Plantar Fasciitis

[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by Ref_in_Rehab

I pay the camp tuition fees by working as a physical therapist....here goes

1. Stretch your calves like crazy--- loop a towel around your foot and pull back to get a good stretch before getting out of bed in the morning, find a stair during the day, prop your foot up against a wall and lean forward, etc, etc, etc. Seriously, you should be stretching at least 4-6 times a day- don't make it hurt, just get a good stretch out of it, hold it for 20-30 seconds, and repeat, repeat, repeat.

2. Get good shoes with a good arch supporting insole. There really isn't a difference between the $400 custom orthotic the podiatrist will try and sell you vs. the $20 arch support from the sporting goods store. I recommend a full length support, not one that ends just past the arch. If you're working on your 2nd or 3rd season in the same pair of shoes, get a new pair.

On this note, if you have flat feet a good tape job can be helpful in a fix---find a trainer to do this for you because it's difficult to do yourself and not get wrinkles in the tape job which may cause blisters and only add to your suffering.

3. Ice, ice, ice. Ice after you do anything like running or walking. A frozen water bottle works great so you can sit down and massage the sole of your foot while working the bottle back and forth.

4. Exercises like massaging the sole of your foot with a golf ball before you run, and picking up marbles or scrunching a towel up with your toes can help loosen and strengthen your arch.

For really severe cases night splints (to stretch your foot all night long), cortisone injections (can also break tissue down, so can't be done too often), and surgery (don't go there) are options.

The best thing to do of course is prevent it---make sure you're in shape before the season begins, stretch, lose a few pounds, etc.

Sorry for rambling...hope it helps

Excellent advice! I read an article on the net by a orthopedist that said someone over 40 should stay away from Nike Shox "type" shoes. I was wearign a pair of Adidas that were similar in design to the Nike Shox during the period I had my problem. They cause the achilles to actually over-stretch and causes more problems than they help.