Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common running injuries.

Famously, it was the running injury that motivated me to delve into the world of trail. And since about a year ago, I’ve had an on-and-off bout of it in my other foot.

When plantar fasciitis is bad, it’s really bad. It’s almost debilitating to walk, let alone run. But if managed early enough in the process, the issues associated with the injury can be mitigated quite easily with a few tricks.

My two experiences with plantar fasciitis include a lengthy spell on the sidelines where I was off running for three months, to a lengthy spell where I didn’t have to take time off at all.

Having had the lengthy spell on the sidelines where I tried everything to rid myself of the injury, I knew exactly how to manage it the next time around, and stopped it from becoming a serous issue. And while plantar fasciitis can be an injury that takes a while to go away for good, it’s also an injury that can be reduced to just a few days out if managed properly.

Here are my top tricks to managing plantar fasciitis, and stopping it from getting to the phase that requires a length spell away from running.

SELF-MASSAGE, MOBILITY & STRENGTH

Before you take any step in the morning STOOOP!

Get a massage ball (a ball is better than a roller because you can grab it and do toe exercises with it). Massage your foot, do toe yoga on it, get rid of the tightness, and then take that first step.

Otherwise, that first step is where plantar fasciitis gets worse every single day. Every time you go to sleep, the blood flow to the area reduces, you become a little dehydrated (reducing blood flow all the more), and the foot tightens, trying to heal itself in your sleep. And that first step (as anyone who has had this injury knows) feels like you are just undoing everything you just did in your sleep, on a super tight dehydrated foot.

Drink some fluids, massage that foot and that same-sided calf, and then take that first step.

That’s step number one!

Step number two is to head over to your yoga mat and do calf raises, single-leg calf-raises, calf foam rolling, and a variety of other exercises that target the calf strength + mobility. Calf tightness and plantar tightness are deeply intertwined, and releasing that calf muscle is so essential to the healing process.

A daily routine that includes toe yoga, calf strengthening, foam rolling and self-massage is a daily routine that can manage plantar fasciitis effectively almost alone.

GET WIDER, PROPERLY SIZED SHOES

Another common feeling that anyone who’s had this injury will know well is that as soon as you sit in a car with your shoes tied up all the way, the muscle tightens and that first step out of the car can be just as painful as the first step out of bed.

There are several ways to reduce this feeling.

1. Get bigger, wider shoes that properly fit your feet, and don’t jam your toes into your shoes.
2. Untie your shoes when sitting at a desk or in the car, and let your feet have more room to move and breathe. Move the foot around!

If you’re not walking (or running) anywhere, there’s no reason to have your shoes tied up all the way when sitting at home, in the office, or in the car. Instead, untie them! Take them off completely (maybe not in the car for safety reasons)!

But just let your feet breathe!

Sandals are also a great move for the home, ensuring your toes are never crammed into shoes and that you have protection for harder surfaced floors at home.

Even if you’re someone that doesn’t think that you have wide feet, it might be worth trying the wider option in your favourite pair of shoes. Many shoes these days come in a wider fit, and that’s the one I always choose to ensure my feet have enough space to do their thing.

HEAT & PEMF

Since plantar fasciitis is not an inflammation issue after the first few days, it doesn’t respond well to anti-inflammation measures like ice, menthol creams, and Advil when it comes to long-term healing.

What it needs is blood flow! So instead of ice, something like heat can work well in getting blood flow back into the area. It’s the same reason why a massage ball works so well throughout the day.

Upping Vitamin D levels has also been long thought of as an effective way to boost plantar fascia healing.

But the number one thing that’s really well researched into getting blood flow into the feet is PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy). This is a more expensive way to fix a problem, but I’ve found it extremely helpful – especially in managing plantar pain.

If you’ve tried everything you can do already, it is absolutely worth the cost for a device that you can use for more than just your feet.

As a runner, you’re already spending a ton on shoes, nutrition, races, travel, and all the fancy tools for mobility and strength. So I get that it might take a few extra nudges to spend even more money to fix a problem that other people just don’t have. WHY ARE YOU THE UNLUCKY ONE THAT ALWAYS HAS TO SPEND MORE?! I get it.

But at the very least, a massage ball is a great $20 investment. At the very most, PEMF will help the injury to go away. If that’s worth the cost to you, then it’s also certainly worth the investment too.

_{Not sponsored: I use OMI Pads!}

So with that, these are all of the most effective strategies I’ve found to managing plantar fasciitis. It’s an injury that can’t be healed through just one approach alone. And when it’s bad, it needs time and dedicated focus to help it get back to a place where you can run. Even if it’s good enough to run, it will take time to go away for good, and you can’t just leave it alone.

In the meantime if you need help managing your training to avoid injuries and take your development to the next level, always feel free to reach out.

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