So How’s That Plantar Fasciitis Going, Anyway?
Plantar fasciitis has to be the most mysterious and frustrating condition known to runners. When I checked my log, i realized I first started feeling something in my left foot last April– in other words, almost a year ago. At the end of September I stopped running for a few weeks and got a series of shockwave treatments. Since then I’ve been running while coping with various degrees of pain, while also experimenting with some treatments on my own. Just in the last couple of weeks I’ve finally been able to say I feel some improvement, and I want to share three things that have been making a difference. I wrote this post about the Somatic Movement exercises in Sarah Warren’s book. I did the routine for plantar fasciitis every day for three weeks, then did them every other day, and am still doing them a couple times a week. I believe that they helped, but it’s hard to say for sure. It’s not the type of thing where you finish the routine and say “Ah! I feel looser already!” The exercises are meant to re-set the nervous system over time. Warren says that PF stems from tight muscles in the low back, and after doing the exercises for a couple weeks I could feel a new level of relaxation in those muscles. My low back gets very tight when I work, and I’m able to recognize that now, and relax them periodically throughout the day. I think this is making a difference. Thank you to Judy! She was kind enough to bring my attention to her foot compressions which she describes in this post. You stand with a ball under your foot, and instead of rolling, you just lean into it and hold it for a bit (ninety seconds or so.). I do this at night while I’m reading, and I hold five different points. This feels great while I’m doing it and great when I finish. Impossible to know for sure, but this is another thing I think is helping. Okay, I have no explanation for this one. It was a Monday, the day after a ten mile run and my foot was hurting as I got ready for work. On a whim I pulled out these old Newton running shoes, put them on and… the pain was instantly gone. I wore them to work that day (yes, I wear running shoes to work!) and have been wearing them every day since. I don’t know what it is about them- I always wear running shoes to work. I was switching between Altras and New Balance- the Altras have a zero drop and the New Balance have a 10 mm drop. Maybe the 3 mm drop on the Newtons is the perfect height? I don’t wear Newtons for running, but now I’m considering it. Right now I switch between Hokas and New Balance 880s for running and the Newtons for everyday walking around. My foot is happy. I can’t say my plantar fasciitis is gone. It still hurts when I get up in the morning, but not as much and not for as long. It never hurts while I run. although sometimes I’ll feel twinges in my achilles on that side. The big question has been, can I heal this completely without taking any more time off from running? The jury is still out… but right now I’m feeling optimistic. What was the most frustrating injury you’ve had? – (I’m not even sure if this is mine- there have been so many!) Do you wear running shoes during the day, other than for running? – (All the time since the pandemic started! I’m not sure my feet will fit into anything else at this point.)