Question 2 : How can I recover from plantar fasciitis while training for a race?
I have been running mainly on a treadmill and yesterday after 4 miles my foot started to hurt. I had been sensing PF for a while, and tried icing, switching shoes and so on. My plan is to take a week off, stretch, foam roll, ice, Advil and so on but is there recovery from something like this? I want to run this race so bad I feel it may be my last so I can focus on getting better since my prognosis has been dwindling.
P. Mark’s Answer: I understand your pain all too well! I have short calves, so I am always dealing with Plantar Fasciitis at some level. Every morning I spend the first 10 minutes trying to relax my calves enough to walk normally. It is 10 minutes of PF pain. It sounds like you are doing all of the right things with the stretching and icing…
I am not convinced that rest will really do the job. Rather than full rest, I would suggest running less and exercising your calves and feet more.
Most importantly, before you start running, your calves and feet need to be gently warmed up and as flexible as possible. Start by working through your range of motion at each joint while bearing no weight on those joints! Then, warm up the muscles through simple movements while bearing no weight on the legs. Finally, warm up the muscles while bearing weight.
If you take the time to do these things before a run, the damage to your plantar fascia should be greatly reduced and it should begin to heal, even while you are still running.
___
Please visit the Ask P. Mark page to post a new question. Thanks!
__________
The Gift of Running is now available in both paperback & e-book
– Paperback Version – Amazon.com
– Ebook Version – Kindle Store
.
