GordoTrek

currently suffering from this... just started bugging me randomly on saturday ( i think it was from some crappy dress shoes i was wearing to work last week) now im worried that this is going to be a cronic thing, and i was curious to see how this will effect my biking, i haven't gotten out yet, the snow and temps won't allow it, and most of of my bikes are still getting worked on, anybody ever deal with this... ?

SteveSGP

I've had issues with that off and on for years, I have some inserts for my shoes from REI that work wonders and it also seems that staying hydrated and doing plenty of stretching helps.

It was actually worse for me before I got back into biking, at that point if I bent forward I couldn't get within six inches of my toes and now I can actually do the same stretch with my feet crossed and still wrap my fingers under the toes of my shoes, I never thought that would even be possible at my age.

scozim 

I think stretching and proper medical care goes along way. Bigger issues with the foot and cycling seem to revolve around foot to pedal contact and nerve/hot foot problems. I know I've struggled with that for 3 yrs now. I've had friends who are runners and when they got plantar fasciitis it completely stopped their training.

T-Mar

I had by first bout of pf about 20 years, after I started doing duathlons and triathlons. For mild cases, stretching, ice and a topical anti-inflammmatory such as Voltaren will usually get it under control. For stretching do the standard calf and achilles stretchs and roll a tennis ball under the arch of the foot to stretrch the pf itself. Anti-flammatory treatments such a ultrasound and low level laser are also benefcial. However, for severe cases you may need a custome orthotic. Pending that, a non-prescription insert may help. It can be very tenacious and often takes months to heal.

Edit: Cycling is actually on of the better exercise for it, as the pf does is not being loaded as highly or quickly. It should be ok for cycling as long as you have an insert that will fit inside your cycling shoe and support the pf.

16Victor

Bingo - for me anyhow. Cheapo Dexters caused me significant pain. It's very hard to find a good Goodyear welted, leather soled shoe nowadays but that's what did the trick for me. I was wearing Johnston & Murphy (Not J&M, that's the cheaper line) but have to go to Allen-Edmonds ($300 ouch). Expensive but I'm hard on shoes...cheapies last 6 months and cause pain, good ones last 8 years with occasional soles & heels and no pain.

FWIW I'm 51 and ectomorph meaning skinny, bony feet that are hard to find shoes to fit well onto.

unworthy1

+1 and I'll add 2 cents: mine developed about 2-3 years ago and took nearly a year to vanish, but has not returned (touching wood) since. I never resorted to surgery or other medical treatments (can't afford that) but did buy a bunch of over-the-counter orthotic inserts including some rather pricey ones from a specialty shop that serves runners and has some fancy snakey-oilish measuring devices for fitting (and selling).

The orthotics helped a great deal, as did the stretching and especially daily "therapeutic" walking on some bizarre sandals that were essentially modified Birkenstocks with a half-ball cemented to the bottom of the sole. Hard to balance, but these provided a constant stretching of the plantar region with every step.

I had suspicions that cycling in hard-soled cleated shoes may have been the trigger to my episode, but noticed that during the periods of major inflamation (when walking was especially painful) cycling was not only easier on the PF but provided some welcome relief.

YRMV, in fact I'm sure they will. But in any case, here's to a quick recovery!!

John E

Over the counter $10 Dr. Scholl's inserts have helped me immensely -- I now use them in every pair of shoes I own. My plantar problems started after I began to walk more on my heels and less on the balls of my feet, to favor my chronic Achilles tendon problem. As long as I am careful with my gait, I seem to be able to balance both problems, although running/jogging is now out.

Chicago Al 

I had a bout of this years ago and found an amazingly effective remedy, in the form of a roller, called simply the Foot Wheel. You roll the affected area of your foot right over the central part of this thing, to the point that it hurts, for a few minutes a couple of times a day. Within a week, this fixed my problem, permanently (so far anyway). I don't know if I have ever had anything work so well...for anything.

Other roller things I see on Google are not so sharp as the wheel so might work, but maybe not as effectively.

RobbieTunes

When I ran competitively, my mileage was steady at 70/week and often well over 100/week, including my version of speed work (I hated tracks). PF was a common enough ailment, especially for broke runners trying to make it an extra 2 weeks on battered shoes. (sponsors, at the time, recommened replacing the shoes over 500 miles, but gave us 4 pair for the entire year, go figure). However, it was extremely minor, right there with chafing and not as bad as nipple bleed.

There are two main issues with PF:
1-We have wussy feet. From the time we're born, we stick our feet into protective cases that do not allow the muscles in the foot to build up. If there's a place you can walk barefoot or in some kind of protective sock, do as much of it as you can. Toe raises on the edge of a step can help, but you need to make sure you stretch a bit, too, especially the calves, to avoid an Achilles problem.

2-Treatment is still trial and error. Inflammation treatment and prevention is probably the most direct approach. Changing the geometry of the action (orthotics, etc) is the indirect approach.

Immediate relief: Get the water in a tub or pan as hot as you can stand it. Then stand in it, about 2" deep. 30-60 seconds, and you'll see relief quickly and the PF seems to last a shorter time during the day. This is an old trick I learned from Kip Keino. He drank more beer than you could possibly imagine, and it was while drinking he told me the trick. I tried it, and it worked for me, and others. Quite often, I'd hobble to the tub, thinking my wife had hit me all night with the foot hammer. I'd leave the tub, and within minutes, walking was easy. The aching usually disappears during the day. Most of my problems were when I had to wear dress shoes like wingtips, etc. Or Nikes (they just didn't fit me).

Change your shoes. Not the ones you cycle in. I agree that cycling is good for PF. Don't clench your toes while riding, and work on stretching the foot while cycling. Change the walking shoes, running shoes, whatever you're locking around your foot and walking in. Sometimes, just a change of shoe works. As far as running shoes, no running shoe is made for all the feet out there. Some are designed for 1% of the feet, some are designed for 70% of the feet. Running store shoe clerks generally don't know the difference, because they read the literature, at most. Fit is everything.

Longer term relief/treatment/remedy: Build your feet. Just like any other muscle group, you need to get strong down there. Stretching can help, but don't bounce. There are those who swear by orthotics. I don't, but if they work for you, use 'em. Realize you are changing the geometry and pressure points. Calf raises, toe reaches, stretches, give the foot a reason to increase blood flow.

PF often goes away over time, both in the long term (forever) and short term (recurring). I don't know why.
I ran through it, completely, and never missed a mile due to PF or Achilles tendonitis.
I often ran for a week in combat boots, and looked silly, but it was paying the rent.

There is a good novel, out of print but available: Flanagan's Run
It has a lot of common-sense remedies for foot/running problems. A lot of them work.

The Complete Book of Running also helps. I've never read it, but smarter folks have and recommend it.

PF seems to be very selective. You either get it or you don't. I don't know why.
However, if you try to PR in a marathon, wearing racing flats, you are going to have it.

Again, I think cycling helps it a lot, and I'd surmise the flat pedals would be even more effective.

seypat

I underpronate badly and have extremely tight achilles and plantars. After finding the right kind of shoes, cycling has been the best treatment so far for the fasciitis. Support and structure are bad for my particular feet. I do spin classes with the right kind of running shoes and clips/straps. It stretches out the plantars and achilles, particularly when out of the saddle in climbing mode. Make sure you flex the feet and don't point the toes during the pedal stroke. And stay away from those hard soled cycling shoes if you are an underpronator like me.

Michael Angelo 

Shoes with good arch support helps a lot.

VintageDude

I had this when walking/running, but stretching my calf muscles got rid of it. Do the stair calf stretches - stand with the balls of your feet on a step, hang onto the doorjam or something sturdy, and dip your heels below your toes for 1 minute per stretch - 2X/day. I did get some relief from shoe inserts, but only when walking - not riding my bike. Also, keep in mind that the arch of your foot is strongest without support. This is simple physics - arches are strong by themselves and placing support under the arch, although it may provide some relief, can weaken the arch over time. I'd try stretching first for two weeks then shoe inserts if that doesn't do the trick. My guess is, once you start riding again, you won't have this problem on the bike as your calf muscles stretch naturally during the pedal stroke. Good luck!

16Victor

Dad also suffers with this, and he swears by an extremely simple remedy: he wraps duct tape around his foot.

Must be effective, it's also on the internet: https://voices.yahoo.com/duct-tape-cu...is-130955.html

GordoTrek

thanks for all the tips, i believe what happend was, i hurt my big toe on the same foot back in november, to the point where i believed it was broken, it was black and blue all the way up to the ball of my foot, i ended up taping the foot and crutching around for 2 weeks till it felt normal, it still hurts and is nowhere near 100 percent, but its pain free, but if stub it,' Wow' does it hurt, the nuckle in the big toe hurts bad. i think thats where most of the trauma occured, and i still can't bend that part, from all that , i believe my walking pattern changed a bit, to putting more weight on the sides of my foot, which in turn hurt my pf, that with all the other factors are leading to where i am...

Velognome 

Same thing happend to me about 15 years ago. Bothered me on and off for about 5 years afterwards

marley mission

i am a five fingers wearer - just did my first marathon in novemeber in five fingers - i have had some PF issues - and something that i'm convinced helped was the strassburg sock:

https://about.thesock.com/works/wearing-instructions/

i also wear nothing but minimalist shoes - even my work shoes are vivobarefoot dharmas - ultrathin sole (5mm?)
also i use a wobble board

take care and good luck as i know how frustrating it is - but i saw results with strassburg sock instantly

R578645

I've had this for 10+ years. I didn't have surgery. I was told that even after surgery, the ligament that they cut will try to reattach itself/grow back and then you will have pain again. They casted molds of me feet using plaster which I feel is the best method. You then get a perfect heel cup unlike the other molding methods which I have also tried. The orthotic plastic has to be stiff or it doesn't work. They come in different thickness so they can be very rigid. I've made rubber stops that fit underneath the orthotic to make it even stiffer. Problem is then finding shoes that will work with the orthotics. I still have some pain even now and wouldn't be able to stay on my feet all day. I'm running non cycling shoes with straps. I've read where people have used sillicon inside their shoes to make an orthotic. I imagine that this might work in a tight fitting cycling shoe. I have no foot pain when cycling which is good.

ftwelder

My wife had it and put a layer of duct tape on the bottom of her foot.