Plantar Fascitis

I have chronic plantar fascitis and a doctor said that to I will need to have surgery to ovecome it as I also lack flexibility in my foot.  When I run, after about 6 min, my foot starts cramping so bad I can barely walk and do so with a limp so I don't put a lot of pressure on my foot.  This happens on any surface I run on. 

Thing is, I used to run about 2.5 miles max (some days my feet would hurt/other days were better) and I seemed to lose weight effectively, as long as I ran every other day. 

Is there some activity I can do that will work the same muscles in the same ways as running?  Or is there a way that I can start running again?

Hi ukon17-

I used to work in a physical therapy office and this was an often used treatment excercise for patients with Plantar Fascitis.

Try laying a towel (something lightweight) out infront of you on the floor and with bare feet grab onto it with your toes and try to "scrunch" it up, leaving your heals on the floor, gather up the towel using only your toes and don't stop until all of the towel is between you heals and your toes under your foot.

~lolo

Ohhh, this is such a painful condition. I had it last year and the year before from wearing Ugg boots which have ZERO arch support all winter. The only thing that cured it for me was a long time of making sure to wear shoes with serious arch support. Maybe orthotics would work?? I have no other words of advice but feel sorry that you are suffering so much :( 

Ukon, i feel your pain! I have plantar fascitis and a heel spur. I got this condition when i was 242 pounds. Today I'm 197, and it doesnt so much anymore, although it does get strained after a long day walking, sometimes even when i just work out for an hour, but the pain usually is gone after a good nights rest. But that was not the case when i first got it, it used to pain for days together... the weight loss really helped it! I also have flat feet and pronation by the way.

I would recommend you not to run anymore, because it will cause you to get a heel spur(which is permanent by the way) I usually work out at the gym, walking on the treadmill, using a recumbent stationary bike(which takes off the pressure from your heel), and working with weights and some calisthenics. Try different types of exercises. Weights in the gym coupled with some cardio like i mentioned above will help you reach your goals. Swimming is also an excellent option, since it puts no pressure on your feet. And well, you do use thrice the effort in water than on land, so its ideal for weight loss. I also do step aerobics for about 5 minutes at the gym coupled with the cardio, but my plantar fascia starts to ache after that, so i dont strain myself on that perticular one. Stretching is very important when you have this condition though.

If i were  you, i would forget about running... trust me... you dont want to be where i am today! I have to live with the heel spur my entire life, and thats not a pretty picture.

I too have suffer from plantar fascitis. I have very high arches and worked for 25+ years in hospital as a respiratory therapist walking on concrete floors without much of a break for 12 hours - RT's hardly ever sit down and cover nearly all areas of the hospital. Although I wore good support shoes, over the years I gained weight and the extra strain on my already high arches caused heel spurs to develop. Then as I entered my 50's at over 200 lbs on my 5'3" frame - the plantar fascitis reared it's ugly head! I was treated for months for the pain, given cortisone shots to clear the inflammation and purchased expensive orthotics to wear in my shoes but the pain persisted. Then in 2001 I had surgery to remove the heel spur on my right foot. This put me off my feet and in more pain for 3-4 months and was NO FUN! You quickly find out how rude people are to someone on crutches wearing a huge therapy boot on their foot. I did lose weight while carrying that boot around and walking with crutches because I sweat the weight off!

Now I still have a heel spur on my other foot but believe the thing will stay there before I go through surgery again and it does not hurt. I did and still do exercises to stretch the plantar ligament, soak and massage my feet regularly and wear an inner sole in my shoes that I bought at a home show last fall. These inner soles are phenominal! The day we went to the show I walked for about 20 minutes and my feet, lower back, hips and legs were killing me. I sat down at their booth just to get off my feet and walked away with a spring in my step and no pain! I know this sounds unbelievable but I assure you it is the truth. They are called hydropedes and are glycerin filled insoles. You can find the inner soles at: www.hydropedes.com.

Also I have lost 42 pounds, exercise regularly and follow healthy eating guidelines on Weight Watchers. I would not run until you get the inflammation under control in your foot as it will only get worse. FYI my orthopedic surgeon told me NOT to RUN as it puts too much stress on your feet. He said to bicycle, do circuit training, walk outside and on treadmill and increase the intensity instead of increasing the time on your feet. I also do foot exercises much like described in the previous post and also put a golf ball on the floor and roll it around under my foot to massage the plantar ligament - feels really good.

Best of luck to you and keep up the good work on your weight loss journey!

HI Ladyrose55, Can you were those insoles with orthotics, or do you not need the orthotics anymore? i would be interested in buying them, but i would like to know if they work well with you.

I stopped wearing the orthotics after my surgery because they only fit into one pair of walking shoes I had and they were ugly. Plus after surgery my r foot was very tender and the otrhotics were hard and hurt like the dickens. So now I just wear the hydropedes in my Adidas and they fit over the inner sole - they are very thin. I walk my dogs 3-4 miles a day and recently have up on ladders painting and cleaning. I would not have made it without these soles. Whenever I wear any other shoe (this summer i tried wearing sandals) my feet hurt and my hips hurt. So even though I profess to be a bearfoot woman - I now get out of bed and put my shoes on. Probably all my years going barefoot didn't help me either. What sold me and DH is the free trial at the show. We walked around for 10 minutes and I could not believe how good they felt. Maybe check for an independent distributor in your area. Best of luck my friend!

I too have PF, but not nearly as severe (but then, I'm not a runner).

I wear custom orthotics, and that pretty much took the pain away for me - even when I walk all day.

Another exercise you might consider is yoga.  It really helped with stretching out my feet and calves, and provides great relief after a hard day on the feet.  I do Power Yoga (a variation of Ashtanga), so in addition to flexibility, I get a decent cardio and strength workout as well.

I have PF too - and use custom orthotics.  I also would be sure you have a good quality shoe. 

Have the drs tried custom orthiotics or does he just want to cut?  I think I'd get a 2nd opinion before I'd have surgery.  The orthotics have helped me alot and I also don't walk hardly at all anymore - so running is out for sure.  I'd give your foot time to heal a bit.  I recommend the elliptical or a bike for the time being.

Also fill a water bottle with water freeze it and then run it under your foot at night before bed.  That helped me the most for immediate pain relief.

Try a fitness bike, nobody should run with a damaged fascia or tendon.

So I also have PF and walk/run every day.  My foot hurts a lot and have orthotics being made right now.  Anyone out there have the orthotics and still walk/run?  I don't want to give up the running.  I am trying to get trained to be on a five person team for a marathon and it isn't until the end of September.  Also, would an elliptical be any better than running on a treadmill or road?   I do feel your pain ukon.  I have had constant pain since May, but am very stubborn about walk/running.  I just am getting into it and starting to actually like it.  I would really be upset if I had to give it up.

I've had PF as well and the orthodics helped a lot.  I had it back when I was in the miltary and was on my feet 14-18 hours a day.  Those boots we wear did nothing to help, so while my orthodics were being made, I had to run around in sneakers while in uniform and there were extra supports in those as well.

In time, with lots of PT and the inserts, it went away.  But it took about 12-16 months for me to feel comepletely better.  And I know I was lucky to escape having to have surgery. I still remember the pain of waking in the morning and truly feeling I couldn't walk because the pain was so excrutiating when my feet hit the floor.

I'd talk to your doc to make sure any exercise you do is specific for your case and so that you don't do any damage to your feet.  The elliptical might me a good idea as it is a fluid motion and not a poudning motion - you never have to lift your feet so that might work well.