UKC

Dear Runners, just after your good advice. I think I have start to get plantar fasciitis as I have pain in the heel of my foot, just where the arch begins. In the morning I notice it when I walk for the first time but the pain lessens. I can still run and don’t notice it. I want it to go away, of course, but like all mad runners, I want to keep running. Has anyone got any good exercises or advice for me? If I keep running, am I heading for disaster? Thank you for your time and help.

I found the strength gains from one legged calf raises made a massive difference for me. I wasn't suffering from plantar pain when I started doing them however. 

The exercises I was told to do by my physio when I was suffering with it was the towel crunches. I did them for a while but it never really felt like it was doing anything so I soon gave up with them.

Now I just do calf raises and the "round the clock" foot routing and my arches have never felt better.

I'm not sure how much this will help if you're already suffering however. If you can still run, then I would recommend those two exercises. 

Toe crunches and calf raises, massage under foot with a spiky ball, calf stretches, Ice with a flat freezer block, “write the alphabet” with your toes whenever you get up from resting and always wear supportive shoes, even if you get up in the night.

Do the above for a week…

Mine seemed to have been caused by one achilles being tighter than the other. A few weeks of stretching my achilles and it's gone away. It does come back if I forget to do those stretches for a while, but eases again quickly after stretching 

First make some sort of assessment if it is plantar fasciitis rather than some sort of muscle/tendon tiredness strain as PF doesn't often go away when you warm up.

Have you changed anything?

Are your shoes kaput?

Stay on top of calf stretching.  Maybe go to a more rigid, more cushioned shoe, but that's a big if and a big change to make

Outside of the running,  do you wear flip flops? Wearing them too much always leads to PF for me, and that's a problem when you live in the SW as they are sort of part of the uniform! PF flare ups are a b*gger to sort, best of luck!

Sack the shoes off and go barefoot I'm about 6 years in

You have to be careful with that approach if already suffering however. It's the kind of thing you can introduce slowly if not already in pain.

Mild PF only for me and calf stretches/heel drops and heel rises is all I’ve needed. I combine both using edge of a step.

Even after it’s sorted it does come back without occasional calf stretches/heel drops as a routine. Frequency of stretches just depends if/when I think the calf muscles are too tight. 

Get it diagnosed, could well be PF.. but could be something else and then all this advice may be wrong and make it worse

When I had PF (in my case more towards the toes, I thought I'd broken a metatarsal, the pain was terrible and hit me one morning when I got out of bed, no prior warning) my GP told me to stretch the entire posterior chain not just calves, although calves received more focus. Get a plastic 500ml Coca-Cola bottle in that classic curvy coke bottle shape. 3/4 fill with water and freeze it. Put it on floor stand on it to use as a roller under that foot, it may be uncomfortable treatment! (Put a tea towel over it).

Stretch calves and foot and hamstrings and lower back. When you stretch calves do it normally with a straight knee and also stretch calves with a partly bent knee, no idea why both but my GP was insistent and said both was needed.

Get well soon 

Stretching the calf with a straight leg stretches the gastrocnemius (upper part of the calf) and stretching with a bent knee stretches the soleus (bottom part of the calf) 

As others have said, definitely worth seeing a physio to find out what the cause is if it persists. Thanks to finally splashing out to see a physio I've recently started running properly again after a couple of years battling with persistent calf issues. It was actually stretching and building up the strength in my glutes and hamstring that has helped resolve the issue as weakness in those muscles from being sat at a desk all day meant my calf muscles were being overworked.  

Many runners seems to get it at least once. I have had it cripplingly once and thought I had broken something. More usually it that morning tightness that fades quickly. Stretching as described will help and as tightness is usually associated with overuse or weakness calf strengthening exercises are useful. Stretching the foot around your thumb (placed in the arch) and bringing the toes and foot down (not up) was very relieving when I last suffered. Any doubts I would back the comments to see a physio. I would not make any radical shoe changes at the moment, but would make sure the ones you use are in good nick. Good luck, hope this is not marring a race in the near future. 

It’s pretty typical that PF pain fades after warming up, and that’s certainly been my experience 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/plantar-fasciitis/

“It's more likely to be plantar fasciitis if:

the pain is much worse when you start walking after sleeping or resting

the pain feels better during exercise, but returns after resting”

I wonder if I've been using an incorrect definition (for a long time) as I'd use PF specifically for pain under the heel, caused by muscle /tendon damage that, in the worst cases would develop a bone spur due to swelling, longer term damage.

I'd still say there is value in separating that from strain further into the arch as there isn't total overlap in what works for one, working to remedy the other.

That’s the most common site of pain, presumably because the heel is where the most pressure is placed on the plantar fascia (connective tissue rather than tendon or muscle). But the plantar fascia connects the heel to the toes to create the arch, so pain can be anywhere along there. I’m not sure you could isolate just one bit of it for treatment though, at least not in terms of stretching or strengthening.

as has been alluded to, bent-knee calf raises will work the soleus which tends to have more of a bearing on the Achilles tendon and therefore PF.

Weighting of calf raises (bent or straight legged) and go to fatigue builds strength. Oddly despite doing them regularly my fatigue point is still at a similar number of reps as when I started. I'll normally 2 about 2 x 14 reps on each calf straight legged, then do ~20 on each leg bent legged. Numbers will vary for others.

Though of course this is what's worked for me and not necessarily for anyone else.

Stretch your foot and calf before getting out of bed in the morning.

Get some Heel Lifts for your shoes and trainers

Good luck it can be a problem to sort out!

I've had several bad bouts over the years. I have tight achillies since childhood and later was bouldering a lot over beach shingle which would punch my arches up on landings.

The acute flare-ups were always dealt with by painkillers, stretching, time and comfy shoes. I still get isolated sharp twinges for no reason and have been left with a constant residual ache in the underside of my heel bones that makes long periods of walking or standing painful.

Book to see a GP or physio. The GP will probably just give you a PF pamphlet aimed at the elderly immobile and tell you to stretch/rest unless they have a shared passion for sport in which case you might get sent to the physio.

jk

Great advice everyone; thank you for your time to give your insights. 

You have it - act now! 

• Stretching before getting out of bed and regularly throughout the day for 30 (real) seconds.  do both feet/calves
• Alfredson heel drops are the best for strengthening.  Strengthening the PF is critical!
• Watch the Athlean X video about PF where he moves the front leg across the rear leg when stretching  - that's good and gets in to correct areas of the PF and of the calf
• Insoles in all shoes - you'll need new shoes
• Custom orthotics via the NHS.  Made a huge difference to me
• Patience - it's a 9 month journey minimum

youtube.com/watch?v=72p58Iy6u7M&

Thank you, the You Tube video is excellent. I will look at that again. Thanks for your time.

Unfortunately since this thread was first posted I've had a recurrence of PF in my left foot, but this time it's more a classic heel PF (unlike before when it was further forward).  I watched that video and did his variation of the stretch (not the usual standing calf stretches advised before by my GP) and **** me!!! that gives relief that the standard stretch doesn't.

THANK YOU!! For posting that