ITS BAAAAAAAAAAAACK. My plantar fasciitis went away for a while after that lady at the salon showed me a trick with it. But I didn’t keep up with the massage exercise she told me to do and I was working out without icing it so now it’s back… with a vengeance.

What is it?

There’s a muscle that connects the heel of your foot to the front pad of your foot. When it gets over inflamed it hurts like absolute hell. Your heel will feel like one huge bruise, while it’s inflamed or once it’s settled after a workout it will do these painful spasms like someone is shocking it, and when you wake up you’ll have so much pain in it on the initial step that you’ll learn to put stuff in your room to lean on so you can tip toe through your house until the pain starts to go away.

When is it the worst?

You would think during a workout, but not really. The more you work the muscle, the more it loosens up, and the pain starts to go away. When you rest it is when it gets all cranky and hurts. That’s why it hurts so much when you first wake up. And if you have to stand for a while without really walking a lot it will do these painful spasm things because it’s tight and full of blood (from circulation, no you’re not hemorrhaging).

Here’s the good part.

How do you make it not hurt?

  • The sucky part of this is that you actually should see a doctor for this. Plantar fasciitis can cause heel spurs. That’s where calcium builds up in the middle bottom of your heel to make a new pad so your foot can heel. But if you’re not helping this calcium pad, it can make the situation worse. So your doctor needs to know if you have a heel spur which requires xrays. If you have one, plan on getting a cortisone shot. They tend to give them out like candy because they would rather give you an anti inflammatory than a pain killer. I’m so anti-meds my doctor had to continuously push me towards the shot. AND THEN MY BODY REJECTED IT. Yah. Sucks to be me.
  • The anti inflammatory will be your best friend. The pain from this comes from the muscle being swollen. This will loosen it up AND will help it heal faster.
  • Ice (roll your foot over a frozen water bottle) after standing for more than 30-40 minutes. Especially if you’ve been running and jumping in a workout.
  • Wear a heel brace when you sleep. This keeps the muscle completely flexed. It will really help with healing AND will keep you from feeling the stabbing pain of death when you try to walk on your foot after you wake up. It’s great for married women too. Extremely sexy. Just kidding. Tell your wife you love her anyways.
  • Cut back on the workouts for a little while.  Try doing things where you don’t have to run and jump and can put most of your weight on the front of your foot (so no free weights). This needs time to heel or you’re going to have the issue of it being a constant problem like I have it.
  • KT tape or sports tape. They have videos online for how to put the KT tape (kttape.com) on but I have yet to find a good way to wrap it with sports tape so if I have to use it, I do it the same way I would with the kt tape. And don’t listen to them when they say it will stay on for days. So if money is an issue with you, use the sports tape.
  • Heel stretches- Watch this doctor. He’s smart.
  • Pick up things with your toes. Like marbles. Think of it as a party trick. Moving your foot around like this is an easy way to stretch out the muscle while watching tv or doing homework or reading my blogs.
  • Shoes- Get a heel insert and put an arch and heel support in over it. Wear high heels when you can. I don’t do this. Me and gravity have issues with each other. BUT its a good excuse for you to get a new pair of shoes. Toss out the sandals for a while. Flip flops don’t give you enough support or padding. Yah, made me want to cry too.
  • AND THE MOST IMPORTANT- Do this at least once a day. Enjoy the guys accent. You’re welcome. This is what got mine to go away for a few weeks. It’s not fully the same as what the lady at the salon did to my foot but it’s the closest I can find to it.

There you go. There’s my rules for plantar fasciitis. But I have one thing to add. You’re injured, act like it. If you need to take time off work, time away from the gym, time away from your friends, whatever you need to do, do it. This is your body. It is the greatest gift ever given to you. Take care of it. If you don’t take care of these things right away they get worse and you increase your chances of it being a continuous issue with your body. Pain when walking isn’t something you should just have to get used to.