I have been barefoot running, for oh, i don't know, 6 months or so, but not very consistently, and in the past few weeks i have developed a pretty god case of plantar fasciitis. I haven't stopped running altogether yet but i have gone back to wearing my orthotic flip flops ALL DAY b/c my foot hurts if i don't. I'm also having a bit of top of foot pain as well. I'm getting pretty frustrated b/c barefoot running does not seem to be the miracle cure-all i hoped it'd be! Although, i am feeling a tad bit better after reading through this forum, and finding out i'm not the only one that suffered injury after injury at the beginning... Ok, so my story is: I was a (shod) runner for a number of years, even running a number of half-marathons. I have super flat feet so always wore orthotics and shoes to keep me from over-pronating. a couple years ago i started having knee pain but i pushed through it b/c i was training for a half, it eventually got bad enough that i had to stop running altogether and even see a physical therapist for "runners knee" for a couple of months. (which really didn't seem to help, but did convince me to spend a lot of money on an arsenal of "sensible" shoes!) So I would take breaks of a few months at a time and then go out running and my knee would hurt! So after a year or so, of that I heard about barefoot running from another flat footed friend. Eureka!! I read, Born to Run, was convinced, found barefoot ken bobs site, read his how-to's almost to memory. Then went out for my first barefoot run of about half a mile and felt GREAT! I could run! I was so excited to actually be able to run again that i got myself into a terrible cycle of going too far, hurting myself (blisters and/or calf pain mainly...) and having to take a week or so off, then building up too far too fast again.... I think i've finally convinced myself to slow down and just go a little at a time, and my blisters are gone, but now i'm having Plantar Fasciitis which is pretty terrible in the morning and hurts throughout the day if i sit down for any extended period of time. Also, the tops of my feet have been really stiff, especially in the mornigns but also if i sit down for any extended period of time. so, i hope this wasn't too much info. i guess it's an introduction as well as a question post! (-: I would REALLY appreciate some help and advice. What can i do about the plantar fasciitis and top of foot stiffness? Do i have to stop running altogether until the pf goes away? I read somewhere about standing on balls... I've been rolling my foot over a bottle of frozen ice water in the mornings, which seems to help ease a bit of the pain.... thanks!! *madeline
Can I keep running with Plantar Fasciitis?
- Thread starter Madeline
- Start date
Welcome!Let me ask you this:
Welcome!
Let me ask you this: Are your calves tight, specifically your soleus muscles?
Anyway, running while injured is rarely a great idea. I know there are people who've cured their plantar fasciitis by running barefoot but I don't have the specifics there so I'll let someone else deal with that. What I suggest is that you ease up on the running and keep doing what work, rolling your feet and so on, until it goes away. Another thing you could try is stretching your soleus muscles since the normal stretch also stretches the plantar fascia.
Welcome!
Let me ask you this: Are your calves tight, specifically your soleus muscles?
Anyway, running while injured is rarely a great idea. I know there are people who've cured their plantar fasciitis by running barefoot but I don't have the specifics there so I'll let someone else deal with that. What I suggest is that you ease up on the running and keep doing what work, rolling your feet and so on, until it goes away. Another thing you could try is stretching your soleus muscles since the normal stretch also stretches the plantar fascia.
I know sometimes we get
I know sometimes we get carried away, but honestly there is no such thing as a cure all. Running barefoot has allowed a lot of people to run injury free, and sometimes it helps other persistent injuries, however a lot of injuries still happen. What is commonly accepted here (and the other forum) is bfr helps correct your form which ultimately reduces injuries. 6 months may feel like a while but it really is a short time when you consider that you have to unlearn years of bad habits, while strengthening muscles and ligaments that have laid dormant for the same time.
So hang in there give it some time, listen to BBs advice about stretching. If the PF isn't too bad I would run on it slowly. I would also try to spend more time barefoot around the house, at stores and other places.
I know sometimes we get carried away, but honestly there is no such thing as a cure all. Running barefoot has allowed a lot of people to run injury free, and sometimes it helps other persistent injuries, however a lot of injuries still happen. What is commonly accepted here (and the other forum) is bfr helps correct your form which ultimately reduces injuries. 6 months may feel like a while but it really is a short time when you consider that you have to unlearn years of bad habits, while strengthening muscles and ligaments that have laid dormant for the same time.
So hang in there give it some time, listen to BBs advice about stretching. If the PF isn't too bad I would run on it slowly. I would also try to spend more time barefoot around the house, at stores and other places.
Hi Madeline! Thanks for
Hi Madeline! Thanks for joining! I'm in Georgia too. Long shot, but where are you? I'm down here by Newnan. You can PM me to tell me your city if you don't want to share here. I'll be scheduling some group runs for the Georgia members soon, so maybe we can run together. Have any suggestions where you would like to have a group run?
If you are going back and forth between conventional, traditional running shoes and barefoot quite often, you could develop plantar fasciitis. The reason is because you are bascially stretching and shrinking your calves each time you trade it up. When you stretch the calves too much without proper warmup or approach, you can tear the plantar fascia, since it's all connected. This causes an overuse injury. I would concentrate on running only barefoot, if your intentions are to run barefoot (unshod).
What type of mileage are you running with and without shoes?
Several other people have stated they cured their PF by running barefoot. I did as well, long ago. I am battling another case from walking around on my heels for about 3-1/2 months after having cryosurgery on the neuromas in my forefeet; I was avoiding putting any weight on the balls of my feet.
Barefoot running CAN help with plantar fasciitis, BUT you have to be diligent in the way you approach it. You can continue to run and get rid of the PF while doing so. When running, you have to bend your knees even more than you think feels natural. You'll find that this lifts your heels and adds a good stretch to the calf muscles, which inturn works to relieve the pain on the PF. You MUST also walk around with your knees bent more than what feels natural. You'll notice that when you do it will feel better than when you don't. You also need to constantly stretch your calves all throughout the day. Any stretches that point your toes to your knee will work. AND be sure to stretch BEFORE you take a first step after being sedentary for awhile. If you have been sitting or laying down and then get up without first stretching your calves, you will basically tear the fascia again. This will slow healing. Also, sleep with a night splint. This really DOES help to speed healing, and prevents you from taking that first step in the morning...as long as you leave it on.
BFR is NOT a cure-all. We are capable of becoming injured as well, just not normally for the same reasons as a shod runner, as in hip, joint, knee, etc., type of injuries. Barefoot runners have to run smarter than their shod counterparts, and being barefoot forces us to take notice of pending injury much quicker than someone who is wearing mufflers on their feet. That's another great thing about running barefoot. When you run with shoes on, you are blocking important signals that tell you that you are facing an injury or becoming injured; when you run barefoot, you will know it much quicker, AS LONG AS you are listening to your body, especially through your feet.
I HAD flat feet when I started running barefoot. I now have a nice arch. That arch has lifted the inside of my foot and has ALSO prevented me from pronating as much as I used to.
Hi Madeline! Thanks for joining! I'm in Georgia too. Long shot, but where are you? I'm down here by Newnan. You can PM me to tell me your city if you don't want to share here. I'll be scheduling some group runs for the Georgia members soon, so maybe we can run together. Have any suggestions where you would like to have a group run?
If you are going back and forth between conventional, traditional running shoes and barefoot quite often, you could develop plantar fasciitis. The reason is because you are bascially stretching and shrinking your calves each time you trade it up. When you stretch the calves too much without proper warmup or approach, you can tear the plantar fascia, since it's all connected. This causes an overuse injury. I would concentrate on running only barefoot, if your intentions are to run barefoot (unshod).
What type of mileage are you running with and without shoes?
Several other people have stated they cured their PF by running barefoot. I did as well, long ago. I am battling another case from walking around on my heels for about 3-1/2 months after having cryosurgery on the neuromas in my forefeet; I was avoiding putting any weight on the balls of my feet.
Barefoot running CAN help with plantar fasciitis, BUT you have to be diligent in the way you approach it. You can continue to run and get rid of the PF while doing so. When running, you have to bend your knees even more than you think feels natural. You'll find that this lifts your heels and adds a good stretch to the calf muscles, which inturn works to relieve the pain on the PF. You MUST also walk around with your knees bent more than what feels natural. You'll notice that when you do it will feel better than when you don't. You also need to constantly stretch your calves all throughout the day. Any stretches that point your toes to your knee will work. AND be sure to stretch BEFORE you take a first step after being sedentary for awhile. If you have been sitting or laying down and then get up without first stretching your calves, you will basically tear the fascia again. This will slow healing. Also, sleep with a night splint. This really DOES help to speed healing, and prevents you from taking that first step in the morning...as long as you leave it on.
BFR is NOT a cure-all. We are capable of becoming injured as well, just not normally for the same reasons as a shod runner, as in hip, joint, knee, etc., type of injuries. Barefoot runners have to run smarter than their shod counterparts, and being barefoot forces us to take notice of pending injury much quicker than someone who is wearing mufflers on their feet. That's another great thing about running barefoot. When you run with shoes on, you are blocking important signals that tell you that you are facing an injury or becoming injured; when you run barefoot, you will know it much quicker, AS LONG AS you are listening to your body, especially through your feet.
I HAD flat feet when I started running barefoot. I now have a nice arch. That arch has lifted the inside of my foot and has ALSO prevented me from pronating as much as I used to.
Thanks for the replies,
Thanks for the replies, guys, and girl. TJ, I'm in Norcross, I actually met you briefly when i Ken Bob was in town. my mom and i were down there, and you actually told me my form looked good! (-:
I'm only running about a mile, a little over when i run in my neighborhood on asphalt and a little under when i run on a trail by my house. The most i've ever gone barefoot is 2 miles. And I gave up on running with shoes long before i started barefoot running! And for awhile i was walking around barefoot a lot too. Its only been in the last month or so that i've developed the PF, I was in denial about it for awhile but the pain is definitely undeniable at this point, which has me wearing shoes pretty much all day now unless i'm running. And running still feels good, it's when i'm not running when i'm in pain! So what is a "night splint" and where do i get one?
BB, i've been stretching my calves a lot, maybe i need to stretch them more...
Abide, great picture! i realize that 6 months isn't that long, its just disheartening to continue getting injuries... i just want to run, you know!?! However it did help a lot wandering around this forum and seeing that i'm not the only one with growing pains here! and that a lot of you guys are still doing it. (even, TJ, developing arches, is so awesome!) But in one of the posts i saw that you said you stand on golf balls, or something, i think it was you... for the PF pain. Do you actually have to stand on the balls to roll out the foot. with my ice bottle in the mornings i've just been doing it sitting down....
thanks for the welcomes! good to be here!
*madeline
Thanks for the replies, guys, and girl. TJ, I'm in Norcross, I actually met you briefly when i Ken Bob was in town. my mom and i were down there, and you actually told me my form looked good! (-:
I'm only running about a mile, a little over when i run in my neighborhood on asphalt and a little under when i run on a trail by my house. The most i've ever gone barefoot is 2 miles. And I gave up on running with shoes long before i started barefoot running! And for awhile i was walking around barefoot a lot too. Its only been in the last month or so that i've developed the PF, I was in denial about it for awhile but the pain is definitely undeniable at this point, which has me wearing shoes pretty much all day now unless i'm running. And running still feels good, it's when i'm not running when i'm in pain! So what is a "night splint" and where do i get one?
BB, i've been stretching my calves a lot, maybe i need to stretch them more...
Abide, great picture! i realize that 6 months isn't that long, its just disheartening to continue getting injuries... i just want to run, you know!?! However it did help a lot wandering around this forum and seeing that i'm not the only one with growing pains here! and that a lot of you guys are still doing it. (even, TJ, developing arches, is so awesome!) But in one of the posts i saw that you said you stand on golf balls, or something, i think it was you... for the PF pain. Do you actually have to stand on the balls to roll out the foot. with my ice bottle in the mornings i've just been doing it sitting down....
thanks for the welcomes! good to be here!
*madeline
Oh no I sit and roll the ball
Oh no I sit and roll the ball under my foot at my desk at work all day. If I want more pressure I will just push down with my other foot. I've never tried to stand and do it. Sounds like a recipe for disaster
One other thing, if you have never used arnica cream/gel get some and try it out. Just massage it in your foot top and bottom. It really works wonders, not immediately but over time.
Oh no I sit and roll the ball under my foot at my desk at work all day. If I want more pressure I will just push down with my other foot. I've never tried to stand and do it. Sounds like a recipe for disaster
One other thing, if you have never used arnica cream/gel get some and try it out. Just massage it in your foot top and bottom. It really works wonders, not immediately but over time.
I stand, but worked up to it
I stand, but worked up to it slowly using softballs at first and now using hardballs of baseball and softball size.
I can now put all my weight on one foot rolling on a hardball while just using my fingertips on a table or counter top for balance.
I stand, but worked up to it slowly using softballs at first and now using hardballs of baseball and softball size.
I can now put all my weight on one foot rolling on a hardball while just using my fingertips on a table or counter top for balance.
Hopefully, we'll get to meet
Hopefully, we'll get to meet again for a run, Madeline. I don't know if pharmacies carry this stuff, but you can try http://www.footsmart.com/SearchReturns.aspx?searchterm=night%20splint. I can't stress enough how much/how often you need to stretch you calves and walk and run with your knees bent.
FootSmart Passive Night Splint, EachPrice: $49.99 
Plantar FXT, EachPrice: $39.99 
Dorsal Night Splint, EachPrice: $59.99 $49.99 
HealWell Plantar Fasciitis Night Splint, EachPrice: $59.99 
Plantar Fasciitis Night SplintPrice: $49.99 
FootSmart Plantar Fasciitis Kit IIPrice: $92.97 $72.97 
Darco Body Armor Dorsal Night SplintPrice: $59.99 
Futuro Plantar Fasciits Sleep SupportPrice: $39.99 
Cool Stretch Night Splint with Sealed Ice, EachPrice: $69.99 
Thermoskin Heel-Rite Arch SupportPrice: $39.99 
Swede-O Thermoskin Plantar FXT UltraPrice: $49.99 
AliMed D2 Night SplintPrice: $99.99 
AirForm Night Splint, EachPrice: $49.99 
Hopefully, we'll get to meet again for a run, Madeline. I don't know if pharmacies carry this stuff, but you can try http://www.footsmart.com/SearchReturns.aspx?searchterm=night%20splint. I can't stress enough how much/how often you need to stretch you calves and walk and run with your knees bent.
FootSmart Plantar Fasciitis Kit IIPrice: $92.97 $72.97
You need to wear them while
You need to wear them while you sleep. They keep your foot in a flexed state to speed healing to the fascia. It's that first step that causes the fascia to retear. This splint will also help you to avoid that kind of first step, especially if you have to get up in the middle of the night to tinkle. ;-)
All of that stuff, constant stretching, rolling on balls and frozen water balls, bending knees, and wear night splints help to speed the healing.
You need to wear them while you sleep. They keep your foot in a flexed state to speed healing to the fascia. It's that first step that causes the fascia to retear. This splint will also help you to avoid that kind of first step, especially if you have to get up in the middle of the night to tinkle. ;-)
All of that stuff, constant stretching, rolling on balls and frozen water balls, bending knees, and wear night splints help to speed the healing.
The answer is yes you can
The answer is yes you can run with pf if you treat it properly. The futuro braces work great and only cost about $30 at walgreens. I've used them to help my foot recover from a heel spur and they will work wonders for your pf.
for the running you need to keep it short and based on your mileage abilities so far I would say no more than a mile at a time. then you want at least two days rest between runs with lots of daily stretching. Rolling your foot on a tennis ball while seated, applying as much pressure as you can handle will help out a good deal.
put all that together and you should be able to run while healing.
The answer is yes you can run with pf if you treat it properly. The futuro braces work great and only cost about $30 at walgreens. I've used them to help my foot recover from a heel spur and they will work wonders for your pf.
for the running you need to keep it short and based on your mileage abilities so far I would say no more than a mile at a time. then you want at least two days rest between runs with lots of daily stretching. Rolling your foot on a tennis ball while seated, applying as much pressure as you can handle will help out a good deal.
put all that together and you should be able to run while healing.
awesome! thanks, guys! I knew
awesome! thanks, guys! I knew i should posted on here a long time ago!
I just bought a Futuro foot splint at CVS and will start using it tonight! also, i actually do have some arnica massage oil and massaged my feet last night and i feel like they actually felt better this morning... is arnica oil good enough or should i get some cream?
and the last 2 weeks i have been giving myself two rest days in between instead of my normal 1.
so hopefully with all this treatment i'll be good to go in no time! (or at least not too long...)
slow and steady wins the race....
awesome! thanks, guys! I knew i should posted on here a long time ago!
I just bought a Futuro foot splint at CVS and will start using it tonight! also, i actually do have some arnica massage oil and massaged my feet last night and i feel like they actually felt better this morning... is arnica oil good enough or should i get some cream?
and the last 2 weeks i have been giving myself two rest days in between instead of my normal 1.
so hopefully with all this treatment i'll be good to go in no time! (or at least not too long...)
slow and steady wins the race....
i suffered with pf starting
i suffered with pf starting many years ago. it was quite startling to wake up in the middle of the night with my leg pointing straight and toes as well with me screaming because of the sudden pain. it then started happening while i was awake. i went to the dr. and he told me it was pf and i had to wear shoes "all the time". i told him i don't want to do that.
flash forward what, about 6 or 7 years and i read an article by McDougal in Men's Health. he talked about getting rid of his pf by running bf style. i started right after that. i finally got some vff in january and fell in love. around April i started going bf, by accident the first two times. my pf didn't bother me too much but it did get inflamed enough that i noticed it. i continued running anyhow and would feel most of my pain whenever my arch hit a branch or rock. now it's no longer inflamed.
i read on another group that old injuries seem to flare up after starting bf. first your bones get stronger. then your mucles, tendons, skin. they said that's when old injuries seem to flare up and then appear to heal. i can attest to this so far. my ankle is giving me some problems and i didn't help it this weekend becuase of the race i ran.
good luck and don't give up.
Middle of the pack Mike
i suffered with pf starting many years ago. it was quite startling to wake up in the middle of the night with my leg pointing straight and toes as well with me screaming because of the sudden pain. it then started happening while i was awake. i went to the dr. and he told me it was pf and i had to wear shoes "all the time". i told him i don't want to do that.
flash forward what, about 6 or 7 years and i read an article by McDougal in Men's Health. he talked about getting rid of his pf by running bf style. i started right after that. i finally got some vff in january and fell in love. around April i started going bf, by accident the first two times. my pf didn't bother me too much but it did get inflamed enough that i noticed it. i continued running anyhow and would feel most of my pain whenever my arch hit a branch or rock. now it's no longer inflamed.
i read on another group that old injuries seem to flare up after starting bf. first your bones get stronger. then your mucles, tendons, skin. they said that's when old injuries seem to flare up and then appear to heal. i can attest to this so far. my ankle is giving me some problems and i didn't help it this weekend becuase of the race i ran.
good luck and don't give up.
Middle of the pack Mike
Great topic, I actually
Great topic, I actually logged on this morning looking for this very subject. I've only got PF in one foot but one's enough! I've been running BF for about 6 months but I wear combat boots all day and flip flops at home. I've got a foot roller but I get weird looks when I have my boots off at work, LOL. I guess it's time to try the night splint.
Oh, and this is my first post/response, too. I came over from the runner's world barefoot forum (barefoot_kitty).
Great topic, I actually logged on this morning looking for this very subject. I've only got PF in one foot but one's enough! I've been running BF for about 6 months but I wear combat boots all day and flip flops at home. I've got a foot roller but I get weird looks when I have my boots off at work, LOL. I guess it's time to try the night splint.
Oh, and this is my first post/response, too. I came over from the runner's world barefoot forum (barefoot_kitty).
SayPay's rival,
SayPay's rival, Barefoot_Bombs!
Welcome, Bombs! Are you in the service then? Love the kitty!
SayPay's rival, Barefoot_Bombs!
Welcome, Bombs! Are you in the service then? Love the kitty!
