• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Marla Deen

Marla Deen

Finding ways to fit it all in each day . . .being fit, being healthy, enjoying BEING each day !

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Blog Archives
  • About Marla-Deen
  • MD Mats
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Videos
    • Video Bundle #1
    • 30 Minute Arm and Abs
  • Login/My Account

Help for that Pain in the Foot . . . Plantar Fasciitis

March 14, 2016 by Marla-Deen Brooks 4 Comments

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

If you have ever had Plantar Fasciitis you will know.  If that first step out of bed in the morning practically brings you to your knees or has you limping to the bathroom – guess what?  You probably do.  It is one of those nagging pains that you think will just go away.  Except it doesn’t go away, but continues to bug you and actually gets worse.  I’m sharing this today because I realized when I got out of bed this morning that my right foot did NOT hurt.  Hallelujah!!  All throughout the day teaching classes, walking around and staying on my feet I noticed my foot felt normal for the first time in a long time.  I had been fighting Plantar Fasciitis since last Spring so want to share some tips.

Plantar Fasciitis is really a common foot injury and can be fixed.  It just takes time, patience, and then some more patience.  If you are an active person, or someone that spends time on their feet, and you haven’t had plantar fasciitis, chances are you will.  So, to help you nip it in the bud I’m here to share a bit about it and what has helped for me.
First of all, what exactly is plantar fasciitis? The plantar fascia is the band of tissue that is on the bottom of the foot that connects the heel to the toes.  It helps support the arch in the foot and when the tension is stressed, tiny tears occur which cause the inflammation and pain in the foot. It is an odd thing because while it might feel like knives stabbing the foot first thing in the morning, it generally feels better after walking around and getting the foot warm.

Plantar Fasciitis is an equal opportunity injury.  You don’t have to be a marathon runner or fitness fanatic to get it.  If you are a hairdresser on your feet all day you might have it.  You might be a teacher standing in unsupportive shoes every day.  In fact, my brother got it from walking in the woods scouting tracks of land all day wearing boots.  Wearing flat shoes or going barefoot can contribute to getting it.  Adding mileage or a new workout routine, playing tennis on hard courts, old shoes and just the way your foot is made can contribute.

Once  you feel that pain you have to get on it.  Stretching hamstrings, calves and the Achilles is the first step.  Stretch several times throughout the day, every single day.  One stretch:  Stand against a wall, placing your heel on the and ball of the foot up against the wall.  Slightly bend your knee and press your foot in the wall, leaning forward.  repeat. Second stretch:  Lie on your back with a towel wrapped around the ball of the foot and pull the ball of your foot toward your face.
Next, ice, ice and ice.  I always have a frozen water bottle in my freezer.  Grab it and roll it under your foot several times a day anytime you sit down.


My other favorite thing is to massage the bottom of the foot with a tennis or lacrosse ball.  I tell you, it hurts so good!  Stand on the ball and hold it under different areas of your foot, where it is inflamed and even around the balls of the feet.

Of course, it would also make sense to rest the foot, right?  Try to switch up the activity that is causing the pain.  Low impact exercises might need to be your new friend for a while.  Think swimming, elliptical machine, rowing, biking, Pilates and yoga.

Another tip is to check out your shoes.  Are they really old and giving you no support?  It might be time to get a new pair and adding a good insole with arch support helps a lot of people.

I have had it in the past so last Spring when the bottom of my right heel and also the side of that heel began to bug me, I figured it was back. I did all the right things I had done in the past, but it just kept getting worse. I stretched every day, rolled on the lacrosse ball, iced when I could and got new inserts.  It didn’t get any better.  I finally broke down and went to the doctor.  In the past I had used custom orthotics and a boot to sleep in last time I had Plantar Fasciitis and it really helped.  I asked for the boot and was happy to sleep in it at night.  Of course, it makes getting up in the middle of the night a huge pain . . .

IMG_1367
The BOOT

The BOOT does a great job of keeping the foot stretched throughout the night. This is a huge help to me when I get Plantar Fasciitis.  Another thing that really helped me this go around was new shoes.

In December I published my Holiday Gift Guide and included a pair of Hoka running shoes.  I have been wearing these shoes since December for a lot of my activities and I think they have been a huge help.

IMG_1381

They may look funny but boy do they do the foot some good!  A friend who also had some feet problems recommended them and I have really felt the difference.  Even walking the dogs had gotten to be incredibly painful until I starting wearing these shoes.

Everyone is different and what works for one may not work for the other.  It may take only one of these tips to help you or it may take all of them.  In my experience the most important factor in the healing process is patience.

Have you experienced Plantar Fascitiis?  How did you heal?  Did you try anything different?  

Enjoy Your Day!

Signature

 

 

Filed Under: Fitness, General, Motivation

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. lynn says

    March 14, 2016 at 9:08 pm

    the only shoe that I could wear with any comfort were sandals by orthaheel….I think it’s now called the vionic brand. they were like heaven to my feet when I fought plantar f for almost a year and a half!

    Reply
    • Marla-Deen Brooks says

      March 17, 2016 at 3:23 pm

      That’s great to know. I’m not familiar with that shoe. A year and a half is so long to be on the injured list!

      Reply
  2. Leslie says

    March 17, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    Hi MD. If you recall I got plantar facitius a few years ago and it would not go away despite stretching, icing, wearing the boot, rolling on the tennis ball etc… It just would not heal. In fact I had it in one foot but then the other started hurting because I was straining it to avoid stepping on the first foot. Two feet with PF is not good. So last summer I paid for 6 sessions of dry needle accupunture. While the pain did not disappear suddenly, within a few weeks I too all of a sudden realized it was gone. Hallelujah.

    I am letting you know because although accupunture for plantar fasciitis might seem extreme, it worked. The needle accupunture stimulated the blood flow in my feet so that the body could heal.

    BTW I always enjoy reading your blog when I have time. Hope all is well. Leslie

    Reply
    • Marla-Deen Brooks says

      March 17, 2016 at 3:22 pm

      Halleluhjah is right! So glad you tried that and it worked! I’d say keep stretching so it doesn’t return. Hope you are well!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Subscribe

* = required field

powered by MailChimp!
Privacy Policy

Photographer: Deborah Celecia Wagoner – www.dcw-photo.com

Search

© Copyright 2018-2021 · All Rights Reserved · Website by TecAdvocates

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.