PF and all that

[alanj]

yep they do well, when I was in there t'other day they had some with what I can only describe as armoured-car style wheels. Maybe not strictly off road.. but I couldnt see much getting in the way & surviving

[Alexandra]

Mine is 98% better, but still lurking, just waiting for me to increase my mileage? Pf stole 2 years of my life. My dilemma was that it seemed my foot needed support, but all the orthotics available (NHS or private) were too hard for my painful heel to tolerate. No professional seemed able to understand that what I needed was not cushioning between my foot and the ground, but between my foot and the shoe / orthotic. I even tried gel-soled socks - expensive but useless. I have just got back to using my NHS orthotics after years of stuffing my shoes with Sorbothane + Noene insoles - soft but not supportive enough.

I had a breakthrough when Steve Hodgson (super-physio in Sheffield) taped my foot. This was only a temporary expedient, but it seems to have given my foot a rest and enabled it to heal (ish). You can tape your foot yourself, but you need 2 types of tape, not easy to buy, instructions from a book or the net, and some suppleness. I did it myself when a flare up seemed to be starting. Side effect - the sticky gunge from the tape ruined my sock. If anyone knows how to remove glue from a polyurethane sock?

Finally, I hope this isn't libellous, but I have met many honest physios but very few honest podiatrists - and she was working for the NHS.

[Graham Chapman]

I'm new here and viewing this thread has prompted me to pass on some info about my own (long) experience with plantar fasciitis. Hopefully, at least, it'll be a bit interesting, even better if it actually helps (APE & Chicken especially). Sorry if it's a bit wordy, reading it is not compulsory. I also acknowledge that I am reiterating what some others have mentioned.

I've had it (PF), in varying degrees, for longer than I can remember, certainly at least 3 years. I tried resting (in desperation, for 3 months), that didn't work. Neither has: physio, cross frictions, calf stretching, changing shoes, golf balls, tennis balls, wooden roller thing, and a few more I can't (or choose not to) remember. Although I never succumbed to the needle.
Until recently, the one thing that gave me almost instant relief was an arch-supporting orthotic. Do I recommend that route? No. Why? Because it stopped the pf but caused other problems: my ankles didn't feel 'right', eventually leading to ankle pain especially if I didn't put my orthotics in every pair of shoes I wore. But, more importantly, it's a remedy, a prop, or a mask — like taking aspirin for a headache caused by stress.
What made my pf worse was wearing flat shoes or sandals. That's no surprise, because that's what most people say will happen.
Yet, there was a clue, and Hopey (post no. 7), is right on the money.

I'd noticed, quite recently that running long distances in my Inov8s Terrocs (not much cushioning or support there) didn't make things any worse; if anything, it was slightly better. So, to cut a long story just a little bit shorter, I started to read about alternatives (ideas that seemed diametrically opposed to conventional wisdom) and subsequently found a nice hard road, dumped the shoes and socks, and went for a 2 mile run.
The results? Well, some blisters of course, but almost immediately, and certainly within a few days (and a little more daft running), miraculous reduction in PF symptoms. Some 5 weeks later with about 5% of my running being done barefoot, the improvement continues.
I now spend as much time as possible out of shoes. My barefoot running is minimal (you can't do much early on), but the new found strength already apparent in my feet seems to be doing the trick.

The answer (for me anyway) was in the feet. Don't shield them or protect them, get them working, let them feel the ground you stamp on, and they'll show you how to stamp no more. But do take it easy.

And if it doesn't work? Then you can try the bat's wee.

[SLovatt]

Is PF definately a heel thing,I have aches only in the arch of the foot, just came on today after a 9 mile road run. My arch became painfull on the inside of my left foot on the walk home from uni about 6 hours later. Its one thing to the next at the moment.

[philgreen1968]

try taping, you can buy strappel zinc oxide tape off the net and this is a handy link works for me. get some spenco insoles as well for all your shoes. avoid the roads

[Alf]

try taping, you can buy strappel zinc oxide tape off the net and this is a handy link works for me. get some spenco insoles as well for all your shoes. avoid the roads

That's an interesting link Phil. Does the tape stay in place, say round a long boggy fell race ?

[Tussockface]

Zinc oxide tape is incredibly adhesive and durable. I've worn it on AL's through rivers and it hasn't lost adhesion. It stays on for days.
Even if it isn't your answer to PF problems, it's amazing stuff when compared to other adhesive strips!

As to PF, I think it's the podiatric equivalent to dyslexia; in every case, there is a cluster of causes and in every case the cluster is different.

That's a principal reason why it's so hard to prescribe a remedy. The symptoms are the same, but the causes aren't, and remediation demands different approaches.
In extremes, it can mean either adopting maximal or minimal cushioning, and even the experts struggle to say which is right in any individual situation.

[drmorris]

if you want the 'professional' view, have a look here:
ARC article on PF, with pdf's of exercise advice . It's a good, well balanced summary of the aetiology and current treatment options. The ARC do a range of leaflets about sports injuries, and they're usually good.
Injection is usually a last resort

The exercise sheet can be downloaded as a pdf off the same page.
I recommend it a lot for people I see with PF.

be aware that the pain can be from the Achilles insertion, right through to under the mid-instep, and be all around, or to one side, of the heel bone - it's all PF, and the treatments are similar.

it is almost certainly a biomechanical problem of the whole hindfoot, except when more rarely it is due to a direct impact. I tend to find people who just wear insoles, and don't stretch/ modify exercise don't get better quickly.

NSAIDs will help the pain, but not cure the problem

this is chat, not advice

[drmorris]

ps.I'm not a big fan of podiatric inserts for PF either. The people I see with them haven't found them helpful - this may of course be case mix. I just don't 'get' the explanation as to why a heel wedge or some other such device should help. Maybe I'm dim, but in running, do they really affect the biomechanics?

caveat emptor: I agree with above comments re:some physios and podiatrists who have a business to run which involves selling seemingly plausible stories+/-devices and encouraging repeat attendance. A good sports physio is worth their weight in Bodyglide

[Oscar]

I.....found a nice hard road, dumped the shoes and socks, and went for a 2 mile run.
The results? Well, some blisters of course, but almost immediately, and certainly within a few days (and a little more daft running), miraculous reduction in PF symptoms. Some 5 weeks later with about 5% of my running being done barefoot, the improvement continues.
I now spend as much time as possible out of shoes. My barefoot running is minimal (you can't do much early on), but the new found strength already apparent in my feet seems to be doing the trick.

This mirrors my own experience. had PF off and on for years. Found relief with both custom orthotics and off the shelf (superfeet etc) but always felt I was just treating the symptoms.

I've tried Vibram fivefingers and a bit of barefoot running for 6-9 months now and symptom of PF have so far disappeared. I'm not running this way all the time (say 20-50%) but feel that the time when I'm not in orthodox running shoes is giving my feet a workout which seems to help. I never seem to be able to stick to the routines recommended for any injury, so this works well for me!