Update on Plantar Fasciitis and Running on a Treadmill for Training

I can honestly say my plantar fasciitis is feeling the best it has in eight months, however it has not gone away.  My ankle and lower leg still feel a little stiff when first waking up getting out of bed in the morning, but nothing like early last fall. 

Stretching my lower and upper leg muscles along with icing with Frozen Peaz.  I am stretching not just muscles in my foot, but my calves, hamstrings and hips too. 

Needless to say, the foot and ankle doctors advice and help in ordering orthotics has not made the problem go away like I thought it would.  With that, I have left the one doctor I was seeing and am attempting to see another doctor to get his advice and help in dealing with the issue. 

I am almost wondering if the first doctor just had me going to him to buy the expensive orthotics that have not really helped at all. 

I have really focused this past month and a half on using the percussion massage on my soleus muscle. 

The calf contains a network of muscles and tendons on the back and sides of the lower leg including the soles muscle. A good five minutes with the percussion massager on my arch and ball of my foot then I move up to the backside of the lower leg.  This seems to be helping and doing the trick. 

On a happier note, at home we invested in a treadmill. It was in the budget and had the features we were looking for as a family to getting. 

I have had two sessions on it. I ran a great two mile run on it last night, testing out some of the features and got in a groove when I was on it. 

I hate to say it, but I had a fun run. My legs and knees liked the less stress pounding they took.  

I am looking forward to many more treadmill runs as I get back in running shape. 

In a holding pattern

This issue I am having with my Plantar Fasciitis is in a holding patter.  The wrap the podiatrist put on it for a week, brought down the inflammation in it. The wrap came off the other day and I have a few options to take in consideration.

Here are my three options

1. Continue to ice (Frozen Peaz) it numerous times a day and increase my leg and foot stretches.

2. A cortisone shot, in my foot, to reduce the pain. The pain would go away for about six months, if I went this option.

3. Be fitted and casted for new orthotics.

For now I have chosen number one.  I am increasing the stretches and icing to get my foot back on my own. 

I am also using kinesiology tape to help support the plantar fascia. 

On the mend

Over the past few months, I have been having issues with my right foot. The bottom of it to be exact and having plantar fasciitis.  I am doing stretches daily, a few times in fact. My brother has loaned me a splint to use a few times a day, helping isolate the bottom of my foot for stretching and provides a gentle stretch to my plantar fascia and Achilles tendon. I have been strapping my foot in this device and sitting with my foot in it, twice a day for 30 minutes at a time. 

I follow it up placing FrozenPeaz then on my foot. 

I have to say it is working and my foot is starting to feel better and the pain is going away. It will take some time, but it's not an overnight fix. 

Using Frozen Peaz to treat Plantar Fasciitis using them 20 min on, 20 min on twice a day. 

Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE)

Frozen Peaz can be used on many placed on the body. Knee, elbow, foot, neck, etc.  Although I am using them here in their cold state, with the Peaz Pod, they can be used with heat as well.

Letting my foot recover using Frozen Peaz

The plantar fasciitis is still bothering my right foot. I have stopped running, but am continuing with my strength program and have moved to riding more road bike as of late. The riding keeps the pounding off of my foot.

Wearing my OS1 compression sleeves and socks along with using Frozen Peaz to treat the bottom, from heel to toe with cold compression. 

Using Frozen Peaz to treat Plantar Fasciitis using them 20 min on, 20 min on twice a day. 

Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE)

Frozen Peaz can be used on many placed on the body. Knee, elbow, foot, neck, etc.  Although I am using them here in their cold state, with the Peaz Pod, they can be used with heat as well.

Suffering from plantar fasciitis

Running is causing me pain.  I mentioned before in my blog that I never have suffered from plantar fasciitis, well, until now. 

I don’t know if it’s the shoes I’ve been wearing that have broken down, don’t fit proper any longer or what. The last few months I have woken up to getting out of bed to the first steps being very painful in my right foot. 

A few weeks back I started working on some home remedies. Stretching, massage and Frozen Peaz treatments and wearing compression gear, both calf sleeves and socks to help with the pain. The pain goes away for a little bit, but returns.  I have been able to get a few runs in here and there, but nothing to a regular training routine like I would like to be doing. The longest my runs have been is about three miles.  After I do a Frozen Peaz treatment the pain is better, but knowing that after that run I will pay the price in the next two to three days.  

I have started to wear an older pair of orthotics in my day to day walking shoes. They seem to be helping me during the daytime that’s for sure. 

I will get out running more soon, but before that I might need to make an appointment to the foot doctor to get things checked out and see what I need to do. 

SOLE Footbeds a cure for "hot feet"

 I use SOLE footbeds to replace, literally, "the liners" shoe companies put inside their shoes. The liners in both running shoes and everyday walking shoes really provide no support I have found.  However, replacing them with SOLE footbeds provides the comfort and support your foot needs.  I replace even my cycling shoes (both road and mountain bike) with SOLE footbeds.  I used to suffer from what cyclist call "hot foot".  It was a burning pain in the ball of my foot moving towards my toes. To me it occurred on long rides or rides with a lot of climbing. The burning is really not heat but rather pressure on nerves in the foot that create a burning like sensation. Dumping or squirting water on your feet will not put the "fire" out. The sensation is caused from wearing too tight of shoe. Here are a few tips of how you can remedy the "hot foot" burning pain.
    1. Use a Thin Sport SOLE custom footbeds and/or thinner socks such as the Lightweight Sport SOLE sock.  This will give your foot more room to swell with out restriction. 
    2. Adjust your shoe straps. Keep the straps closest to your toes (near the bottom of the shoe) the loosest for more room.
    3. Sometimes re-focusing the pressure helps.  Do this by moving your cleats to the rear by as much as 8 mm which sometimes means drilling new holes in the bottom of your cycling shoe. You will want to lower your saddle about the same distance you have moved the cleat back. 
    4. With shoes coming from European manufacturers, sometimes the toe box runs small.  Look for a pair with a wide toe box and a stiff sole.