The signs and symptoms of plantar fasciitis (plan-tur fashee-EYE-tiss) started out mild for me. About 10 weeks into marathon training, my feet started feeling sore after a run. I could run and walk fine, but a couple of hours after a workout they would feel sore in the arches. With rest they’d improve, but it would come back again after a run. Over a few days, the soreness progressed to a mild burning sensation that got worse the longer I stayed on my feet. Eventually after a week or so, I felt the heel pain most commonly associated with plantar fasciitis (PF). Upon waking in the morning, the inner corner of my heel, just below the ankle, felt sore when I walked. It looked like my chances of running the marathon in another 10 weeks were doomed. Continuing to run through PF can cause the plantar fascia to rupture painfully, requiring the wearing of a boot cast for up to six weeks and in some extreme cases, surgery. The good news is I was able to develop a successful treatment plan and after a couple weeks of cross-training, I was able to get back to running and go on to complete my first marathon in 4:02:39 without any PF pain during or after the race.
Please note that I am not a medical professional. I simply share my experience in the hope that it can help another person bounce back from PF. The other thing I want to make clear is that PF is a tricky injury to treat and it can take some experimentation to figure out what works. What worked for me might not work for you. You need to figure out both what the cause of your PF was (more on that in a minute) and which treatments help you.
For immediate pain relief:
1. Ice. Use an ice pack (frozen peas or corn works well because the packet molds to the foot) with a thin towel to protect the skin, and ice the foot for 15 minutes at a time a few times a day as needed. Just be careful and make sure to warm up the foot again and then do a gentle stretch of the foot (grabbing the toes and gently drawing them back toward you) before walking again. You can also freeze a plastic water bottle in the freezer (leaving room at the top for the ice to expand) and roll your foot on the frozen bottle. That does the double duty of icing and massaging at the same time.
2. Anti-inflammatory medications. There is debate about whether PF involves any inflammation at all (the pain stems from micro-tears in the connective tissue that runs from the heel to the toes) but there’s no doubt that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen help relieve the pain of PF. Personally I don’t think drugs like Advil treat the PF, they just mask the pain. That’s fine if you’re in a lot of pain but I quickly decided the meds were not necessary.
For further injury prevention:
3. Determine what caused your PF and take steps to mitigate further damage. For some people the key to what caused their PF is clear. It can come on from being overweight or from repetitive strain due to running or other athletic pursuits. Think about what recently changed for you. Have you added something new to your workouts? (For me the culprit was tight calves from running and the introduction of training on the indoor spinning bike. Standing up on the pedals repeatedly stretched and strained the ligament that runs under the foot.) Has it been too long since you bought new athletic shoes?
4. Switch to cross-training. If you want to stay active to lose weight or continue a running training plan without actually running, consider cross-training activities such as cycling, swimming, and aqua-jogging. I found that while spinning on an indoor bike aggravated my feet, I could cycle on my road bike without problems.
To treat the PF:
5. Do stretches for the feet and calves. Before you get out of bed in the morning (and a few other times throughout the day), do a toe stretch by gently pulling back on your toes. Perform a towel stretch by looping a bath towel under the ball of your foot and gently pulling the towel ends back toward you. For the ball stretch, roll a tennis or golf ball under your foot for up to half an hour a day (I know that sounds like a lot but it’s what’s billed as a “magic cure” for PF in Running Doc’s Guide to Healthy Running: How to Fix Injuries, Stay Active, and Run Pain-Free). Most important for the treatment of PF and prevention of it in the first place (in my opinion), are calf stretches. I don’t mean just stretching your calves after you run. This is so important I’m going to say it in bold: You need to do calf stretches several times a day throughout the day. First do the gastroc stretch, which involves leaning into a wall with your arms outstretched and the affected leg straight back behind you with the heel on the floor (the Running Doc says to turn the foot slightly outward). Lean in and feel the stretch in the upper calf. Do that for 20 seconds, then slightly bend the knee of the affected leg to perform the soleus stretch to stretch the lower calf for another 20 seconds. Alternate those stretches several times. One more note on stretches. I saw lots of recommendations for Achilles tendon stretches (standing on the edge of a stair step and lowering the heels, then raising the heels, and repeating). That absolutely aggravated the PF for me. Here’s a video I found on YouTube that demonstrates three appropriate stretches and then explains why that Achilles tendon stretch is inappropriate (he calls it the Negative Heel Stretch):
Gear that helps:
6. Wear a Strassburg sock or other device. The idea behind the Strassburg Sock is that you wear this sock at night while you sleep to stretch the plantar fascia.
Normally while you sleep the plantar fascia contracts and then when you wake up and stand up, the tight plantar fascia lengthens suddenly and that causes pain. I found that wearing the sock prevents that problem, and I do recommend purchasing the sock. It provided immediate relief of the sharp heel pain I had felt in the mornings. For a less expensive option, follow these directions to make your own no-sew plantar fasciitis sock.
7. Use KT Tape Pro. Without a doubt the one thing that allowed me to keep running as I recovered from PF is KT Tape Pro. Please make sure that you buy KT TAPE PRO rather than the older cotton version which does not stay on as long. If I followed the directions to apply the KT Tape Pro properly, it would stay on for 5 or more days (or until I soaked in a bath or went swimming. It stays on during short showers but I found it could not stand a long soak). The pre-cut kinesiology tape strips are expensive and you want to make them last. Many people apply two strips for the PF application (as directed on the package insert) but I went with three as demonstrated in the KT Tape website:
8. Consider orthotic insoles. Many people swear by insoles such as Superfeet Green Premium Insoles or professional orthotics from a podiatrist. Others argue that such insoles are a crutch that does not really fix the problem in the long term. (Personally I think it’s important for a runner like me to be able to get back into running ASAP and then work on the stretches and strengthening exercises and only then consider running in a more minimalist shoe or even barefoot). Because I had success with the Strassburg Sock and the KT Tape Pro, I never bought insoles so I cannot speak to this one way or the other. (Anyone care to comment?)
Another healing and preventative tip:
9. Do strengthening exercises for the plantar fascia ligament. Once you have reduced the pain of PF you can begin doing strengthening exercises. These include drawing the alphabet on the floor with your toes, picking up marbles with your toes, and scrunching up the end of a towel (pulling in the length of the towel toward you with your toes).
I wish you all the best in healing from plantar fasciitis!
What has your experience with plantar fasciitis been? Do you have any tips for recovering from plantar fasciitis?
OUCH. hope you are feeling better!
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Thanks Katie! I have fully recovered from the plantar fasciitis (and sadly moved on to posterior shin splints in my left leg — but I’m in the process of conquering that too!)
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This is SO helpful! I do a few of these things but definitely not all. I am going to set appointments on my calendar at work to remind me to STRETCH my calves. Thanks for writing this post! It helps tremendously. All I want is to get better and to run again!
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I know exactly how you feel Kate — it’s extremely frustrating to be sidelined by an injury like this. I hope you are back to running very soon! I’m subscribed to your blog so I’ll be looking for positive updates from you soon!
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Thanks for your comment on my blog – it was comforting to read your experience and realize that it does not have to side-line me for the next few months, although I will be taking care of it!
Congrats on your marathon, by the way!
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Thanks Kristina! It was such a relief to me to be able to continue with training and complete the race. I hope you are able to find what works for you and keep up with running!
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This is great, thanks! No wonder it took my PF more time to heal as i would include that negative heel stretch together with the other calf-stretches shown.
Great blog, btw!
–Rene
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Rene, thanks for your comment! I’m sorry you suffered from PF too. It all makes me wish we each had someone (coach, doctor, friend) to talk us through any injury and heal as quickly as possible. That’s what’s great about the running/blogging community though — the chance to share and learn from each other!
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Hi Katie, I have had pf for months now. Researching has been a job in itself. Your site is the best site I have seen. Thank you for your compassionate thoughts and the knowledge of pf and the road to recovery. The homemade sock is great, I’m looking forward to the next days to see the progress I will make. Love your grass roots approach, keep up the work. This site will get me back training for the next race and Tough Mudder. May God bless you as you live out your purpose in your part of the world. To Katie !
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I am so glad I’ve found this! thank you so much. I just put them on! I was lucky to own 2 pairs of ski sock that fit just right 🙂 wish me luck!
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I hope the ski socks have helped! Make sure you identify what was causing the PF in the first place (not enough stretching the calves? Standing up on bike pedals?) and keep using the socks at night. Let me know if they’ve helped you! I am lucky that the PF has not come back at all for me and it’s been many months.
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Hi.
Thanks for helpful tips! Just made my own Sock and will try it out tonight. I’ve suffered for 8 weeks now in both my feet, and just started with deep tissue massage to loosen up tight muscles in my calves And arches. Do you have any experience with that? I’ve been given a lot of different advices from different health practitioners, so it’s a bit confusing. Did you walk barefeet at home ? Hope you’re fully healed 🙂
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I’m sorry to hear you have PF and I hope the sock helps! I do believe in the deep tissue massage for the calves because I think tight calves are what contribute significantly to PF, and if you can loosen the calf muscles through massage and gentle stretching it will go a long way to relieve the PF. Now that I have healed from PF (and it has not come back in two years) I use a foam roller occasionally, wear compression socks after longer runs, and stretch my calves after workouts of any length. I do not go barefoot at home much. From what I read that might be helpful to build foot strength after you have healed from PF but that it’s a good idea to wear shoes with good arch support while you are still healing. I hope you feel better soon!
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Hi there,
I had Plantar Fasciitis and beat it.
It’s took about 16 months to solve and am back to running about 2/3 times a week.
Here’s what I did.
1st month
– Ice water everyday, mainly at night times. (imperative)
– Stretching exercises twice a day, the best was using the ‘belt’ stretch.
– Threw away ‘ALL’ of my shoes that had a hard sole and bought shoes with rubber soles.
– Got orthotics
– Stopped ‘ALL’ exercise and yes I got a little fat but it eased my pain.
2-6 months
– First started to introduce exercise again, only upper body weights.
– Introduced cycling about 4 months in. Cycling caused no pain, no impact on heel, foot… highly recommended.
6-12 months
– Repeated the above and at about 12 month mark bought new runners and with no pain at all I did small 30 mins soft runs. No problems.
12 months onwards
– Runs became longer.
– Walk everywhere with no pain.
– Full gym workouts including squats, lunges etc.
Now totally pain free.
I can feel pressure in my plantar and there’s a hard area where the injury was.
I expect it’s scar tissue and I always give it a soft massage to make sure the blood is moving through it, around it.
I am super careful and expect I will be for the rest of my life but I can honestly say I beat it.
Biggest thing is the shoes, never wear anything without a rubber sole… all top brands now have a number of funky shoes in their collection.
Comfort is paramount.
Now I am back to fitness, back down to correct weight and most of all pain free.
Good luck, you can beat it too.
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Thanks for sharing your experience Ben! It is great to hear that you’ve conquered PF and are back at running pain free! I agree about the shoes — and would say that I make sure my shoes have good arch support — no flip-flops for me! I like my Oofos sandals when I want casual footwear that’s not a running shoe.
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Hi,
Thank you so much for writing about your experiences. I am in a similar situation as you were – I’m 12 weeks out from my marathon and I began experiencing mild PF symptoms 2 weeks ago. I stopped running 8 days ago and have stuck to cross-training while stretching, foam rolling, icing and doing strengthening exercises for my feet/calves. I also bought Superfeet inserts.
I have a few questions that I’m hoping you’ll be able to help with – how long of a break did you take away from running when the symptoms first came up? Did you wait until you were completely pain free before you started running again? I no longer feel any pain (though the pain was always relatively mild), it is more of an ache/tender spot in the area between my arch and heel that I only feel when I’ve been sitting for a long time and get up to walk. I don’t want to make the situation worse but also am not sure when I should start running again given that I do still really want to run the marathon.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Nora
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Hi Nora, I’m sorry you’re dealing with PF! Sounds like you’re doing all the right things! The only things I might add are wearing a Strassburg sock (or my homemade equivalent — see the link in the post) at night until the pain goes away completely, and/or wearing KT Tape Pro when you run, at least for the long runs. I only took two weeks off running and I wish I had gotten back to it sooner but it took me that long to figure out how to address the problem. I know some people have much worse cases of PF than mine and I cannot speak for them, but I do not think stopping running completely is the answer. The key is doing all the stretching and other things to address the tight calves and getting at the cause of the problem (in my case, riding on the spin bike without clipping in with bike shoes). If you think what you are doing is addressing the cause and the symptoms, then I think you can give running a try again. Sometimes I think stopping running just makes everything tighten up more and worsens the problem, and there starts to be a cycle of pain and scarring that is harder and harder to overcome. I know others (including doctors) who wouldn’t agree, but I was lucky to be able to run through it with the proper treatments for me. Good luck!
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Thanks for your quick response! I was actually able to go on my first run in 10 days over the weekend without pain. I wore the KT Tape Pro and my Superfeet inserts and am happy with how my feet held up. I am going to try to ease back into running and incorporate more cross training into my schedule. Fingers crossed that the PF doesn’t flare up again, especially as my long runs get longer.
I appreciate you taking the time to respond to your readers and share your experiences. I read through some of your other posts and think you have a fantastic blog!
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Hi Angela, sorry to bother you with another question but I was wondering if remembered feeling any relapse after your initial 2 week break from running?
I’ve been on 2 easy runs (one 6 mile, one 3 mile) since returning from my 10 day hiatus and my feet felt fine. However, I started to randomly feel a mild discomfort in my arch today. It is not there all the time and wouldn’t prevent me from running. I know rest is probably the answer but I am having trouble figuring how to get back into my marathon training schedule while also making sure that this PF recovers completely.
Again, greatly appreciate any insights you could share.
Thanks!
Nora
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Hi Nora, yes, I continued to have little bits of discomfort but nothing that kept me from running. I just took it as a reminder to stretch several times a day — calf stretches especially (not negative heel stretches) at least three times a day, and I kept wearing the Strassburg sock(s) overnight on days that I felt any hint of pain. I would often notice some discomfort on days that I ran AND spent a lot of time on my feet (cleaning, cooking etc.) so I tried to give myself a break and keep my feet up at the end of the day. I also made sure to wear shoes with arch support from the minute I got up in the morning – not going around barefoot at all. Some people might disagree (saying you need to strengthen your feet, which might be true but I found that when I was in the middle of battling PF it wasn’t the best time to work on walking around barefoot!) I did do some foot exercises — rolling a tennis ball or golf ball under the foot at least once a day if not twice, and pointing my toes and “writing” on the carpeting. It can seem like a lot of work to do the exercises and stretching, but eventually it feels routine and really I would have done anything to continue running and not have the PF worsen! I hope that helps!
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Wow, helpfull suggestions for sure! I haven’t read as many helpful hints all in one place!! I’ve had PF for 7 months now. And I’ve been stretching, icing every day for most of that time. I’ve also done 4 weeks of PT twice, spaced out a bit. I am so discouraged that there has not been much progress, or when there is it doesn’t last long:(( Grocery shopping is the worst part!!! I use rowing machine for workouts and also swim.
Foot doctor and PT seem to think I should have had more progress. I do not want surgery, but at the same time I REALLY want to get back to normal life and not be in pain anymore. Anyone else had similar story??
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Thank you for such a great article Katie. I just wanted to ask you where and when did you have pain? I’ve had it for 3 months now. A lot of the time I can walk around pain free with an orthotic in my shoe. But if I suddenly bend down to pick something up without lifting my heel OR I extend my leg out and try to pull my toes toward me, I get a nasty pain toward the back, outside of the heel. It sounds to me like that sock will help me tremendously by keeping the fascia stretched. Also going to start using the KT Tape. Thanks again!
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If your plantar fasciitis symptoms are so unbearable that you are considering surgery, then consider extracorporeal shockwave therapy first. It is non-invasive, and wonderfully effective (over time, not immediately). It works similarly to lithotripsy for kidney stones. Unfortunately, ESWT is expensive, but so is surgery. On the up-side, there is little to no downtime. My PF was debilitating and ruining my life. I consider this the greatest gift I have ever given myself. Truly a miracle in my life.
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This is just invalueable for me! I have plantar fasciits and I have tried everything so thnak you so much!
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I got plantar fasciitis in late pregnancy from bearing so much weight with my son. I thought it was normal while pregnant but it only got worse after he was born. He is now 4 months old and after extreme pain all day in my feet which spread to the tendons around my ankles and calves, I have FINALLY found a real miracle solution. I tried stretches and ice and rolling my feet on balls and bottles of ice water and I tried strassburg socks and insoles and wearing supportive shoes around the house. But what finally worked was getting a massage in my feet where he broke up all the scar tissue. It took two VERY painful treatments and when we got to the third treatment he said he was able to go much deeper and it was barely painful. Since that third treatment my feet have honestly been about 80 percent better. I don’t even think of them throughout the day when I’m walking around doing housework or am out with the kids running errands. I have three more treatments to go until he says all the scar tissue should be gone. I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone suffering this terrible, frustrating condition. He rubbed a tool like a wooden stick, using the side edge of it down my foot to scrape away the scar tissue. Like I said extremely painful at first. So much relief now!! I was actually considering surgery before this started working. Please please give it a shot and stick it out for more than a few treatments. Take care everyone I hope this helps someone!! God bless
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Thanks for sharing your experience Chevy! I’m glad you’re starting to feel better.
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Hi FFM…thank you so much for your suggestions. I am an avid walker (for exercise) and my symptoms started exactly like yours. I ignored them mostly, blaming them on the stress I was going through. Then, about 6 months ago, I took a long walk on the beach (about 3 hours) in my hikingboots with good support but my left foot hasn’t been the same since. I immediately investigated what I could do to get rid of the PF…and followed the suggestion to rest the foot. So far, this has not helped. I am totally frustrated, have gained weight for lack of excercise although my intention has been to bike. I find I bike much less than I should and blame it on the terrible weather here (The Netherlands). Now, after reading your blog, which I am SOOO glad I found, I am encouraged to just start walking again (somehow the rain and wind do not bother me as much while walking), do the right exercises and try your other suggestions. I can’t believe I was actually doing the wrong exercise (the one labelled BAD) because I had found this as a suggestion from a physical therapist. I am now going to do the calve exercises, try your home-made sock therapy (I almost ordered the Strassberg sock this afternoon!!) and the KT tape Pro if I can find it here. I’ll let you know how I progress. The most important thing is that I am encouraged again. You have given me the hope that not all is lost and there is actually a way to get over this!! thanks again.
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This is a very old post, but I found it recently, so I think it’s still pertinent, and wanted to share something with other sufferers. I get PF in the spring, and I finally determined why. All summer long I wear Birkenstock sandals. The way the footbed is molded, it requires you to grip with your toes each step, and it can actually strengthen the muscles in your feet. However when fall comes, my Birks get put away in favor of snow boots. Come spring, I haven’t used those muscles for months, and they have atrophied. As soon as I pull out sandals (which I always think I can jump right back into, and overwear them!) those muscles start getting an all day workout (I’m a teacher, so I’m on my feet all day) and thy can’t hold up to the strain. My solution I’m going to try (as soon as I get this current flare up under control, is to begin wearing my birks around the house after work, building up to wearing them all day. Then when fall and winter hit, I’ll keep wearing them with some wool socks, at least at home. Hopefully that will keep those muscles strong and engaged and I don’t have this problem again. I love the DIY sock, and I’m using that as we speak.
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