 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:03:01 GMT

Although this thread may be dated, I'll offer my two cents; weight loss is critically important, but, in addition, take a look at TriggerPoint Therapy. I've been plagued with plantar fasciitis for years and used a lot of different therapies. I started using TriggerPoint therapy about three years ago while training for my marathon/triathlon season. Although I still have pf issues, they're not at the level of incapacitation they once were, so tp it has worked for me. The manipulation may seem strange initially, but physiologically it makes sense. The website is at: www.tptherapy.com. Good luck.

Re: Help with Plantar fasciitis/Heel spur

Spinrider_1 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:44:32 GMT

I have read all about you experience with the heel, and I felt identified with you, I have expected lots pain in my heel and my knee since agust 2008, when i got up in the morning i could not walk after the training before, i had to get on bed. I visited Podiatry and Orthopidec, I did all type streching recomended: rolling my foot with a frizzed plastic bottle, using the tower in my foot getting out of my bed, ice, a boot for sleep, anti- inflamation but it have became long because i do not like to take medicine and I did not stop my routine of trainning, well finally, it turned me off from all my activities even my work as a Personal Trainer and instructor Spinning. I had to rest for one month on bed and using support knee I could come back to me training again running my 3.5 mile before and after my ride on bike, but I left jumping rope,and weighlifting that still killing me...I got sad, because It have limited me to reach my goal and i 'm fighting vs some extra pound.