Plantars Fasciitis Up-Close

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

I hope your week is going as well as mine. Nice 65 minute/7.1 mile run on Monday followed by a 3.70 mile walk with old Roy last night. My intent was to run again today but, the day got away from me and Roy needs the mileage. While Monday’s run was great on many levels, my left foot paid the price of my desire to push things. Plantar fasciitis continues to torment me and while I can run through it, I feel it later. Finally, I did what I insist others do and actually saw a doctor about it yesterday. He wants me to wear an insert that will provide some arch support. I guess they will mail it to me so, I will have to continue as I have been until it comes in. As I said, I can run about 8 miles without feeling too much discomfort but, it burns pretty good when I get home and first thing in the morning.

If you have never had the pleasure of dealing with plantar fasciitis, it essentially feels like you have bruised your heel, most notably, is first thing when you climb out of bed. Plantar is the bottom of your foot and the fascia is a band that runs along the plantar as a protection. Runners that pronate or have minimal arches are susceptible to stretching the fascia and that leads to inflammation. I unfortunately am a pronator and pretty flat-footed so, when I delve into a minimalist shoe that has no support, I am setting myself up for plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, switching running shoes does not always relieve the inflammation. For me, it is not actually as simple as the bottom side of my foot (plantar) because, I have little or no mobility (flexion) on the topside (dorsal) of my foot. This adds to my likelihood of getting PF, and that is not correctable by inserts or shoes.

The good news is as a running coach and a study of running and biomechanics, I understand I can do plenty to help myself out with my foot. The insert may provide me with some needed support but, my lack of flexibility (technically termed flexion), may be more of the issue. I recall having some PF even before changing to a minimalist shoe and so most likely, that was a biomechanical issue. It is imperative as a runner that muscles, tendons and tissue all provide the flexion they are intended to, or something is going to be stressed greater than it likes. NFLR does a lot of running form analysis and we see the results of flexibility and weak muscles through our in-depth video analysis, which result in poor running efficiency or worse, injury. I do not spend enough time viewing my own running gait and if I did, I would see that my left foot is not flexing as it should. I will see yours though!

So, there you have a little insight into plantar fasciitis both technically and firsthand. PF is the number one injury of runners and understanding it is important for recovery and prevention. Like many injuries, you really cannot focus only the area of the pain, you must consider many factors and that is why a professional running form analysis is so important.

Time to get on to my Wednesday men’s group! Have a great day and see you on Friday!

God Bless!

Mike