L Foot, Plantar Fasciitis
2012-03-17 – 2012-06-15
Grade: 2
My first bout with PF. Wasn't sure if this was it or not but after about a week I felt confident that the symptoms matched.
3/17 - Initially felt it in my right foot very severely during the Occoquan meet. The pain lasted all day. Woke up the next morning and the pain had switched to my left foot.
Not sure if it was due to wearing my Inov8s for the race, which I don't wear frequently or b/c I have been training so much in the eRides and they are not a good match for my foot. It also may have just been due to a discrete event during the race. Can't pin it down just yet.
3/23 - Rested most of the week only running once. Found out I should not be walking around barefoot at all. Crocs don't seem to be a bad choice either. Foot definitely got better as the week went on.
3/24 - Arose with little to no pain. Took 3 Vitamin Is. Went for a 15 mile trail run with climbing in my 2110s. No pain until the 5 mile mark at which point it was very slight. Pain increased a little at the 12 mile mark.
3/25 - Went for another run in my 2110s. Much shorter but felt pain immediately. Decided to take some time off from running to let my foot heal a little.
3/31 - Commuted twice this week. Did not seem to bother my feet but I was having slightly more pain than last week. Stopped walking around the house barefoot and made sure I always had my Crocs on. Felt a little better on Saturday but definitely was not a good idea to run so I did not do the Omeet.
4/1 - Went for a MTB ride at Wakefield/Accotink. Serious pain. Every time I clipped out and went to put my foot down I would wince a little. This was not good for my foot. Came home and iced.
4/3 - Commuted on Monday and was feeling a little pain from that so I decided to take a break from everything and schedule a podiatrist appointment. Ditched the Crocs and am sticking to a new pair of 2110s all the time. Icing 3-4 times a day.
4/4 - Went to podiatrist and he didn’t tell me anything new but taped my foot for me. Trying to incorporate stretches throughout the day. I went to stretch at the gym before lifting and realized how tight my legs were and realized I needed to work them. Ended up on the stationary bike and elliptical. Didn’t seem to bother my foot at all and gave me a decent workout.
4/7 - Foot starting to feel better. Still icing and taping all the time and wearing 2110s. Put in some short but strong workouts at the gym on the bike and elliptical to keep my legs stretched and in some shape. Also wore my Injinji socks as much as I could.
4/8 - Went to Road Runner to have my stride looked at. He says my feet are balanced except my left foot puts more pressure on the heel and my right foot on toes. My arches are good but a little pressure from the left arch (may be due to the injury). I pronate a little while running. I have a heavy heel strike (but likely don’t heel strike quite as much while trail running). 2110s are a great shoe for me (stability). They provide a little more arch support than heel and forefoot (Duomax). The Scott eRide Grips are a support shoe good for extra support on the trail. My Inov8s have significantly less support but this may be acceptable for a trail shoe that sees less impact and heel strike.
He outfitted me with a custom built insole that I may or may not use. Might be nice as added support for my Inov8s. When I tested the insoles I could feel more support.
**When testing insoles I ran on the side of a small hill and could feel significant pressure on my right arch as it tried to support me (right foot was on higher ground). I may need to be careful about running on uneven ground for a while.**
4/10 - Pain seems to have subsided for the most part. Took 2 more trips to the gym with no troubles. Still stretching regularly but not icing as much. Sticking to the 2110s still. Tried rolling my legs out a little as well.
4/11 - Went for a short run on grassy areas in my old/new 2110s.
5/20 Have taken multiple trips to Dr B. He informed me that my hips are twisted causing the tightness all down my left leg (glute and calf) from either my bruise in December or January. This is what caused my PF. He had worked on realigning me (3 trips seems to have done it) and loosening the leg muscles. Also got rid of deema in the arches.
5/28 Muscles haven't been bothering me. Went for a hike last night, no problems. Went for a long ahrd ride this morning. On the climbs my L Calf was super tight and limiting performance. Tried to stretch it out. Would relax on easy sections but tighten on harder ones.
5/29 Dr B says my alignment is good but my calf (Soleus) is super tight. Will hopefully stay loose this time.
This seems to have gone away. Sometimes certain shoes will make me feel some issues in my foot but the alignment really seemed to be the underlying issue. Also have to pay extra attention to stretching my left calf sometimes.
Next time after recovering from injuries make sure the body restores to proper motion. If a doctor (chiro, PT) can help do it.