{"id":1864,"date":"2010-02-24T08:44:32","date_gmt":"2010-02-24T13:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/?p=1864"},"modified":"2010-02-24T19:42:24","modified_gmt":"2010-02-25T00:42:24","slug":"curing-plantar-fasciitis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/2010\/curing-plantar-fasciitis\/","title":{"rendered":"Curing Plantar Fasciitis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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After a year suffering through the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis I can say that there is only two certain ways to get rid of it.<\/p>\n

1) Never walk on it, i.e. don’t leave your bed.<\/p>\n

2) Cut off the ailing foot.<\/p>\n

I looked through my running log and it was a year ago today that I first mentioned foot pain and took a day off. I have tried a lot of things in the past year, all to no avail. \u00a0I’ve done physical therapy and spent a lot of time at the doctor’s office listening in as the doctor and therapists share with the residents about Plantar Fasciitis.<\/p>\n

I’ve broken this post into three segments – immediate actions<\/a>, intermediate actions<\/a>, and last ditch\/extreme measures<\/a>.<\/h4>\n

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED<\/h2>\n

1) Stop running<\/strong>. \u00a0Take a few days (weeks) off immediately to give your foot a chance to heal. I recommend swimming to keep the cardio strong. \u00a0Everyone says it is ok to bike, but I’d be really cautious.<\/p>\n

2) Stop walking around barefoot<\/strong>. \u00a0Nothing is nicer than kicking off your shoes and letting the old dogs relax. \u00a0However, walking around barefoot can\u00a0exacerbate\u00a0Plantar Fasciitis. \u00a0I’d recommend some nice Crocs<\/a> or slippers with about an inch of padding to protect your heel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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3) Take\u00a0ibuprofen<\/strong>. \u00a0I’m not a doctor. \u00a0My doctor recommended taking 800mg (4 tablets) 3x’s a day with food for 2 weeks. \u00a0This will help take down the\u00a0inflammation. \u00a0The consistency builds up the amount of medicine in the body which helps it work faster.<\/p>\n

4) Check & Change Shoes<\/strong>. \u00a0All of them. \u00a0Even if they are brand new I would recommend buying new running shoes, maybe switching brands or styles. \u00a0Go to a running\u00a0specialty\u00a0store and have them analyze your running (after resting for a few days). \u00a0Then check all of your other shoes for wear. \u00a0If they show a little excessive wear – get rid of them. \u00a0I know its expensive but it is better to be healed or buy new shoes?<\/p>\n

5) Roll out the foot<\/strong>. \u00a0I used a can of soup for a long time before buying a more advanced roller<\/a>. In a fluid motion roll the jar under your foot from heel to the ball back and forth for a minute or so. Really dig into the heel. Do this two times a day. \u00a0One of the times you should soak the foot in warm water first.<\/p>\n

6) Stretch the arch<\/strong>. \u00a0Place your foot on the opposite knee. \u00a0Taking the 5 toes bend them towards the same knee. \u00a0This will stretch the fascia. Hold for 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

7) Ice<\/strong>. At the minimum put ice on the heel. The best option is to take a frozen dixie cup of ice and massage the affected area. \u00a0I just rub an ice cube into it until it melts. \u00a0Another option which combines step 5 and 7 is to roll out your foot with a frozen water bottle.<\/p>\n

8) Night Splint<\/strong>. I’ve used both the Strassburg Sock (my review<\/a> or Amazon<\/a>)\u00a0and the Dorsi-Wedge<\/a>. \u00a0Obviously, neither worked. \u00a0I felt the Strassburg Sock was easier to wear. \u00a0My sports doc (who works at the University of MN) felt like the sock allowed too much room for “cheating”, etting the foot move around or not wearing it properly. Other night splints on Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

9) Stretch<\/strong>. Obviously stretching the entire body is always an important part of the routine. \u00a0It is important to stretch out the calves, achilles, and hamstrings. \u00a0I’ve used both the foam roller<\/a> and the stick<\/a> to do this.<\/p>\n

Optional<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

10) Massage<\/strong>. \u00a0Especially the calves and foot. This actually feels really good, I should go get one again.<\/p>\n

11) Hot Tub<\/strong>. \u00a0Sitting in the hot tub really can feel great and helps relax the muscles. \u00a0I need to do this again too!<\/p>\n

Home<\/a><\/p>\n

INTERMEDIATE ACTIONS<\/h2>\n

1) Physical Therapy<\/strong>. This encompasses a wide variety of tactics and exercises. \u00a0Most of mine focused on hip, core, and ankle strength. \u00a0It is important to have a strong core to help hold your body together and in proper alignment. \u00a0This Running Times article<\/a> covers a lot of the hip work that I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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2) Iontophoresis<\/strong> (wikipedia<\/a>). Actually a part of physical therapy, but this takes a steroid like dexamethasone <\/a>and electrically injects into the skin. \u00a0This works well for a lot of people, but loses effectiveness after 8 treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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3) Taping<\/strong>. \u00a0I had mixed success with taping my foot while running and walking around. \u00a0 I used this method<\/a>. The idea is that this helps reduce the load that your fascia is forced to carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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4) Inserts\/Orthodics<\/strong>. I’m not really sure where to put this. I’ve heard of people having success with it, but I haven’t with inserts. \u00a0Also, with orthodics you’ll become dependent on them. \u00a0It might “fix” the problem but not change the body issues creating the problem. Treating the symptoms, not the problem.<\/p>\n

5) Active Release Technique<\/strong>. ART, as it is called, releases the fasciia and other “tight” areas the cause Plantar Fasciitis. \u00a0I’ve heard that it works well and the Ironman offers ART Certifications, but my sports doc wasn’t aware of this non-traditional treatment. \u00a0It is often offered by chiropractors. \u00a0More information can be found here<\/a>. Locally, some of my friends recommend Dr. Folske<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Home<\/a><\/p>\n

LAST RESORT\/EXTREME MEASURES<\/h2>\n

I’m sure there are more than these 2 but I don’t know of them.<\/p>\n

1) Cortisone shot<\/strong>. Or other steroid injection. This injects a steroid into the fascia which speeds healing. \u00a0This is not a long term fix and masks the pain – quite well I’ve heard. \u00a0It has at least 2 major drawbacks: \u00a0tearing the fascia and atrophying the fat pad in the heel. \u00a0My sports doc really doesn’t like to use this option. \u00a0She thinks the long-term risks often outweigh the short-term gains.<\/p>\n

2) Surgery<\/strong>. Yuck, who wants to go under the knife<\/a>. \u00a0Basically they cut the fascia and it heals itself and is stronger. \u00a0This is the ultimate last resort. My thought is that if I just put my foot in a cast for 6 weeks I’d probably get the same results.<\/p>\n

Home<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you had success with any other treatments?<\/p>\n

\"Reblog<\/a>