Plantar Faciitis BEFORE THE TRAIL...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!

[Outdoorsman88]

Yup. On an easy, and normal outing to a local state park for a nice 14 miler, my heel started hurting like a bitch around mile 9 or so...on the opposite end of the park. Absolutely unbelievable. I have every piece of gear dialed in, my Saloman boots worn in but still relatively new (4 months), and I come down with this a MONTH before leaving. Not in the two YEARS previous that I have been training...no...it had to happen a month before. Granted, no insoles were used. I went out today and bought some Superfeet (which I will say, do feel better)...but still, are you kidding me right now? This may be my body telling me to slow down before hitting the trail...or that I have over-trained for 2 years and should now take a month or so off...but I have a hard time accepting that. It feels like the great spirit of this world is laughing in my face at the moment. Any advice from some vets trolling this newbie forum? Any ideas on how to approach this?

I am elevating my foot, and walking around the house with the insoles in for brief spurts. It just feels demoralizing. Something I have worked SO hard for, is now in jeopardy. Over a simple hike, that should NOT have resulted in this. I have worked out strictly for two years, and have walked every day. Even in the sleet, I was walking. I have watched my diet, got enough sleep, enough sunlight, and everything I could to stay healthy. And THIS still happens. PLEASE tell me someone else out there went through this and made it to the trailhead with no issues...please...

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Ignore it...it will go away. No wait.....

[Lone Wolf]

Yup. On an easy, and normal outing to a local state park for a nice 14 miler, my heel started hurting like a bitch around mile 9 or so...on the opposite end of the park. Absolutely unbelievable. I have every piece of gear dialed in, my Saloman boots worn in but still relatively new (4 months), and I come down with this a MONTH before leaving. Not in the two YEARS previous that I have been training...no...it had to happen a month before. Granted, no insoles were used. I went out today and bought some Superfeet (which I will say, do feel better)...but still, are you kidding me right now? This may be my body telling me to slow down before hitting the trail...or that I have over-trained for 2 years and should now take a month or so off...but I have a hard time accepting that. It feels like the great spirit of this world is laughing in my face at the moment. Any advice from some vets trolling this newbie forum? Any ideas on how to approach this?

I am elevating my foot, and walking around the house with the insoles in for brief spurts. It just feels demoralizing. Something I have worked SO hard for, is now in jeopardy. Over a simple hike, that should NOT have resulted in this. I have worked out strictly for two years, and have walked every day. Even in the sleet, I was walking. I have watched my diet, got enough sleep, enough sunlight, and everything I could to stay healthy. And THIS still happens. PLEASE tell me someone else out there went through this and made it to the trailhead with no issues...please...
green superfeet? i had plantar bad, couldn't walk, put in the green ones and almost immediate relief. you're young. you'll heal fast but don't fast or far when you hit the trail

[Chris10]

Work on getting the PF taken care of, there are all sorts of exercises you can do to help. I've had it before and it definitely hurts, but you may have enough time to get it taken care of prior to your hike....good luck!

[4-iron]

Some good news for you. Diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in January 2011. Went to Springer in mid March. Heel never bothered me. Sight pain comes back every few months. last time was 4 months ago. Different doctor diagnosed me with Achilles tendonitis, a similar but different problem which causes pain in heel. In my case he concluded very tight calf muscles was root cause and I did 6 weeks physical therapy. Pain went away the first week but they suggested I continue to wear the insert and daily stretches. Highly recommend physical therapists. Your case may be different. Good luck.

4-iron

[MuddyWaters]

There are two possible causes:

1) podiatrists and orthopedics will tell you that it is hereditary, falling of the foot arches with age
2) Some people will tell you its the horrible footwear we use that allows the muscles of the foot to weaken, and the arch to fall.

You can find runners who suffered, and dont any longer after a program of switching gradually to minimal running shoes and strenthening their foot muscles.

Use the highest arch insole you can find. That may be the green superfeet. Or you could try different orthotics. They will probably be uncomfortable. If it makes you sore under your arch, that is good. Your foot WILL MOLD itself to the higher arch insert, it will take several weeks, but after a while you wont even feel it anymore. You also wont have PF pain most likely.

Long term, try the minimalist footwear approach slowly.

[johnnybgood]

Plantar Faciitis doesn't necessarily go away easily, I've had it for 2 months and still have residual soreness after long days at work. I've even been had my heel injected....twice. Ignoring it will not make it go away. Buy Dr.Schols arch supports and heel stretching by pushing against a stationary object like a wall .

[Doc Mike]

Green superfeet, ice as much as possible, slowly stretch it BEFORE getting out of bed in the morning, and assuming no contraindication an anti-inflammatory such as Advil or aleve.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Praha4]

same thing happened to me in April 2010, came down with a severe case of plantar fasciitis after a training hike at a local State Park. I did 2 weeks of physical therapy, backed off the training and let it hear up and delayed my start date a couple weeks. Two weeks later it was fine and never bothered me on the hike. You have to back off training a bit, use ice, stretching exercises, and be patient! Resting up a bit the last month before hitting the trail won't hurt you, unless you're trying to beat some kind of speed records. Give it time, and patience young grasshopper!

[upstream]

The stretch described about halfway down this page:
http://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/better-achilles-tendon-stretch
has kept my plantar fascitis at bay for several years now.

[Foresight]

Got it for the first time the second week in September last year......just now getting to a point that I would call "good". But, I am 48.....you are 25 so your mileage may vary on that. Hurt like hell all day everyday for a month, then slowly started getting better. Of course, I'm on my feet everyday walking through the woods, crossing creeks, climbing, etc. and that certainly didn't aid in any recovery efforts.

[Almost There]

Had it bad in 2008 before hitting Katahdin. I had three months, but one month might be enough. Saw a physical therapist, and here's what she had me do. Get a metal water bottle, fill it with water, and then freeze it. Each day for 10-20 minutes put it on the ground, and then put your bad arch on it, pressing down roll your foot back and forth. The icing works at the same time your stretching out the tendon. I have not had an issue since. Good Luck!

[Trance]

Orange Superfeet are better. Same arch support with an extra pad for under the front of your feet. Helps with my PF.... it does suck tho.

[magic_game03]

Holy smokes, your wearing solomon boots and you wondering why you got PF? Stay away from the damm boots, get some trail runners, and use those Smart Feet. I don't even put on boots to snowshoe or use aluminum crampons. Last time I wore boots was to front point up Mt. Ritter at christmas. The only time I put on boots is for serious mountaineering with heavy crampons.

…As far as recovering from PF. Ewe, I hope you didn't tear too much, but maybe-just maybe you just bruised your heel which feels a lot like PF. In that case it's just the usual treatment of ice, aspirin, lot's of massaging, good shoes (not too hard-but not too soft either. Go for most comfortable,) keep weight off it (over compensate on the other foot, even if you look funny to your friends and co-workers,) maybe go to the thrift shop and get a crutch. Do what ever it takes … the trail is worth it.

[Lint]

I'll just leave this here (and keep hiking pain free....)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNPfbB2sX5Q#t=17

[magic_game03]

Wow, hadn't hear the name Lint in ages. I remember you through Aria-Zoner PCT '06 at VVR. Anyway, good video. Learn something new every… ok, I never learn. Still, good video.

[DocMahns]

RICE! Rest/Ice/Compression/Elevation!
Rest it and keep your fitness up by doing some other kind of activity that doesn't stress the tendons and ligaments of your feet
Ice- Fill a water bottle about 3/4 full and freeze it, lay the bottle on the ground and roll the sole of your foot over it while applying a little pressure, do this in the mornings, at night, and before and after any exercise; it will help to reduce inflammation and help with the pain.
Compression- get a compression sock for your foot or wrap it snug with an ace bandage, this will help limit movement of the tendons that are inflamed and keep swelling down
Elevation- when laying down prop your foot on a pillow, remember to keep it "heart high or higher", keeping it elevated above the level of your heart will draw fluid away from the injury and keep swelling down

Also get on an NSAID regimen, I prefer Naproxen Sodium 220mg every 12 hours, you can also do Ibuprofen (the OTC bottles I think are 200mg per tab, but the Rx strength and maximum dosages are 400mg and 800mg, respectively) you can take up to 800mg every 8 hours without worry of hepatoxicity. I would prescribe both to my marines and they generally felt that the Naproxen worked better (unless it was the old salty ones that grew up on Vitamin M).

Get a tennis ball; while you're sitting at the computer (or anywhere) place the tennis ball on the ground and roll your foot over it like the ice bottle. This will stretch out the tendons, increase blood flow to the area, and promote healing. Put as much pressure as you can stand, this is called "Active Release Technique"

[DocMahns]

RICE! Rest/Ice/Compression/Elevation!
Rest it and keep your fitness up by doing some other kind of activity that doesn't stress the tendons and ligaments of your feet
Ice- Fill a water bottle about 3/4 full and freeze it, lay the bottle on the ground and roll the sole of your foot over it while applying a little pressure, do this in the mornings, at night, and before and after any exercise; it will help to reduce inflammation and help with the pain.
Compression- get a compression sock for your foot or wrap it snug with an ace bandage, this will help limit movement of the tendons that are inflamed and keep swelling down
Elevation- when laying down prop your foot on a pillow, remember to keep it "heart high or higher", keeping it elevated above the level of your heart will draw fluid away from the injury and keep swelling down

Also get on an NSAID regimen, I prefer Naproxen Sodium 220mg every 12 hours, you can also do Ibuprofen (the OTC bottles I think are 200mg per tab, but the Rx strength and maximum dosages are 400mg and 800mg, respectively) you can take up to 800mg every 8 hours without worry of hepatoxicity. I would prescribe both to my marines and they generally felt that the Naproxen worked better (unless it was the old salty ones that grew up on Vitamin M).

Get a tennis ball; while you're sitting at the computer (or anywhere) place the tennis ball on the ground and roll your foot over it like the ice bottle. This will stretch out the tendons, increase blood flow to the area, and promote healing. Put as much pressure as you can stand, this is called "Active Release Technique"


Also forgot to add, if you go with NSAIDS it takes three days of constant therapy to reach optimal blood levels for the best treatment, so don't only take it when you have pain, take it throughout your whole recovery.

[leaftye]

As others said or alluded to, training in boots may have gradually allowed your plantar fascia to weaken. I'm not sure switching to trail runners would help at this point.

Good for you if you've found that Superfeet work for you. I tried the green and blue based on all the glowing reviews, but found that their arch is too high for me and actually aggravates my plantar fascia, plus it causes blisters on the side of my heel. Now I'm loath to try other expensive insoles. Fortunately my feet have been very happy with the insoles that come in my shoes.

Stretching as others said is a good idea, but I'd do some other stretches first. Work on the rest of your posterior chain. Even your glutes can add tension to your plantar fascia, so start there, then work your way down to your plantar fascia, but you may find that your plantar fascia already feels better from stretching the rest of your posterior chain. One of the reasons I do this is that I've read that some folks over stretch their plantar fascia and prolong recovery by putting new micro tears in it. By doing the other stretches first, the plantar fascia already has a greater range of movement before you directly stretch it, which means there's less chance of injuring it further as you attempt to achieve a full plantar fascia stretch.

You may want to stop earlier in the day to give yourself more time to cool down with a good stretching routine.

Good luck.

[pipsissewa]

All of the above and get or make yourself a brace like this to sleep in so that your fascia heals LONG, not SHORT.

25927

Or get yourself a Strassbourg sock:

25928

Best of luck to you!

[WorldPeaceAndStuff]

Green Superfeet made me feet worse. I went slow on them and was fine but one hike with a serious climb left my right leg and knee in bad shape. I was told to ditch Superfeet and buy SOLE or Montrail Enduro soles.

[Don H]

If you go with Superfeet you need to get the color that fit your foot. Green for high arches, black for flat feet.

I've had PF twice and for me it was caused by foot wear. Both times it took several months to get over it even with PT. Now I always hike in trail runners and change them out to new ones about every 500 miles. Even though they still have tread on them the inner cushioning is gone. Went through 5 pairs of shoes on my thru but never had PF.

[squeezebox]

My issue comes from a cut nerve about 1/2 way up my inner calf. stab wound.
No problem with my heel .
dull ache / numbness in arch and ball of my left foot. lowered sensation in toes.
Pressure pain, not sharp pain.
I often sleep with my left foot hanging off the end of the bed, so it can be in a more natural position, rather than pointed.
Not much of a problem during the day, most of the day I do not even notice it. But I do not walk 20 miles with 40 lbs on my back.
I've never tried one of those stretch braces. I will. and I'll try stretches and rolling on the frozen can.
Another problem no health Ins.

[no-name]

My pain is in in my left foot, the arch to the toe next to the big toe. Doctor prescribed Meloxicam, which I have been on for at least a year. I don't know if taking it for so long is bad, but the pain is relieved. He has offered no other remedy. Arch supports in shoes and the exercises do help also. DWG to Duncannon in 10 days did me in, but man I loved being out there, almost alone, a couple of March's ago!

[snifur]

roll a tennis ball under your feet each morning for five minutes or so and night to increase circulation, relieve foot stress, and stimulate the nerves to recover in the foot. hike with the tennis ball and do it twice daily. simple lightweight therapy on the go.

[Danl]

You will be okay. rest it and take your vitamin I. Get them arch supports. on the trail if it starts bothering you slow down.

[googlywoogly]

I cured my PF by switching from boots to minimalist style footwear. I discovered this by accident. I can walk pain free for miles upon miles with these type of shoes, as soon as I put on a pair of boots and try to do a long walk the same debilitating pain starts back up after some miles (no rhyme or reason, sometimes it will hurt after 2 miles, sometimes after 10).

Your mileage will vary of course, but it wouldn't hurt to try the same hike with minimalist style shoes and see what happens. (When I say minimalist I'm not talking about the shoes that look like giant feet, but instead just light 0 or close to 0 drop shoes). The pair I had when I discovered this cured my injury (and it was so bad I was sedentary for 3 months and bought these shoes on a lark after multiple type/brand of boots gave me the same issues) was the Reebok #104409435.

They no longer make that number (I think anyway I can't find them), but there are plenty of other brands/styles that fit the minimalist mold.

I hope you find a remedy to your PF, it is certainly not fun to deal with.

[leaftye]

Please come back in a few months and let us know how things are going and what you think did and did not help you out.

[googlywoogly]

Green Superfeet made me feet worse. I went slow on them and was fine but one hike with a serious climb left my right leg and knee in bad shape. I was told to ditch Superfeet and buy SOLE or Montrail Enduro soles.

Same here. I tried Green Superfeet and they made both my feet hurt worse. Once they were removed the issues went away. Obviously they work for a lot of folks. Just throwing it out there so folks having problems with pain will not be too disappointed if they turn out to be one of the people that the Superfeet makes it worse instead of better.

Admittedly I may have been using the wrong color, but after they were such a dismal failure I didn't feel like trying a different color. (Felt bad about taking back the ones I did try to REI because I REALLY wanted them to work and went on several plus 10 mile hikes in them hoping I would get used to them).

[AttorneyAtLunch]

So if you don't feel foot pain, is it worth it to buy Superfeet?

[leaftye]

So if you don't feel foot pain, is it worth it to buy Superfeet?

Adding support that you don't need makes you weaker. That's what some of us think contributed to the OP's injury.

[wdanner]

Do some research on the muscles/ligaments in the foot/heel area. They run from the ball of your foot to just before your knee. Muscle tightness can be a source of this and it may not even feel like your muscles are tight in the traditional sense. Someone mentioned before rolling your foot out with a large ball. If you really want to big in, use a golf ball. Use a lacrosse ball on your calves and make it hurt. You may be amazed at the increased range of motion you can have from just a 15 minute roll out session. Used continually, your problem may disappear altogether.

The topic is called myofascial release and it does wonders.

[takethisbread]

I have plantar fasciatis pretty bad. my doc put me on meloxicam for a year and it came with side effects I didn't like. I wear supports . they help. actually hiking helps me . I m not sure that's it's not the presence of dozens of new ailments that distract me . ice directly on my arch helps. I don't let it stop my hiking . yet anyway


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ratherbclimbin]

Don't feel too bad, I've been training for my AT thru hike that I leave on in 2 weeks, 3/1/14 and I actually just injured my peroneal tendon (side of foot and ankle bone). I believe it's because of improper footwear (Asics Kayano). I've been rehabbing the tendon by staying off of it for the past week and using rest, ice, ankle brace and ibuprofen to heal the tendon Hopefully I will be back to training in a few days. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck with everything. Remember rest is super important for any injury.

[Venture Flt]

Don't sweat it. Roll your foot on a frozen water bottle to stretch things out and reduce inflammation. I had a flare up a month before my GC trip and started to panic too, but doing this a couple times a day fixed me up.

[Sheriff Cougar]

Dealing with it well over 2 years and it is finally getting a lot better to almost 'cured'. Went to podiatrist a lot. Prescribed anti-inflammatory (Mobic), over the counter inserts, ice bath for feet, exercises for feet and calves (you can find these online), finally made special orthotics which were no better than over the counter type. I bought foot orthotics (CVS) that locked my feet in at 90 degrees from my leg while I slept. This helped. Finally, I found some Youtube videos demonstrating using a ball to roll my feet on. Thought I would DIE when I first started rolling the (rubber) ball under my feet. It really stretches every part of the foot. I believe doing this helped me more than anything. Now I have no pain when I take my first steps in the morning and rarely notice any pain. Good luck!

[gsquare]

Had it 6 years ago. Orthopedic surgeon mentioned many of the usual remedies, but said the most important by far was to stretch the muscles. The exercise he gave me was to face wall, arms length way, lean forward against wall while keeping heels on floor and knees straight. (I feel the stretch in my upper calves.) He recommended I do this for a minute every hour during the day. Don't overstretch trying to speed recovery! I also added bending my knees some to move the stretch to the lower calves, and then lying on my back, bending my knees and pulling on my toes to move the stretch to my feet. I agree with Leaftye about stretching ALL the muscles along our back side. Hadn't reasoned it out like Leaftye before, but I do start up high and work down to my feet. (I've also had lower back problems for 40 years that are kept under control by stretching my back and hamstrings.) Anyway, I recovered in few weeks and have kept the fasciitis at bay with the stretches.

[Mountain Maiden]

Have hiked with (green) Superfeet and Hi-tecs for the last 10+ years with absolutely no probs. I am over 50 (yikes!) and on my feet almost all day everyday so I have worn ortho support type shoes (Orthaheel) for the last 5 years . They have good support arch and heel cup and they are not ugly :) Great success--no foot probs and no backaches!

However, about 6 months ago---PAIN! PF reared its ugly head! I dreaded the first steps every morning and feared I was headed to a bad place of no return. Did all just about all of the above mentioned remedies with moderate success but barely kept the pain at bay. Got to the point where nothing was helping and each day started with misery....

Then, I happened to go to the CHIROPRACTOR for another issue (carpal tunnel numbness.) After two adjustments--PF disappeared COMPLETELY and has not returned!

I guess improper alignment was causing the strain, stress and tightness that resulted in the PF. So you might consider a trip to the chiropractor. Worked for me and hope it helps someone else!

[Grinder]

one more data point.

When I was a regular daily runner, I had really bad plantar facia. I pretty much just stiff upper lipped it and played with OTC inserts. It more or less disappeared over time. A twinge was always there, though

Two years ago, ( after three years of LD backpacking annually) when I began to wear my pack for my training walks, PF reappeared big time. On advise from a friend, I purchased "Heel the Pain" inserts. These have an internal rib that massages the plantar facia right where it hurts so bad.

It worked for me and now I wear the inserts every time my heel twinges.

[Outdoorsman88]

Thanks for all the replies and input everybody! I have been living on a steady diet of Advil, ice, elevation, and rest. Things are getting a little better...it doesn't help that I work landscaping and have been forced to be on my feet to wory...just trying to take things slow. I put some green superfeet in my boots, and am looking forward (but very nervous) to taking them out on a hike hopefully this weekend. I hope everyone is doing well, and hopefully I'll be seeing some of your out on the trail here soon!

[no-name]

A partner who will massage your bad foot or feet helps. My new girl has greatly helped relieve my discomfort.

[H_McC]

I work at an outfitter and have people come in daily dealing with plantar faciitis. They all have spent tons of money on custom orthotics and what not. Then they come to me and buy all sorts of supportive shoes, superfeet and compression socks. Very rarely do I hear of customers having any real success with all the new stuff they buy.

There are lots of theories on this and people always love to argue with me on this and I am not a doctor, obviously, but I run barefoot. I work on strengthening the muscles in my feet rather than wearing supportive shoes that act as a cast for your foot. I have read lots of success stories with people curing their foot problems with going barefoot and there are new studies being done to show this. Just throwing this out there as an option. You can check out Ken Bob's book, Running Barefoot step by step or his website runningbarefoot.com. Those are good starting points. Again I am just throwing this theory out there.

Last year I thru hiked in green superfeet and minimal trail runners, and only had foot problems because I did not break them in enough. But if I were to do it again I would ditch the superfeet.

[Sacchoromyces]

So if you don't feel foot pain, is it worth it to buy Superfeet?

Only if you are convinced the stock insoles in your shoes are inadequate, and if you have the correct ones for your particular foot "shape".