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Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up...
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 2008-05-03 1:49 PM |
Member 1487    Scottsdale, AZ |  Subject: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up...running that is, at least for a while. Just seems like no matter what I do this frusterating PF keeps lingering. Increased my milage gradually, got custom orthotics, stretch religiously, do yoga, ice, massage, chiropractor visits, roller, the 'stick', cross train, tape my feet, take some time off and it STILL wont go away. honestly, how much more crosstrained can training for a tri be??? It all started while training for a marathon back in December and hasn't gone away since. thought the more rounded schedule of training for a Tri would be more gentler on my body :-). Here are my worries: 1. If I keep running and it keeps getting worse or doesn't change I will probably run into more problems in the future and I DON"T want to get a cortisone shot. Heard they don't really work either. 2. If I keep running and cause more problems, I will be in trouble for my hiking vacation in July that I go on every year with my family. Hiking 14,000ft mountains with hurting feet doesn't sound like fun. I DON"T want to comprimise this activity!!! 3. If I take a break from running (I am thinking 2 months - at least until I am back from vacation), then I have to start at square one again with training/milage - and I HATE that. It takes soooo long to get to a certain point and to have to start all over again is so frusterating! I am not doing that many miles now (maybe up to 20 on a good week) but try to do at least 6mi. every time I go out. To have to start at 1 or 2 just makes me cringe. I just don't know what to do at this point. I haven't seen many PF issues on this board and was just wondering if anyone has any advice, what worked for them, how to go about it. Does the bike bother anyone with PF??? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Oh, just a bit more info: I have been training for tris since Jan, finally getting into the swimming groove and am looking forward to when my pool is warm enough - then I can do some water running (yawn) but at least it is something. I teach Spin classes 1-3x per week and am going to try to get out on my bike more. Thanks to everyone on these boards, they have been so helpful! Looking forward to hearing any input! |
| 2008-05-03 2:13 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
Expert 1168 Lansdale, PA. | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Have you been to an actual podiatrist? I self treated and self diagnosed myself as having PF however when I went to the foot Dr. after nothing worked I learned I had a bone spur. (Pix in my album if you care to see) Dr. gave me a very painful shot in the afflicted heel and I had true custom orthotics made ($375), When I got done and gave it a couple of weeks rest I was much better. It turned out that my heel was a result of a problem with the bones in my foot which caused the heel problem. None of this was visible without an x-ray. |
| 2008-05-03 2:37 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
| Member 1487 Scottsdale, AZ | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Yep, went to an actual podiatrist back in December. Got the custom orthotics from him and actually went and had him readjust them once - not pronating enough. When looking at the initial xrays, I did see a small bone spur on my left foot that he didn't think too much about. Said that once I got the orthotics that I would be able to continue to train (for the marathon) without any problems. ha, that is what he thought. I need to go back to him but my faith in the whole podiatry industry is a bit tested these days. Just haven't found one that I truely 'trust'. I need to find a new one I think. Frusterating because I spent the money (not cheap) on the custom orthotics and now don't even want to use them cuz things have gotten worse. I appreciate your feedback and will continue to try to figure out what is wrong. Thanks! |
| 2008-05-03 3:12 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
Master 1718 Loughborough, England | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Have you tried one of these (or similar): It allows you to really get deep into the PF tissue. Use it before and after a run and throughout the day whenever you PF feels tight.
Edit to say: DON'T GIVE UP! I know how you feel - I spent 16 months battling injury and now that I am training again I love it even more. It may well take some time to fully heal but it will eventually. Edited by tridantri 2008-05-03 3:16 PM |
| 2008-05-05 7:20 AM in reply to: #1379807 |
Giver 18427  | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... How about a cortisone injection? How long have you been dealing with it? The sportsmed doc I deal with for TNT--the guy's awesome, a triathlete to boot--says the average bout with PF is six months, and that you usually recover rather spontaneously. He also says that it's one of the few injuries that it's absolutely OK to train through, as long as you can stand the pain. And that's where the cortisone comes in. |
| 2008-05-06 11:30 AM in reply to: #1379807 |
Regular 106 Utah | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... You've got to rest it. Plantar faciitis is also called policeman's heel because the recipe is to spend too much time on your feet, weigh too much and have poor shoes. That surely doesn't apply to you, but it gives you an idea of what kind of rest you need. I've got the beginning stages and I try to manage it. You've honestly done everything else. I'm not sure, but I've heard that bone spurs can come from chronic plantar faciitis. You could have to rest it for 6 months or more, so prepare yourself for a long alternative plan. I get some good results from icing it right after running in addition to everything you're doing. Maybe you could rest it for a couple weeks completely and go for a vigorous walk and see if you can slowly start working back in. There's no set formula to rest, you've got to be smart and listen to your body. Good luck. |
| 2008-05-07 4:56 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
Extreme Veteran 446 Auckland, New Zealand | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Sorry, but I have to say a big NOOOOOOOOOOO to cortisone injections!!! They play havoc with your immune system to say the least. I know that you might see cortisone injections as a last resort, but I would not recommend them to my worst enemy. Have you had a second/third/fourth opinion? I went through 5 different physio therapists, before I found one that helped me with my piriformus syndrome... |
| 2008-05-07 6:06 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
Elite 3072 san francisco | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Hi, I totally feel your pain. You may only need one month off. I took a month off of running, against my anxieties about losing fitness. Spinning and cycling did not seem to cause any problems. Swimming actually made it feel sooo much better. I was able to get back into running pretty easily, using the run/walk method. I stretch my calves like crazy after any workout, roll on the ice water bottle, take ibuprofen or aleve and roll on one of those balls, and it has (knock on wood) NOT come back. I do have custom orthotics. I don't think I would do the cortisone injection. It often does not work and I've read but do not know for sure, that it can cause scar tissue. It's really not wise to train through pf pain, because you might really do irreparable damage. I have experience with this in having to stop running for 2 years when I first got pf in 2001, and I stubbornly tried to train through it with my new orthotics. 1 or 2 months versus 2 years? Seems like a small inconvenience...and with your cycling and swimming you will really maintain fitness...water running, while boring is really a great workout. I am back up to 8 miles at a 8:30/mile pace with NO pain. Little sore, but not pf pain. Calf stretches are so important...and roll them on the foam roller. So even if you stop running, do it after walking, spinning, swimming. Good luck to you! |
| 2008-05-08 10:29 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
| Member 1487 Scottsdale, AZ | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... So many great replies, thank you thank you!! I do NOT want to get a cortisone shot, and probably won't. Talked to too many people who have gotten them and still had pain. Plus I heard that it just weakens the area and the pain can just come back later, kinda masking it while making the injury worse. That is not for me! I am willing to rest it (by not running) and just resume training in the other fields. At least I love spinning and teach it so I get a killer cardio workout. Swimming is getting better and better, actually did 1000m without stopping this morning after my spin class, was soooo happy! My problem is trying to restructure my weekly workouts - without running, means I have to do the dreaded xtrainer. Has anyone had problems with their PF while doing the StepMill (moving staircase)??? I heard from someone (don't remember where) that stair climbing aggrivated their PF. who knows, every case is different. I just don't want to do anything to make things worse. foot was a bit sore today, but probably because I was in my flip flops (although good supportive ones) all day and running after my 3 1/2 yr old. Just hard to stay in your tennies all day - ESP since they are sooo flattering and in AZ, it gets a bit hot! Hopefully after a few more weeks, I will be able to see a big difference. I can already tell a difference first thing in the morning, don't hobble around like a 95 yr old on the way to the bathroom. Been trying to ice it daily along with really stretching/rolling my calves. Going to Birkam Yoga tomorrow for a good stretch and am going to look into finding a new PT who gets what I am going through. Thanks again for all the kind words! Any suggestions on how to structure my workouts w/out the running. I like to do AT LEAST 1 hr cardio a day (and on brick days will do more) and ST about 4x/week - kinda addicted to exercise so I try to make it to the gym or do something every day except for my rest day. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!! |
| 2008-05-11 11:39 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
Pro 4339 Husker Nation | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Have you tried just doing nothing? I stopped doing everything except icing and it has REALLY taken the pain down. I've started running again here within the past month and the only time it actually bothered me was on a run when I had about 200 ft. of climb over a mile. For some reason that uphill work really aggravated it. I ran uphill on a shorter hill just this past week and was fine though, so perhaps it was just something goofy? At any rate, maybe your foot just needs a couple days of not being rubbed, pushed, poked, prodded, stretched, contracted, taped, compressed, or whatever else you might be doing to it. Sounds like you've tried everything else so really you have nothing to lose. Oh also - I always wear my running shoes now, even inside the house. It's really annoying because if I'm just hanging out I'd rather not have anything on my feet but I think it has been a help as well. A friend of mine [lastcall2003] said going barefoot bothered her PF too. She's a big fan of the boot and I didn't see that on your list. You could try that too. |
| 2008-05-13 1:43 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
| Boulder | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... I feel - or felt - your pain. I quit running for a couple years because of PF. I probably didn't need to stop running for THAT long, but I was pretty dejected, and threw myself into bike racing. The bright side: I recently began running again, this time with true custom orthotics combined with shoes that my feet like. No more foot problems. My advice is complete rest - more is better! Then start again from scratch, PT and Orthos likely key to recover. But, for now, rest. Good luck. |
| 2008-05-16 4:41 PM in reply to: #1379807 |
 Master 1324 Rochester, NY | Subject: RE: Plantar Faciitis misery - thinking of giving it up... Trigger Points in the calf muscle (gastrocnemius) can cause pain in the PF region. When other means of treating PF pain fail, there is a decent bet that another body part, likely the calves, are the true source of the pain. A test for you to determine if TPs may be causing your pain: Press on your calf muscle. About an inch below the knee and an inch towards the inside. You may have to play around that general spot a bit. But if you hit a spot that hurts like bloody hell to push on, you'll know thats a significant contributor to your PF pain. I can suggest ways to treat TPs if you need them. |
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