Sunday, August 21, 2011

PF

Well, it's been 5 years since I last got injured. It was a classic runner's injury when I came down with IT Band Syndrome seven weeks before WS. Now, to make it a "daily double", I've got a brutal case of PF. It's been nagging for about 8 months now but it's finally gotten to the point where I need to shut things down for a bit. I limped through the last five miles of my run yesterday and had to hop to the bathroom this morning because the pain was so bad.

Today, I'll be dusting off the swimming goggles, hitting the drugstore for some heel pads, and joining a gym. I guess it was inevitable after five years of injury-free running that I'd succumb to one of the classic ailments. Any and all readers out there with advice about this capricious injury please drop me a note.

AJW

PS -- Highlights from yesterday; BroncoBilly's excellent finish at LT. Mackey's CR at Waldo and my man Brad Mitchell's impressive 2:47 in the Pike's Peak Ascent.

22 comments:

Bomber Athlete said...

Find a PT in your area that is ASTYM certified (http://astym.com/) and you will be running shortly!

Pete Rodrigues said...

Some classic fixes: rolling on ball, or iced up water bottle, Calf streching. But the thing that works best has been working on my foot/ankle mobility - spelling out the alphabet, lateral and linear flexion and circles. Some like a night split (which will help with the walk to the bathroom), but the daytime stuff is absolutely necessary for getting rid of it.

Larry Linux said...

Bryon wrote a great article about his recovery: http://www.irunfar.com/2011/02/how-to-recover-from-plantar-fasciitis.html

I do like the rolling ball treatment, but I use a lacrosse ball instead of tennis ball. It is a harder but not as painful as a golf ball.

I personally take a more minimalist approach - I walk around on natural surfaces barefoot as much as possible. It kind of acts like a natural random acupressure. Some people actually walk barefoot across patches of gravel!

Olga said...

Funny thing is, this is what put me down right now as well. Not stress fracture, not whatever, but stupid PF that nagged for a year and finally had a tear. May be I should have been a tad smarter and toned it down earlier:)

Hank Dart said...

This makes us all feel more vulnerable! Sorry to hear it. The way you worked through to Western with the ITB, you'll do the same with this. To a speedy recovery.

Brad Mitchell said...

Thanks for the shout-out! Not a stellar performance but definatly another learning one!
PF - bummer deal - haven't experienced it personally, but here is my advice - ice, REST, rolling (big ball covers more surface area, small ball can be more direct - pin points, tube style rollers effective as well) and CAREFUL stretching. PT good, podiatrist good (avoid the needle if possible even though it will sound soo good), swimming good, AQUA RUNNING GREAT (you'll look goofy, just get over it - it's a great tool)Thats my take - REST! - Hydrate, heal quick!

Eric said...

One of the best thing to do is stretch out the PF BEFORE putting any weight as you get out of bed. The night splints works well and keeps it stretched all night. I also do the alphabet like runforests as a preventive measure.

Unknown said...

As far as the gym goes, Check out Smith Pool. It's brand new and fairly cheap.

Kieran McCarthy said...

I've had it a half-dozen times in a 22-year running career. Ice, ice, ice, every couple of hours. Tennis/golf ball or massage on foot. Foam roller the lower calves and achilles tendons often -- especially if you have residual tension built up there. Rehab as if you tore your ACL, and take it every bit as seriously. An hour-plus a day of attention, every day, and you can get rid of it pretty quickly, at least in my experience.

Jim P. said...

I had good luck with acupuncture treatments and using a night splint. The downside, though, to the night splint is that, in my case, it made me sleep in a new position (I have a hard time sleeping on my back) and that caused some problems with my gluteus medias. Finally got it all figured out and am running mostly pain-free.

mtnrunner2 said...

All of the above regarding self-therapies. I've been doing a round with PF this summer and it all helps with the symptoms.

I found flexing the foot while my thumbs are on the fascia to be really helpful after runs (and if necessary during). And calf stretches afterwards helps to keep it away in the first place.

In terms of the coming and going of PF itself, that's the one thing I have not managed to affect much. Whereas I seem to have good control over muscle issues, problems of the tendons seem to leave on their own timetable, and little I do seems to matter. I think part of it is that stretching the leg seems to have little effect on the underside of the foot. That's my theory anyway.

Brandon said...

let the acute phase pass before starting treatment. Constant irritation and pressure on the PF will extend the healing process more than giving it some time for the swelling to subside...don't get on it too soon, or too aggressively.

Brandon

Wyatt Hornsby said...

Andy: Check out my blog post on beating PF:

http://nolimitsever.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-beat-plantar-fasciitis.html

Wyatt

Bill W said...

Check out this slide show; it cured my pf in four days.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91661083

Andrew said...

AJW: Sorry to hear about the setback. The Rat will get a little skinny and cranky while you heal up, but I am confident you'll find ways to keep him adequately fed & under control until you're back to a full running routine.

Andrew said...
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Runner, Writer, Reader said...

Not as an end all cure but rather complimentary to other treatments you utilize try Superfeet inserts. I dealt with a mild case of PF earlier this year and the inserts have helped a lot.

Runner, Writer, Reader said...
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Aaron said...

Hey AJW,

Not sure if you are checking comments for this post anymore, but just in case... I got PF in Feb after a big increase in mileage and a lot of road running. I kept running and didn't do any treatments for a month and it got really bad in both feet. Since, I have continued running 80-100mi/wk by following this: http://www.mobilitywod.com/2010/11/episode-77365-plantar-fasciitis.html
and by having graston and IMS acupuncture done. For me the daily work described in the video is key (I use a golf ball), and the graston helps a ton though I didn't get a lot out of the IMS (but I have read that IMS works awesome for some people.)

I think taking time off for PF is pretty old-school. I've totally got rid of it in my right foot and while it has been persistent in my left it is a very manageable injury that I am confident I will win over soon.

Good luck!

AJW said...

Thanks Aaron!

Jim Bruening said...

I haven't have a full-on bout with Plantar Fasciitis but I felt the tell-tale pain starting to develop earlier this summer as I ramped up mileage. And, well, it scared me.

A training buddy convinced me to try using inserts in my shoes because it did the trick for him. I was totally against it; I'd been going more minimal with my shoes and that'd been working well . But after another run with some pain, I decided that I was being bull headed by not at least trying his suggestion. I popped in some old inserts (from when I first started running four years ago). PF wasn't gonna derail my first 100.

It worked fairly instantly, the pain subsided and I continued to ramp up the miles. Additionally, I was stretching my calves and hitting the plantar with a roller and stretching it (by sitting on my heels with knees on ground and toes curled under. that's a serious stretch). But none of that was necessary after a week with the inserts. The pain did not return and VT100 went perfectly. I thought the inserts were the deciding factor for me but I couldn't be sure.

Three weeks ago, I thought perhaps I had beat this PF thing and decided to finally take the inserts out. Maybe I didn't need them? Pain came back right away and I walked in the final miles of a 19 mile run. Now, I think there's something to this? Hmm. The inserts I've had luck with are these.

http://www.yoursole.com/products/footbeds/softec/response/

Hope you recover quickly, Andy.

Chris A said...

if all else fails, I'd review the trigger point option. My recent instances have been cured purely by addressing the calf as a cause. It was as simple as rolling both sides of the gastrocnemius against the opposite knee until you hit a sore spot. Once you hit it, you will turn the pain off in hours. A deep tissue calf massage may get the dame result (I found massaging the soleus actually made it worse through)