Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jerry Nairn on July 16, 2011 at 8:05pm

Hi, Colleen,
The good news is there is plenty of time to get ready for your marathon. Your ideas of taking some time off running and doing some spin classes to keep improving your cardio are good. It's also good that you've gotten some PT, but I would have hoped your therapist would have given you some advice for recovering.
I used to have PF on and off. I haven't had any symptoms for years. Here are my thoughts:
One thing is that the fascia tighten up while you sleep. That's why the first few steps in the morning can be so painful for some people with PF. Several treatments deal with this problem, but my favorite is the Strassbourg sock. There's nothing really complicated about what the sock does, so you can get pretty much the same effect by taping your ankle into the right angel position.
http://www.thesock.com/
A lot of people get relief by breaking up the scar tissue in the fascia by rolling the soles of their feet over various things. There are rollers and balls made for this, but a golf ball will work. I would advise following that kind of treatment with sleeping with something like the sock.
Exercises can help strengthen the fascia and muscles connected there. You can sit while watching TV or something and draw the letters of the alphabet in the air with your toes. The idea is to work your ankles and all of the little muscles through the full range of motion, You can also just repeatedly clench and unclench your toes, or scrunch up a towel with your toes, to exercise those muscles.
If you have a good local running store, with a shoe expert who knows different kinds of strides and foot strikes and can tell you what kind of shoe you should be wearing, that can help.
Some people will swear by a forefoot or midfoot strike, instead of heal striking, and say this will prevent the return of PF. It might take you a while to change your foot strike thought.
I've done all of the above over the years, so I really don't know what did the trick. It may just have been time. It may come back tomorrow. (Knock on wood.)
Good luck!

Permalink Reply by colleen on July 17, 2011 at 4:11am

Thanks Jerry,, I was so frustrated yesterday, I went online and bought a night time brace. I am also doing exercises but wanted other advice, so thanks.. I guess this is teaching me a little patience. I was hoping of
1 day of rest would do the trick...

Permalink Reply by jljr on July 17, 2011 at 11:03am

Hi Collen, PF is a pain in th a**! Or better yet the foot. I've had it twice. Once it went away fairly quickly and the second time it lingered for about 9 months. I ran on it most of the second time just because I was in the middle of a training segment and it really only hurt after I ran or in the morning. I'd second most of the advice Jerry gives you, I'd add that I used a 4" diameter peice of pvc pipe to roll my foot on. I can't say that any one thing helped, I thing it's usually a combination of things that work, if your willing corstisone is also an alternative to try. The thing with cortisone is that it will raise you BS for a couple of days so you'll have to account for that. Also if 1 shot doesn't work another one normally won't help at least that's what I found for me. Orthotics are another option.Lastly while your marathon is a few months out, the marathon is all about volume of mileage and consistent training, if you can't get that maybe you can pick another one later on. All the cross training in the world won't be a substite for running. Good luck!

Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on July 18, 2011 at 5:22pm

I get twinges of that and found that if I sit on the floor and spin my ankles around it helps get it to mellow out a bit. We used to do that to warm up every day in the Tae Kwon Do classes I'd done for about 5 years and I didn't start w/ the issues until I stopped.

I usually switch shoes around too and had some success getting rid of it running in Saucony Kinvaras for a while, the "barefoot" styled shoes (no toes but lighter and less supportive...) and it went away with them. The feel is different but it might be worth it to try. I also wear Birkenstocks all summer. I have a lot more problems w/ plantar things when I wear "normal" shoes in the winter. Clearly I need to move somewhere warm? I was getting some achy things (knees, left shin, where I whacked it on our elliptical...) and switched to somewhat heavier shoes recently, as we've gotten to the 12 mile training sessions for my first marathon, Chicago 100911. That has worked *really* well. I always get shoes at a store and spend like 1/2 hour/ 45 minutes trying different shoes on each foot, running on the treadmill and trying again to find one that's smooth. I've found the shoes I like the most are the ones that feel the smoothest, transitioning from heel to toe without a *clunk*. Maybe that would help? Good luck!!

Permalink Reply by SR on August 1, 2011 at 1:20pm

I think I just read something about rolling frozen golf balls under your feet too...sounds like a real wake-up! Ever tried compression socks to aid in circulation?

Permalink Reply by Ch33to on August 21, 2011 at 8:04am

i suffer from the same thing and just ran my second trail marathon this month. hills/ hill training aggrivate it the most. i found stretching before and especially after make an incredible difference. it hurts when it is tight, so that is why. stretch your calf, pull up on your toes and stretch your arch, massage the arch of your foot in the morning.