WaveyGravey

Anyone dealt with this ailment? How did you treat it? Was it hard to deal with? How long did it last?

Thanks

Mtracer

I had it several years ago and it lasted the better part of a year. It came on fast, was very slow to heal. Early on it was almost crippling. None of the normal ideas of wearing arch support helped. The idea there is you support the arch until it heals then gradually reduce the support. What worked for me was trying to avoid wearing shoes (I.E. no support) as much as possible. Basically just let my feet get back to what human evolution intended. I worked from home at the time, so easy enough to go essentially barefoot 90% of the time. I actually wore and still do something called "water shoes". These are the type of footwear someone wears around water when river rafting or wading in a stream or lake. They're effectively a slipper with a rubber tread, with zero arch support.

I think the issue is the support from shoes allows the foot muscles to become weaker. Then add in the drop from the heels to the toes, that encourages calf muscles to shorten, and it makes things worse. Even typical men's shoes have a drop from heel to toe, just not to the extent that women's high heels do. There are shoes that have "zero drop", meaning the toes and heal are the same height.

The other thing that was key, was loosening my calf muscles. My problem was and still seems to be, the calf muscles really tighten up when I sleep. When I get up in the morning, I walk very gently until I stretch out my calves. When I was getting over the plantar faciitus, I also did a lot of calf stretching during the day. And a lot of rolling my calves and generally working them constantly to keep them loose.

I also massaged the bottom of my foot a lot. I used some sort of jade scrapped thing. It allows you to really press in and work muscles and tissues in the bottom of the foot. This helps increase blood flow and healing.

It all worked out and I only get an occasional twinge first thing in the morning if my calves are extra tight. Of course, changing footwear is something to do as well. Continuing to wear the same shoes you have been, that likely contributed to developing the problem, is not a good idea.

I'm by no means an expert on this, just someone who dealt with it for about a year. What worked for me, may not be what works for anyone else. Also, this was before I took up cycling,. so unfortunately I have no experience of how it would have affected my cycling.

Russ Roth

I've had it twice, first time it went away while I was doing siding which required constantly going up and down ladders to install, really made the feet stretch. The second time it really came down to stretching the calf muscles, there's a foot brace that pulls the front of the foot towards the shin for when you're sleeping.

howaboutme

I was treated by a podiatrist. Getting over it, for me, consisted of calf stretches like previously mentioned x 2 day and then wearing a boot that puts your calf at a permanent stretch for a few hours a day. The tendon (not sure if that is the right part) is connected at the bottom of the foot and up the back of the lower leg, hence the calf stretches. I also got some meds to help w/ inflammation. The remedy for me in keeping it in check is arch support so I switched to premium shoes (running shoes) or added inserts (but not the ridiculously priced Good Feet Store ones).

jackb

Just got over a bout that lasted a couple of months. PT is the best approach. Most effective for me was to roll a tennis ball under the arch of the affected foot. I did it four or five times per ay for 5-10 minutes each time. It worked.

Iride01 

You use stiff soled cycling shoes? If they are getting old, they might be losing their stiffness. Changing the cleat position might help if your shoes are very stiff soled. I'd actually move the cleat toward the rear. There are pains you can get from flimsy soles that mimic plantar fasciitis but aren't really that.

If you are using running shoes or tennis shoes or casual shoes, they may just be to flimsy in the sole.

WaveyGravey

Thanks for all of this input!

I did have a particularly (for me) strenuous ride this past Saturday. Symptoms began like on Monday. Could be a connection.

Mtracer

Being this early with the problem, STRETCH YOUR CALVES!!!!!

Maybe you got lucky and haven't damage much and can recover quickly.

jimincalif

I had it maybe 12 years ago. It was excruciating in the morning due to sleeping overnight with my feet pointed down. I bought one of the boots that holds your foot at 90° and got almost immediate relief. It was a game changer. Got it from Amazon. I’d guess that it was completely resolved in three or four months, but I wore that boot for probably seven or eight months. I was already used to it, so there was no downside, I slept fine. And the PF pain was something I never wanted to experience again. I still have the boot, I wore it a few times over a couple of years afterward, just when I felt any sort of pain there, not wanting to take any chances.

I went thru a couple iterations of the boot before I found one comfortable enough that it didn’t wake me up. The biggest boot was the most comfortable because there weren’t any concentrated pressure points. It supported the whole bottom of the foot and well up the back of the calf. Good luck.

Tomm Willians

It affects my right foot as a result of 25 years of working on concrete. My second toe has an odd bend or upward arch that can’t be corrected without cutting the nerve but it doesn’t bother me. Originally it was painful and I was given Cortisone shots RIGHT BETWEEN THE TOES😳😳😳😳. The first one didn’t last long so I had to get another. The doctor said “in case you forgot, this is going to hurt like hell” no I didn’t forget but thank you for reminding me……

indyfabz

Years ago. Best advice I ever got was to stretch the calves early and often. Doing so before sitting up in bed eventually relieved the “ morning pain”. The ortho suggested that I stretch while sitting at my desk every time I got an email or phone call. Worked wonders in the end. Stair stretches also helped. Toes on the steps and drop the heels to stretch the calves.

What did your doc tell you when they diagnosed you?

TiHabanero

Year and a half ago I was in the throes of plantars fasciitis and my wife showed me how she keeps hers in check. Stretching the calf muscles. Well, that was not enough for me and I added massaging the bottom of my feet with a hard rubber ball, which at first hurt like hell, but now is a welcomed comfort. The final step was wearing zero-drop shoes. Altra is my choice and have used 4 different models of their shoes with great success.
I tried Hoka, but the Altra shoes are better for my condition. FWIW, my job requires me to walk anywhere from 3 to 7 miles a day and I get in and out of 12-30 cars and trucks in that time, thus there is a lot of tension on the lower legs and feet.

freeranger

I had it. Tried everything the podiatrist recommended, all the excercises, etc. The one and only thing that got rid of it (and it has never occurred since) was a cortisone shot. And, in talking with others who have had it, that's how they finally got rid of it also. The exception was my sister, who did the exercises and wore a boot designed for Frankenstein.

WaveyGravey

Doctor gave much of the same advice given here by folks that had it. But prescribed having a custom-made insert for shoes to support my arch. Also avoiding my favorite activities like running and cycling. Which is my biggest concern.
Luckily, it appears from other's experience that it won't last long with proper care.

WaveyGravey

I hope so!!!

indyfabz

Hopefully, but I knew someone who could not run or cycle for years because of it, and she’s a petite person. It got so bad that she had to wear “splints” at night to stretch her calves.

As mentioned, be very aggressive with the stretching. The first doc saw gave me some papers showing stretches and recommending that I do them a few times a day. I could have gotten that of the Internet. I went to see someone with more expertise. He’s the one who recommended the morning stretches to alleviate the horrible pain when I would first get out of bed and the email/phone call stretching at work. Didn’t even have to get up from my chair. Simply stretched the leg under my desk.

howaboutme

I would caution the "I could have gotten that from the internet" comments because the key to going to a doctor is to confirm your self diagnosis. With Google, we all like to play doctor.

indyfabz

I meant the stretching exercises he gave me. They were minimal, at best. Entire appointment lasted maybe 10 min.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I have had it off and on for over 30 years! Mine is all related to running. Cycling doesn't bother it. Stretching works really well to help relieve it when it comes on. Usually, I would cut back on the amount of miles I was putting in. Hope that yours goes away!

urbanknight

I get it from walking around all day, but generally not on the bike. Stretches help a lot.

WaveyGravey

I run between 30/40 miles a week. Cycling goal is 100 miles a week. The only non-routine activity was that I rode really hard the Saturday before its onset and after a extended time not riding.

biker128pedal

I just when through a bought on my right foot. Anterior side. Never had it until about 1 0 years ago when I bought some New Balance Gel shoes I needed for a trip fast. After week I had it in both feet. Anyway this time I did not go to the doctor. I used some of the sports elastic K type tape, stretching and message. NSAD to reduce swelling. I also switched from my crocks with a slightly high instep to waring my trail shoes with my good inserts. Also I had been sleeping on my back at the time due to bruised ribs which I think caused it this time. Took a few weeks to stop hurting. Funny I could ride after a week and riding helped. I hiked about 5 miles doing tail maintenance yesterday and all is good. I have not wanted the shot but friends I know have had it done.

For me messaging needs to be aggressive and in the beginning every hour or so while awake.

ofajen

This is not advice, just an observation. There is a prevailing notion that feet need all kinds of supporting structures, lest they fall to pieces.

Then are are some of us who are having success wearing shoes that provide only protection but no support beyond a firm connection to the ground below.

The idea is that properly trained feet are fully capable of providing support if allowed to move naturally, either barefoot where that is safe or in minimal shoes that provide necessary protection while remaining flexible and mimicking a good flat ground surface under the foot. Basically another application of “move it or lose it”, this time with regard to the natural strength and flexibility of our feet and ankles.

A lifetime in standard footwear of our age will take a toll and it may be difficult if not impossible to make such a transition, but many of us who have done this are fully able to function without any support structures in any of our footwear.

I run, walk, cycle, lift and spend long hours on my feet this time of year in minimal dress shoes that don’t even have a soft insole. My feet are sometimes uncomfortable with the stress of the work but I really don’t have any sort of foot pain.

As I said, this is not advice, just an observation.

Otto

seypat

This ^. A foot is a well designed mechanism that can do well on it's own. When you starts supporting/messing with it, problems arise. Same for the rest of your body. Crosstrain as much as you can.

I had PF many times, finally got rid of it, but the remedy was as painful as having it. Just remember, everything is connected from the plantar up through the satorius muscle. You need to stretch it all. Do that and if you have any lower back pain, it will probably go away as well.

My situation is probably different from other situations. I was not an endurance athlete until my mid 40s. Competitive/played in the other sports into my 40's. Mostly basketball, golf and other court sports. I had PF a few times but couldn't get rid of it the last time. Got tired of sliding down the stairs in the morning, so I gave up the court sports and decided to try out endurance sports. Became a cyclist, and decided to become a runner. I did lots of reading and came to the conclusion that all of those years in super supportive court shoes had made the muscles in my feet weak which caused the PF. I got rid of the supportive shoes and went to shoes with cushion, but minimal support. The running shoes I chose were transition shoes designed for transitioning from running shoes to barefoot running. So, I walk out the door and take off. After about a mile, my feet were hurting so bad, I had to turn around and limp home. I get up the next morning and no PF pain. Attempted another run and got about 2 miles before the feet were hurting and I had to limp back. Next morning, no PF pain again. This scenario went on for about a month with the runs gradually increasing and my feet getting stronger. Eventually, the pain on the runs disappeared altogether as did the PF. That was around 15 years ago. Since then, I've ran 18 marathons, 50+ halfs, and too many other various events to remember. The only time it threatens to come back is in periods of non exercise. The sections between the knee and Plantar will get tight. Stretching is key. I do yoga 2-3 times a week. That's as important to any exercise routine as another hour+ of whatever the sport is. If more people did that instead of another hour of(in this case, cycling) they would feel better and get less injuries. Just my opinion.

One other thing, a super stiff cycling shoes is not very healthy for your feet. Look it up for yourself. They might help your cycling, but can increase the chance of PF.