I'm sure someone here has/had it. I think the pounding on the some of the harder surfaces I hiked on created this on my feet.

What did you do about it? Can I still go hiking? I've stopped my usual jog/walk routine and am icing my feet but beyond that not much else. Any suggestions? Do I need to see a doctor?

A podiatrist can help you get over it quicker with cortisone but rest and icing are the main cures. I have a chronic problem with my left foot due to an injury as a teenager. I use "aftermarket" arch supports in both shoes and will tape my left foot if I start feeling symptoms of irritation in the PF. It is important to let it get better and to learn as much about it as possible so you can knowledgeably "manage" the condition. Try googling PF and reading the articles, not the ads that come up. Billk, who posts on this forum is quite knowledgeable about PF; perhaps you can send him a PM.

Thanks, Pika. I will just ice it up and do some stretches. I want to stay away from cortisone at the moment. I'm wearing my running shoes around the house which have good support. Maybe I can bike for exercise instead.

It took me two months to get over it, then I resumed full training (ultrarunning). Icing and stretching seemed to work, combined with lots of rest time for it to heal. Stay off it and don't aggravate it and you'll be better sooner.

You didn't say what your symptoms are. Typically, with plantar fasciitis, there's pain on the underside of the foot, at the forward part of the heel (where the fascia joins the heel bone), especially those first few steps when you get up in the morning. It's not caused by the heel striking the ground.

There's lots of misinformation out there, even from the medical community. There's even disagreement about whether there's much inflammation involved at all, and some say it should be called plantar fasciosis. I developed what would probably be considered a moderate case about two years ago, which took over a year to heal to the point where I no longer felt it at all. I've read that 6 to 18 months is common. I went to a local podiatrist who specializes in runners and hikers:

http://www.nwfootankle.com/

The traditional approach is the use of orthotics, ice, stretching of the calf muscles, cortisone, and sometimes surgery. My doctor offered me that approach if I wanted it, but suggested a different approach, which I'm very glad I took. Here's my understanding of what he told me. I don't want to pass this off as his medical advice...I participated in my treatment, and accepted or rejected his suggestions as I saw fit, which seemed to be agreeable to him.

Most treatments just treat the symptoms. The cause of the injury itself is difficult to determine, but the footwear that we commonly wear sets us up for that injury. In other words, for all practical purposes, there are no good shoes (or boots). The combination of heel elevation, toespring, unnecessary arch support, and more-or-less pointed toe boxes all put unnatural stresses on your feet.

Here's what I did:

-Icing...gave a little relief, I guess. I soon gave it up.
-Stretching...calf muscles including the muscles on the front of the calf/top of foot.
-Taping, in an "X" pattern. This was the main thing that helped me. It took some pressure off the fascia, allowing it to heal while still letting me walk.
-Wearing teardrop-shaped tarsal pads in my shoes (from the Doctor), which allowed my big toe to "droop" slightly, which takes tension off the fascia. This helped a little, I think, especially at first.
-Removed the insoles from my shoes, to allow a little more room.
-I now buy bigger shoes. I measure 8.5 on a brannock device, but I now wear 9.5 - 10, 2E or 4E, depending on the shoe.
-Stopped wearing Superfeet and the like. I wore them for years, and I believe they weakened my feet. I can't prove it. My doctor says my arches are perfect and don't need support. Also, I don't over-pronate or over-supinate.
-I wear sandals whenever possible. If I could find some without any heel elevation, I'd wear those. The doctor is big on Crocs, but I can't warm up to them.Yet. I've replaced the insoles in my hiking boots (Keen Targhee's or Merrill Radius low) with the flat green ones from Spenco.

By the way, avoid the cortisone unless you are in severe, debilitating pain. It's only for control of pain, does nothing to aid healing, and can sometimes make things worse. It's not the same as using cortisone for a knee injury.

This website has a good description of how to tape your feet. There's some other good information there, and some, IMO, not so good.

http://heelspurs.com/index.html

Good Luck!

It's definitely plantar fasciitis. I contacted a friend (finally) who is a foot surgeon and said custom orthotics would help and offered to make a pair for me at cost. I'm finding that the icing and Advil is helping, along with something I was given in Spain which is used for inflammation. It's a creme (or you can get it in tablet form) called Voltaren. It is nonsteriodal, and everyone on the trail used it. I figure it couldn't hurt to use. It sold for 3 euros. On line it looks pretty pricey.

Still, I want to be able to prevent it, once this heals. I will try the taping. I don't use orthotics or anything in my shoes, just what comes with them. My feet were fine up until the last 40 miles or so, which was mostly hard tarmac. I was carrying only 12 lbs and others on the trail also complained as well. With all that pounding, something had to give.

As for negative heels, Earth Shoe is still out there under the name Earth. I might try a pair and relive old memories!

http://www.earth.us/

I suffer from the same problem, but due to my own stupidity. I decided one year that I wanted to be a marathon runner, and disregarded the fact that I'm a large frame guy (6'1" and 230 lbs). Running anywhere from 30-70 miles per week with flat feet and terrible shoes is what did it for me. The best solutions I have found are 1: Rest your feet as much as you can...the problem comes from small tears in the fascia that heal, leaving scar tissue that doesn't stretch as well. 2: Go to a store that has a reputation for having a knowledgable staff...I got lucky and happened upon one, the guy litterally had me walk 10 ft with my pants legs up and picked a pair of shoes out for me that felt like a dream. I've heard that insoles can help a great deal, but my experience with them is that they increase my pain, probably because my feet are so flat.

From what the salesman at the shoe store told me, in his experience a lot of the pain from this type of injury is alleviated by adressing a person's pronation, whether it is under or over. http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/pronation.htm

As a disclaimer, this isn't medical advice, just my experiences with it, and I haven't been to see a doctor. I hear that there is an ultrasound treatment for more severe cases, though. Hopefully some of this info helps you, I know how much I hate to have it determine what I can and cannot do. I figure if I'm stubborn enough and just keep pushing on, by the time my feet fall off, they'll be able to make me new ones out of titanium...truely the benchmark for any lightweight backpacker! "Hey guys, check out my new titanium feet, only 10oz for the pair, and when I fold them like this, they become my mess kit, stove, and chair!"

I'm a bit like you in that after I came home, figured my feet were just bruised, I went out running. That made it worse. Duh. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> I didn't know then I had a problem. duh <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I do have a reputable place that I go to for my running shoes and trail runners. Did the same by having me roll my pant legs up, walk and found a good pair of runners. Did the same with the trail shoes, too. I wore the Inov8's that have the thingie to reduce this problem. I wonder how bad it would be if not? My friend wore her Keen sandals and can barely walk now, with the same problem. I don't think anything would help walking 200 miles on different terrain, especially tarmac.

Long story short, it's nice to hear other people's remedies that helped. I like the taping idea and will try that. Right now, the ice seems to be working. Advil helps too, but I only take it once during the afternoon. Gives me reason to watch the Tour de France! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> (Those dopers need to drink Red Bull and be done with it.)

Thanks for everyone's input. I just miss my walking. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Tarmac (or any other hard surface like cement or asphalt) is one of the worse surfaces to hike/walk on. Your feet WILL get sore. It helps a lot to have super super super cushiony heels, rigid arch support, and total free toe movement.

Some of my hiking/backpacking takes me on those surfaces. To PREVENT damage, try this stretch; it’s is done at night while sleeping. Sleep on your back. Meanwhile, point your toes toward your head (opposite of a ballerina toe <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />). This is not natural so your toes won’t stay. But put a light blanket (or sheet) over your feet and the blanket will hold your toes in position. Your toes only need to hold this position a few hours while you sleep. This stretch also helps those people who wake up in the morning and stand on their feet and scream from the pain until their tissue warms up. Even when hiking, the moment I feel my fascia acting up, I hurry and do the toe-backward stretch and the pain goes away.

Like your friend with the Keen sandals, EVERY single person I’ve seen hike with those on blacktop (for great distances) ends up damaging their feet.

I’ve done several 20 mile days on blacktop and my feet are sore at night (no matter how much I work out). But in the morning my feet are refreshed. If you have the wrong footwear, the feet won’t recover for a long time. Another trick of the trade is to walk softly and carry a big stick <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />; maybe 2 sticks. This also eases leg/foot joint shocks.

What you’re doing now sounds good to repair your ripped ligaments; to bad they take the longest to heal in our bodies <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />.

Now the doctor thing: It might be nice to get an xray to see if any spurs or fractures occurred.

Keep on biking!

-Barry

Just a quick tip: The pain near your heel may make you want to avoid putting weight on your heel, but in fact this makes the problem worse. The pain is caused my too much pressure on the fascia and walking on the balls of your feet actually increases this pressure. So, keep your weight on your heel to help it heal <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I do get that pain in the morning thing (and have been in the last week) So, for the better part of
valor, I tried Barry's little blanky over feet thing last night That didn't work for me but shnooking down to the foot of my bed and making my toes vertical against the bottom of the bed actually seemed to keep em there.. and this morning, I think it actually helped! It'll take a few more attempts to know for sure, but this seems rather workable! thanks barry!

Phat, I can't get a mental picture of this. Were you on your back?

I wonder if taping my toes back towards my head would work.

yes I was on my back. but the foot of my bed is an iron bar frame type thing, open with a bar across
so I was able to stick my heels through it with upper foot against the bar - not much, just a little

Gotcha. I'm going to work something out. My bed doesn't have a footboard but I'm sure I can come up with something to keep my toes in that position. I'll keep working on the blankey thing.

FYI, most of the online foot specialty stores sell a variety of splits to be worn at night for treating plantar fasciitis. They are designed to pull the toes up thus stretching the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon. They accomplish much the same thing as you are doing but at a price. I have never tried one so can't recommend them but I thought you might want to know that they are available.

seems like it couldn't be that hard to just sew something around a sock, and attach the front to, I dunno.. wear your gaiters to bed? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I had plantar fasciitis develop a few years ago. It was pretty miserable initially. I found three things that helped and now I am able to hike comfortably and control it.

First I went to an orthopedist and got prescription orthotics. Some folks don't need these, but I had a pretty bad case and felt it was worth the cost.

Second I got on a stretching routine. I had very tight calf and hamstring muscles and this was the primary cause of my problem. Conventional stretching didn't quite do it so I got a device that is sort of a half circle shape that I stand on. I can then slowly roll my foot so my heel is much lower than the rest of my foot. It does this in a gentle fashion so I can stretch my calf muscles deeply, but gently.

I also got a splint boot which locked my foot in a slightly stretched position while I slept. I am not sure how much that helped, but I think it did prevent the overnight tightening of my calf muscles which contributed to the morning discomfort.

Over the long haul the first two steps of using the orthotics (including in my hiking shoes) and using the stretching device have done the job for me. Ironically I now do better when I get out hiking than if I don't. I think it has to do with the stretching action of uneven trail surfaces versus hard and flat concrete or paving.

Best of luck in healing up.

Springer Dad.

OK, I wrapped just under my toes with an ace bandage and pulled them back, wrapped the ends around mid-calf, secured it and it works! I will try one foot tonight to see how it goes. Then begin stretching my legs and calf muscles more.

BTW...my friend with the Keens? She found out today she has a stress fracture and not what I got. It's in her heel. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sleeping with an elastic wrap on your leg can be a little bit dangerous. If it's tight enough to slow down the circulation blood clots are a real possibility. YMMV

It didn't last long. I realized it after a short time. I just made sure my toes were pointing towards me with the blanket holding them back if I was on my back. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> It's too soon to tell if it helped. I will go back to what I've been doing and be done with it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I also do a stretch that is very nice...just find a stair, put the ball of your foot on it, and let your heel sink down below the level of the stair. It stretches everything, including your calves if you do it right. Anytime I have to run or be active, I spend 5-10 minutes doing this stratch and I am usually pain free the entire time.

I tried taping for the first time this weekend and it worked GREAT! I used athletic tape and followed the instructions I found by searching youtube for plantar taping

The only trouble I had is I got a blister under the tape. I may have done something wrong as it seems that taping takes a little practice to get right.

I had one bout a couple of years ago. It happened after spending all day in flat hard shoes on frozen sidewalks. It was several days before walking was bearable, several weeks before walking was comfortable, and several months before my feet felt normal.

Luckily, I have not had a recurrance and am able to backpack up to 13 miles a day without any problems... aside from bug bites and normal exhaustion <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Pharmacies sell shoe inserts especially for plantar fasciitis. I use them. I don't walk anywhere without some cushion. I have a pair of crocs in the house that I wear in place of slippers... they have much more cushion.

There is a stretch for the PF on runnersworld.com with a video... they cite a study in which doing the stretch frequently significantly helped speed up recovery of PF.

The taping, other stretches, and other ideas people have mentioned all sound good too!

Of course, if your symptoms are bad, if you have a recurance, or if it is slow to heal, I would see a doctor.

Actually, slowly but surely my feet are getting better. I've been stretching and taking it easy on the feet. I haven't done any taping yet. Now that I know what to do, after I go backpacking or hiking, I can stretch them in the campsite or at home shortly after the day is done!

BTW....I bought one of those foot things that you wear at night. I found it at the local CVS pharmacy. After using it for 2 nights, I have to honestly say that it is helping quite a bit. During the day after sitting some time, when I get up, the pain is so much less. I takes some getting used to during the night, but I find it's worth the hassle.