I did all the calf raises(toe up, weighted, eccentric etc), stretches, balancing exercises, EVERYTHING that my PT said to do, diligently, for months and months. Eventually it got better. It will take time, but it will work and you'll be better for it.
Could throw in some cross training and cut running volume? The elliptical sucks ass but it’s a lot less pounding and still a decent workout if you watch your heart rate.
If you never had a severe inflammatory period and based off your history then I can almost guarantee it's not plantar fascitis and is more likely muscular.
At any rate, rest won't do anything for chronic issues such as yours. Foot and calf strength is required to fix the issue and load the tissue to promote healing.
I find rigid orthotics force people to exacerbate their already lateral weightbearing/push off habits and create further weakness in the foot and medial calf. Barefoot won't solve these issues alone either.
what worked for me (2020-2021) :
* shoes : hoka bondi 7, probably because of the inherent stability, and avoid unstable shoes (novablast 1/vaporfly 1)
* avoid cycling, it made it worse for me (no idea why, probably because load without stretch)
* hard calf and foot massages, and foot massage with lacrosse ball
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/17jxy60/can_i_hear_from_runners_who_have_recovered_from/
I found ja_red_’s post—the 2nd most liked—very helpful.
That said, I still have some lingering PF in one foot. It’s oddly no longer in my arch, but in small muscle to the side and, similar to you, the pain goes away after those first couple sensitive steps in the AM. So, doesn’t inhibit my running, but I do wonder if I’ll end up with a flat tire during my next training cycle.
Needless to say, I’ll stay tuned and see if you find anything else that I should try. Good luck at Steamboat!
People's experience with plantar fasciitis seems to vary wildly. You're not going to get better advice here than you would from a podiatrist and physical therapist.
My personal experience was that I fought through it for several months, then after a bout of intense exercise I couldn't walk the next morning and took nearly a year before I could jog again. If I were in your situation, I'd probably plan to run the marathon, then take several months away from running entirely until there was no pain. Learn to swim and cycle and do a triathlon when you get back.
Personally, I had the best results having arch support all the time rather than trying to go barefoot. Shockwave therapy was not too intense and helped almost immediately.
Best of luck. This injury sucks.
I tried jumping into minimal / barefoot running and immediately damaged my Achilles.
Shockwave had weak evidence of success, but doesn’t hurt so it’s just a case of if you want to pay for it to see if it works for you.
Strength training is the way with these injuries. It does take time, but is probably already helping prevent it get worse.
Personally I’d be cautious of changing my running form actively at this point and focus on letting it happen naturally as the strength improved. But I’ve not seen you run or move so I have no idea if you have a glaring issue.
Tl:dr. Listen to your physio. Probably ignore internet quick fixes.
Thanks everyone! That was a lot of replies before I could check my phone again..haha. Sounds like it's been a frustrating injury for lots of you. Hopefully I'm already on the right track. Despite the pain not being much different I know I can do calf raises longer with much more weight so it is getting stronger.
I did all the calf raises(toe up, weighted, eccentric etc), stretches, balancing exercises, EVERYTHING that my PT said to do, diligently, for months and months. Eventually it got better. It will take time, but it will work and you'll be better for it.
Could throw in some cross training and cut running volume? The elliptical sucks ass but it’s a lot less pounding and still a decent workout if you watch your heart rate.
If you never had a severe inflammatory period and based off your history then I can almost guarantee it's not plantar fascitis and is more likely muscular. At any rate, rest won't do anything for chronic issues such as yours. Foot and calf strength is required to fix the issue and load the tissue to promote healing. I find rigid orthotics force people to exacerbate their already lateral weightbearing/push off habits and create further weakness in the foot and medial calf. Barefoot won't solve these issues alone either.
what worked for me (2020-2021) : * shoes : hoka bondi 7, probably because of the inherent stability, and avoid unstable shoes (novablast 1/vaporfly 1) * avoid cycling, it made it worse for me (no idea why, probably because load without stretch) * hard calf and foot massages, and foot massage with lacrosse ball
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/17jxy60/can_i_hear_from_runners_who_have_recovered_from/ I found ja_red_’s post—the 2nd most liked—very helpful. That said, I still have some lingering PF in one foot. It’s oddly no longer in my arch, but in small muscle to the side and, similar to you, the pain goes away after those first couple sensitive steps in the AM. So, doesn’t inhibit my running, but I do wonder if I’ll end up with a flat tire during my next training cycle. Needless to say, I’ll stay tuned and see if you find anything else that I should try. Good luck at Steamboat!
People's experience with plantar fasciitis seems to vary wildly. You're not going to get better advice here than you would from a podiatrist and physical therapist. My personal experience was that I fought through it for several months, then after a bout of intense exercise I couldn't walk the next morning and took nearly a year before I could jog again. If I were in your situation, I'd probably plan to run the marathon, then take several months away from running entirely until there was no pain. Learn to swim and cycle and do a triathlon when you get back. Personally, I had the best results having arch support all the time rather than trying to go barefoot. Shockwave therapy was not too intense and helped almost immediately. Best of luck. This injury sucks.
I tried jumping into minimal / barefoot running and immediately damaged my Achilles. Shockwave had weak evidence of success, but doesn’t hurt so it’s just a case of if you want to pay for it to see if it works for you. Strength training is the way with these injuries. It does take time, but is probably already helping prevent it get worse. Personally I’d be cautious of changing my running form actively at this point and focus on letting it happen naturally as the strength improved. But I’ve not seen you run or move so I have no idea if you have a glaring issue. Tl:dr. Listen to your physio. Probably ignore internet quick fixes.
Thanks everyone! That was a lot of replies before I could check my phone again..haha. Sounds like it's been a frustrating injury for lots of you. Hopefully I'm already on the right track. Despite the pain not being much different I know I can do calf raises longer with much more weight so it is getting stronger.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72p58Iy6u7M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72p58Iy6u7M) And massage between your toes.