Will Plantar Fasciitis End My Thru-Hike?

[heather_]

I was just diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, i'm getting a cortisone shot this upcoming Monday. (planning trip for March 16 btw). I suppose i've been dealing with this pain for 6-7 months now and i'm really concerned if this will affect my thru-hike immensely. obviously I plan to give this hike my all, but this is just horrible news after months of planning. What are your thoughts? not really sure if I should postpone my trip until late march or if that would make a difference. What advice can you give me? Thanks <3

[Wyoming]

heather

We all feel for you.

Unfortunately asking us for advice on how to fix this kind of injury is more than we are capable of helping you with. What you have is a serious issue and known to be difficult to deal with. And it often lasts some time - as your 6-7 months indicate. Occasionally some heal up quicker.

In my experience of watching people try and overcome this injury the thing that 'seems' to be the worst thing to do it to try and push past it by just gritting out the pain. That never seems to work. Don't fall to the temptation.

This injury is normally caused by overuse when one is not in full condition. And maybe somewhat due to shoe choice and, always possible, some mechanical issue. And other things I don't know about too.

I expect your doctor gave you some advise. Follow it until it works or you are convinced it won't.

As to starting in mid-March. If the injury is not healed - postpone it. To start when you are not healed is begging for worse problems. You could screw up your hiking for a long time.

You can still start as late as 1 May and go all the way. There is no requirement you actually go all the way either. Be flexible and take care of yourself. You did not sign a contract to do any of this. Get well first and worry about the rest later.

[Sandy of PA]

I tried a long hike in with Plantar Fasciitis in 2015. I gave it up after 230 miles as I was getting worse as I started hitting more rocks. Over winter I did stretches and tried Hoka One One Clifton2 shoes (very cushioned) and had no problem hiking over 400 miles last year. I did not go the cortisone shot route, my doctor saves that as a last resort if nothing else works. She was very clear that it can take as long as a year to heal, and I still do calf stretches every day.

[jgillam]

You probably already realize this but, this type of pain is not something you can push through. It may take up to a year to heal...who knows?

I certainly feel for you. I've been battling PF for 7 months now myself and it's freakin' miserable. A strong oral steroid has been my only reprieve and it never lasts.

I had PF 7 years ago as well and it took a year to heal that time and I wasn't hiking on it.

Best of luck to you...I'd postpone and give it time to heal. The shot might give you some relief and the confidence to start the trail but, if it wears off a month into the trip, you won't be camper...or hammocker if that's your style.

[FiftyNine]

Had it last summer with a heel spur, I stopped hiking for about 2 1/2 months. Have not had any problems since. I did take my time getting into regular hiking again.


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[gracebowen]

When i had it i lost 20 lbs and it went away. Not saying you need to or not. Only you know that.

[ScareBear]

At age 19, this almost certainly an over-use issue which is why your doc is quick with the cortisone injection. The healing time at your age will be far shorter than the 1 year most of us elders get stuck with.

That said, you should be resting it and in an immobilizer boot, following your doctor's instructions. You are a month out of starting and you are getting the injection next week? I've got some bad news for you....

Just delay your start until you are 100 percent. That will improve your chances of finishing....

[Maineiac64]

I have had severe PF in both feet and have had every treatment known including surgery. I found relief from being professionally stretched by a physical therapist with deep massage on the tendon. The PF tendon is part of system that runs all the way up leg and butt. Many people use rollers on feet and calf, hamstring, butt. I would also try out many inserts that might help too. If you are feeling better head out but be sure to take care of it with stretching as you go and if you have to rest it more so be it, it would suck. Good luck.

[Engine]

Don't give up yet! As a CPT, long time runner, and hiker, I've both had and seen PF many times. More than once a simple change of footwear has solved the issue for me and even allowed extensive activity while it healed. PF is simply an aggravation of the plantar fascia which comes from over-stretching the connective tissues from the insertion point at the heel to the forefoot. Like all connective tissue injuries it tends to heal slowly, and due to the nature of it's location, PF is even slower to heal than most simply because we re-injure it constantly during the healing process. It starts the slow healing process overnight, until that first morning step, which usually hurts like heck and sets things back 99% again.

As for some good news, I have a friend who is an accomplished triathlete and at age 45 a cortisone injection allowed him to get right back to training within a week or two. That's not always the case, but as already pointed out, you are young enough to heal fast if you give it enough rest.

Here's some things which will help. DON'T walk bare foot, ever, until it has had time to heal. Get a snug fitting pair of pull on shoes with arch support and put them next to the bed at night. Whenever you get out of bed, pull them on before you take even one step. They need to fit snug, so flip flops won't work, trust me on that one.

During the day, try rolling your arch over a frozen water bottle for a few minutes at a time. A tennis ball is excellent once you begin to heal a little more because you can put greater pressure on it and stretch the PF a bit farther, but wait until you are pretty well on the road to recover before you try to really improve flexibility or you might re-injure it again.

Get some shoes with arch support that are a bit stiff (resistant to bending) for everyday walking and make sure they have the correct "break point". By that I mean when you pick up the shoe and bend the toe upward, it should bend at the ball of the foot ONLY, not back toward the arch. A shoe which has a break point too far back will only contribute to your problem instead of helping. Many hiking shoes have a rock plate built into the sole and this helps to stiffen the shoe for this purpose as well.

If after a couple of weeks you're improving and your doctor gives you the green light, try a 1-2 mile easy walk with hiking shoes having the characteristics described above. If all goes well, you can slowly increase your mileage and who knows, maybe even be able to start your hike on time.

If things work out and you can hike, plan for low daily miles the first few weeks. Good luck!

[Traveler]

I was just diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, i'm getting a cortisone shot this upcoming Monday. (planning trip for March 16 btw). I suppose i've been dealing with this pain for 6-7 months now and i'm really concerned if this will affect my thru-hike immensely. obviously I plan to give this hike my all, but this is just horrible news after months of planning. What are your thoughts? not really sure if I should postpone my trip until late march or if that would make a difference. What advice can you give me? Thanks <3

While well intentioned advice here certainly, what does your medical professional say about this? If you've not gotten their opinion, it would be well worth the time to get it, then follow it. Pushing through injury or medical conditions frequently do not end well and though you may not get the answer you want, you will get the answer you need.

[JC13]

I had it in one foot and six months of SuperFeet green later it seems to be gone. I used those when I did my section last year but that wasn't a thru so YMMV.

[Odd Man Out]

I have had PF in the past. The first time it seemed to be triggered by playing raqueteball. The last flare up by wearing a new pair of shoes. I have only done short section hikes, but always worried hiking would cause a flare up. However hiking has never triggered a problem for me. So while it is a concern, it isn't a foregone conclusion you are doomed.

[Don H]

Engine has good advise.

I've had PF twice now, once due to overuse by using a Nordic Trac at its greatest angle, the other due to lousy work required shoes. Both times it took me about 6 months to get over it. Getting PF during my thru was a real concern to me since I knew that once you get it you are ore likely to suffer a reoccurrence. Luckily that didn't happen.

Were you training for your thru when you started with the PF?
Are you wearing stiff lasted shoes (assuming you're using trail runners)?
Are you using inserts such as Superfeet?

During my training and while on my thru I changed shoes every 500 miles. Most people tend to use shoes until they wear out and don't realize that the shoe's inside support is what fails first.

IMO having the right shoes for you is the most important gear choice you can make for a successful thru. When buying shoes try to fold them in half, the more resistance the better.

[MuddyWaters]

Find a Good Feet store near you.
Pay them a visit.


Metatarsal rise in hard orthotic removes tension from plantar fascia.

[LongBlaze2019]

I've known folks who have developed it on the trail and finished. I'd say do your best to take care of it before you leave. Roll your foot out 3 or 4 times a day and they make insoles for people who get it/have it.

[Ender]

I'd suggest seeing a podiatrist and inquiring about custom fit orthotic insoles. That's what I did when I had PF, and it helped tons.

That said, there did come a point when the orthotics actually got in the way of your foot healing. At some point, I needed to stop wearing them to let my feet get back to 100% on their own. My Dr. warned me about that though, so I was ready for it when it happened.

[Harrison Bergeron]

I was just diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, i'm getting a cortisone shot this upcoming Monday. (planning trip for March 16 btw). I suppose i've been dealing with this pain for 6-7 months now and i'm really concerned if this will affect my thru-hike immensely. obviously I plan to give this hike my all, but this is just horrible news after months of planning. What are your thoughts? not really sure if I should postpone my trip until late march or if that would make a difference. What advice can you give me? Thanks <3

You got the shots? Ouch! But a buck says you'll be fine a month from now. Seriously -- it's a miracle cure (but takes a couple of weeks).

I struggled with Plantars for a year before my hike. Tried everything -- about a dozen inserts, all the exercises and night splints. Nothing helped, but I wasn't going to let it stop my hike -- and then about week in, I realized my Plantars was gone! Wow! All that walking (in excellent footwear) stretches the tendon like no exercise ever will. But then three months home it was back worse than ever. So I finally tried the shots. Cure! Two years now, still no repeat. I think Plantars is an injury that just won't heal without help. But there is probably something you're doing that caused the injury. In my case, I think it was the cheap flipflops I wear around the house. I switched from Crocs to Oofos, which have a lot more padding.

Anyway -- You'll be fine.

[shelb]

your doctor gives you the green light

, !

When you have that, go for it!

[Feral Bill]

If and when you go, put a lot of effort into footwear selection. This does go away, eventually, don't invite it back with ill fitting/unsuitable shoes.

[Engine]

While well intentioned advice here certainly, what does your medical professional say about this? If you've not gotten their opinion, it would be well worth the time to get it, then follow it. Pushing through injury or medical conditions frequently do not end well and though you may not get the answer you want, you will get the answer you need.

It's pretty apparent she has already been to the doctor...

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