Plantar Fasciitis Treatment for Runners & Others
Given that Plantar Fasciitis is common with the shoe wearing public and can also flare up a bit when runners who are dependent on supportive footwear begin to transition to running more natural, we thought it would be a good idea to include this excellent article on treating Plantar Fasciitis from the folks at Runner’s Corner. -Run Natural Download 1 Page PDF
Long Term Solution for Plantar Fasciitis
Heel Pain when you wake up? Here’s a 3 step approach to treating Plantar Fasciitis
Do you have heel pain when you first wake up in the morning? Is that first step just a killer? Plantar Fasciitis is a common running injury and is also common among people who spend a lot of time on their feet in shoes. Where it isn’t common is among habitual barefoot populations…in fact, it doesn’t exist among people that don’t wear shoes. In 18 years of working with people with Plantar Fasciitis, I’ve seen a good deal of what works and what doesn’t. There doesn’t seem to be any magic bullet. Sure, getting arch supports or wearing a night splint may provide some immediate relief, but they often don’t end up being a long term solution. Despite what many believe, it can be cured long term, it just takes a bit of commitment…
Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
Step 1) Reduce Inflammation
- Ice (Rolling a frozen Dixie cup works well)
- Topical Anti-Inflammatory, preferably Myomed
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Soft Arch Supports (When not strengthening)
Step 2) Break Up Scar Tissue/Stretch
- Deep tissue massage every 3rd day
- Roll a Foot Rubz ball (preferable) or Golf/Tennis Ball regularly
- Stretch Calves & Feet (Especially before getting out of bed-Lots of stretches on the internet)
Step 3) Strengthen (Most Important Part)
- Start with 30 seconds of barefoot running/walking on soft/natural surfaces and add 30 seconds every day or 2 (Probably the single most effective way to eradicate PF; subtract this time from your regular workout, i.e. 30 Minute Regular Workout = 29 minutes in shoes, 1 minute barefoot)
- Pull in a towel w/toes and repeat
- Pick up marbles w/toes and spell alphabet
- Stand on one foot (affected foot): 1) Waiting in line, standing at work, whenever, wherever 2) As an exercise: barefoot eyes closed on carpet
Notes: The goal is to inversely fade out the need for support while slowly fading in foot strengthening, thus making the foot strong and independent.
Stay away from being barefoot on hard, flat, surfaces, etc. until feet are strong enough to handle it.
Feet have been weakened by years of shoes and arch support, it will take some time to get feet strong enough to reverse those effects.
In many people, devices like the Strassburg Sock drastically reduce the “first step in the morning” pain.
Continue strengthening/barefoot running once or twice a week
In my experience, the closest thing to a magic bullet for curing this thing is the one thing my customers tell me the doctor or podiatrist never told them: strengthen your feet. In conjunction with reducing the inflammation and reducing the scar tissue that is built up as a result, making the feet strong seems to be the long term solution to curing Plantar Fasciitis. It stands to reason that if habitually barefoot people don’t experience Plantar Fasciitis while those of us with shoes and arch supports do, there has to be a reason. That reason is likely that their feet are strong while ours are weak.
In theory, wearing shoes and arch supports do for our feet what our feet should be doing for themselves, which ultimately ends up weakening our feet. As our feet become weaker, we need more and more support, and a cycle of dependence is in place. This is the reason people may feel some relief when getting arch supports or orthotics, but a few months to a few years later, the pain comes back worse than ever. I rarely meet customers who love their orthotics, and even those that say they like them admit that they are dependent on them and wish they didn’t “have to” wear them. In essence, they don’t. Even dependence on arch support can be reduced by returning the feet to their natural state by making them strong. To say that we “need” support is to argue that we weren’t created right or that evolution didn’t work.
Keep in mind that Plantar Fasciitis is virtually non-existent in barefoot populations…Returning our feet to a more natural state by reducing the inflammation that has built up, breaking up the scar tissue, and then strengthening the feet will have very positive effects with arch and heel pain and throughout the body.
K. Golden Harper, Runner’s Corner www.Runners-Corner.com
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:16 pm
This is good advice—particularly for those with chronic plantar fasciitis, but there’s more… That first painful step in the morning isn’t just a symptom, it’s part of the problem. People with plantar fasciitis are in effect reinjuring themselves every time they take that first painful step. Wearing any kind of sock (not just the Strassburg sock) at night reduces tension in the plantar on that first step. Stretching the plantar before getting out of bed (pulling the toes back toward the shin and/or using both hands to stretch the forefoot away from the heel) is even better.
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Agreed Bruce. It’s interesting though how it’s about 50/50 as for a sock working or not for people. That said, doing something to get the area warm and stretched before getting out of bed or after a long period of non-use is a big deal! Thanks for the reminder Bruce!
February 4th, 2010 at 12:35 am
Great article and the perfect outline for a step by step approach to address PF but also the key which is making sure it doesn’t return.
With that said, I would add that for those more advanced in their running (i.e., 40+ miles per week), they should do at least a 1 mile warm up barefoot every day (even if it is on the treadmill). And, when possible, a .5 to 1 mile warm down barefoot. It really helps to strengthen the feet . . . this amount of daily barefoot running is very helpful. There are several college cross country coaches that have also added 10% – 20% of their daily running to include barefoot running.
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Where do you go barefooting? Do you just go run in the grass? I can’t imagine trying to run on the sidewalks or street like I normally would. Also, if you have had PF for years, but it is all but gone now, then should you still be using orthotics or should you use barefooting to strengthen the foot and get rid of the inserts?
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Many people barefoot on the treadmill at first or just around the house. A lot go in grass too, but plenty go on sidewalks and the street—it’s the quickest way to learn proper natural running technique. If it were me, I would work on phasing the orthotics out as I inversely strengthened my feet. Just my 2 cents…
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:02 am
runbyu1, So I’m guessing your opinion would be for me to follow the three steps above? Now my morning pains have been gone for years and I simply have arch pain from time to time. Should I basically be doing just step three?
Also, how do you recommend phasing out the orthotics? Should I not wear them when I run/exercise and then put them in for normal wear or vice versa? I just don’t understand how to phase them out.
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:26 am
How you phase out is entirely personal and should be done based on your feedback. I know people that go cold turkey and just replace their hard orthotic with a $10 Profoot soft 3/4 length and have never looked back. That said, I would just start by phasing them out of both exercise and normal wear. Wear them a few less minutes each day and see how it goes.
June 24th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Interesting article… I’m in love with the idea of running barefoot, partially thanks to Born To Run but also because of the great feeling of being barefoot. I had Plantar Fasciitis spring up out of nowhere 4 or 5 years ago. It’s never been horrible, but has kept me from running at times. I’ve recently picked up fivefingers and began to walk around or go out more often in the fivefingers/barefoot. I’ve yet to run more than 400yds. Since setting out on this path my Plantar Fasciitis has gotten pretty painful. I’m at the point that I’m considering giving up the barefoot dream and just sticking with normal shoes and maybe an over the counter insert. It seems that maybe there is hope for “curing” the pf and transitioning to barefoot running by following these recommendations?