Plantar Fasciitis

Well, I've learned alot about feet in the past 3 months, and I really don't like feet! But, I have been struggling with plantar fasciitis and I've learned more than I ever wanted to.

First, let me explain what plantar fasciitis is, just in case you don't know. It's pronounced "plantar fash-eee-eye-tiss". This is the condition that occurs when the long fibrous plantar fascia ligament along the bottom of the foot develops tears in the tissue. This creates pain and inflammation.

Plantar fasciitis causes the inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament which runs along the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia ligament is made of fibrous bands of tissue and runs between the heel bone and your toes and stretches with every step. Inflammation develops when tears occur in the tissue.

The pain can be a burning, stabbing, or aching. It is particularly painful in the morning when you first step on your foot. The ligaments tighten during the night and in the morning when you put pressure on it, the ligament stretches and creates an unbearable pain. After walking and stretching, the pain will subside until you have been on your feet awhile, then the pain returns.

Athletes most commonly develop this condition. Excessive running, jumping, or other activities can easily place repetitive or excessive stress on the tissue and lead to tears and inflammation, resulting in moderate to severe pain. Athletes who change or increase the difficulty of their exercise routines are also prone to overdoing it and causing damage.

One of the factors that contribute to plantar fasciitis is wearing incorrect shoes. In many cases, shoes either do not fit properly, or provide inadequate support or cushioning. While walking or exercising in improper shoes, weight distribution becomes impaired, and significantly stress can be added to the plantar fascia ligament.

This is exactly what happened to me. Usually, I go see my buddy Jeff Rainwater at the Big Peach Running store for my running shoes, but this time I opted to save some money. I went to the local wallyworld and bought cheap shoes, but justified it by buying some nice inserts. Later that Friday I went running with Sensi TJ and guess what, my foot began to hurt that night and hasn't stopped since. Lesson learned, don't run in cheap shoes even if you have good inserts.

I have struggled for almost 10 weeks now with my foot hurting! It has been frustrating because I feel like it has slowed my training down. I passed my green belt test with my foot taped, but let me tell you, I was in tears trying to hold the monkey stance because my foot hurt so bad!

So, what is the solution? ice, rest and new orthodic's for my shoes have helped. I'm still on the road to recovery and after the cost of the orthodic's I really wished I had just gone to see Jeff in the first place.

Lesson learned, shoes are very important! Don't make the same mistake I did. If you are getting shin splints, or your feet hurt while you are running or training trust me, your shoes have something to do with it. Find a shoe store that specializes in running and get properly fitted with a good shoe. You will be doing your feet a favor and you will save money in the long run.

Keep training,
Lisa