I have run now for over 40 years. During this, I have had very few injuries but about four years ago I developed plantar fasciitis. It just seemed like I woke up one morning with the pain in my heel.
At first, I just thought it would go away. It didn’t The low point was I couldn’t run a mile without stopping from the pain.
After about 4 months I decided I had to attack this injury. So here is what I did.
First, I started this stretching routine every morning and night. I never missed
Downward dog
Sitting hurdle stretch
Leg swing
My rationale was that my hamstrings were tight and was irritating my plantar fasciitis
I slept in an Achilles stretching sock.
They are much better than a boot and fairly inexpensive
I changed my work shoes. I teach and stand most of the day. I first googled “ Work shoes good for plantar fasciitis”
Next, I went to Zappos and read the reviews for recommended shoes.
I read many reviews and eventually settled on a pair of ECCOS
I changed my running shoes several times. I researched my running shoes like my dress shoes However, it took several tries before I settled on Asics Kayanos. These shoes will not work for everyone but they worked for me.
I started wearing CROCS around my house. They just felt comfortable so I started wearing them at home. I do feel they helped heal my plantar fasciitis but not sure how.
I changed my running form. This took some time but I switched from a slight heel striker to a forefoot runner. I actually attended a POSE running clinic and worked on my form.
Additional Resources
What will you learn? Three helpful techniques to help eliminate the pain.
Technique one is scrapping the foot with a scraping tool to help relieve pain. I have several friends who believe this single technique was key to them running pain-free.
Technique two is learning how to roll the calve and shin area of the leg. This helps to eliminate some pain and the flexibility of the foot.
Technique three is rolling your foot.
Runners world video with Dr. Metz
What will you learn? This is a very helpful video that covers how to identify if you have plantar fasciitis and reviews several common solutions.
Improve your running form using the POSE method of running. My heels had been hurting for over 8 months and I was at the point in which I would try anything. I can't remember how I heard about the POSE method of running but I figured it may help. I purchased this book on Amazon and applied several of the drills in order to switch to more of a forefoot striker.
The Running Revolution: How to Run Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free--for Life
Many people have had success in healing their plantar fasciitis by sleeping in a stretching sock at night. The sock stretches your lower leg muscles while you sleep. You may want to give the sock a try. They are not expensive and many people swear by them.
Stretching sock
What will you learn in this video? You will learn how one runner healed their plantar fasciitis by focusing on three key areas- their big toe, strengthening their feet, and stretching their calves. The video has a couple of helpful exercises for strengthening and stretching the muscles of the feet.
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