What Causes Plantar Fasciitis
Sean Gerber at Kinetic Revolution suggests that..
Knowing what to do with or for an injury all begins with understanding how it developed in the first place. Going back to the cause can give you a roadmap to reversing the injury and running pain free.
Plantar Fasciitis tends to strike those who overdo it – which is a relative concept of course, depending on where you are in your running journey! This could be overtraining in general (too much volume / too many miles per week) or it could be more specific than that (too much speed work or hill training).
It could even be an appropriately aggressive amount of training but a lack of essential recovery work.
This frustrating injury develops as a response to training stress. When collagenous tissues such as tendons, ligaments and fascia incur repetitive stress, they will thicken to better handle the stress in the future.
This is a normal response to training. If changes in training occur too rapidly, or if you do not manage the tissue well during aggressive blocks of training, the stage is set for the tissue to adapt poorly and lead to PF pain.
How to Manage Plantar Fasciitis
My plantar fasciitis rehab routine that I suggest to people is largely based on what John Davis at Runners Connect recommends:
These are methods that are fairly simple, inexpensive, and can be done on your own at home.1. Wear comfortable shoes with some cushioning and arch support, and avoid hard shoes or anything barefoot.2. Ice your foot several times a day, either with ice cups or a round, frozen object like a plastic water bottle. If you run, ice immediately afterwards.3. Stretch your calves at least three times per day. Each session should consist of 3×30 second holds, first with your knee straight, then with it bent.4. Stretch your plantar fascia three times per day. Each session should consist of 10×10 second holds. Make sure you stretch right after getting up in the morning.5. Use a low-Dye taping to protect your arch when you walk around or exercise.6. Consider using an over-the-counter orthotic like SuperFeet Green or Powerstep in your everyday shoes and running shoes.7. Wear a night splint or a Strassburg Sock at night to stretch out your arch, Achilles, and calf muscles.8. Roll out your plantar fascia with a golf ball, taking care not to press too hard on the injured area.
Be A Fanatic About Your Running Gait And Heal Your Plantar Fasciitis | Miriam Diaz-Gilbert @ Huffington Post | “In an email correspondence for this piece, Dr. Legere explained two things that often cause PF. Muscle weakness in the foot or calf muscles that hold up the arch of the foot can cause PF. Muscle weakness and improper gait patterns (the movement our body makes when it walks or runs) stress and fatigue the muscles that hold up the arch.”
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