Plantar Fucksciitis
So it is indeed confirmed. I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis yesterday by my orthopedic surgeon. I have read about plantar fasciitis before and discovered that it was characterized by heel pains and tightness in your foot specially in the morning. Somewhere between my weekly runs, I may have overexerted myself, or have been training too much too soon — a rookie mistake, but the best that I can do now is to deal with it and find out what are the possible treatments. I was even recommended for rehab by Dr. Roura, so I might check St. Luke’s for a schedule and of course determine if the services are covered by my HMO.
With my 16km run tomorrow, I wanted to be sure and get an okay signal from the doctor, and he said that as long as I trained for it and that I take it easy on the uphill routes, I can still run tomorrow. Hitting my target time of sub 2 hours seems bleak, but at least I can still run.
But this sucks.
I did a very short 3km today and felt my calves tighten. While it wasn’t really painful while I was hitting the road, but there was a bit of discomfort. I’m determined to recover from this wretched injury nonetheless, so I checked out www.sportsinjuryclinic.net for Plantar Fasciitis Exercises. Here’s a summary of things that I need to do:
Plantar fascia stretches
- One way the plantar fascia can be stretched is by pulling up on the foot and toes.
- Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds.
- Repeat 5 times and aim to stretch 3 times a day.
Plantar fascia stretch by rolling
- The plantar fascia can be stretched by rolling it over a round object such as a ball, weights bar, rolling pin or can
- Roll the foot repeatedly over the object, applying increasing downwards pressure.
- Using an object which can be cooled in the freezer, such as a bottle or can, also applies cold therapy at the same time!
Gastrocnemius muscle stretch
- Stand in a wide stance, with the leg to be stretched at the back.
- Lean forwards against a wall and make sure you keep the back heel down.
- Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 3 to 5 times and repeat the set 3 times a day.
- Gradually hold the stretch for longer (up to 45 seconds).
Soleus muscle stretch
- In addition to the above stretch this one will stretch the Soleusmuscle lower down in the back of the leg.
- Stand in front of a wall with the leg to be stretched just behind the other.
- Bend both knees and lean forwards slightly. Make sure you keep the back heel down.
- If you need more of a stretch, raise the toes on an object 1-4 inches tall or move further back from the wall
Stretching on a step
- Stretch by standing on the edge of a step and slowly lower the heels down below the step.
- Start using both legs and progress to one leg at a time
- Hold for at least 15 seconds.
- You should feel a gentle stretch.
- Be careful not to over-do this one
Slow start for my half marathon and 42k dreams, but I’ll get there no matter what! I promise!
