Ready to have my foot cut off

Well Trish, I'm recovering from a Plantar Fascia tear now. I've been patient for two weeks, the foot feels good again, but after your story I'm gonna give it another week.

Not what you want to hear, but thank you for the story.

Hi Tricia,

There are some links in this thread:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I noticed in a few places that people recovering from plantar fasciitis are prone to setbacks. I've had a few myself so far too. Take heart though, back off, rest and start easy again, and you can heal it up. I've been making progress lately with very light exercise and lots of inflammation control like rest, ice, gentle massage, and ibuprofen. Good luck.

I was sidelined from running for about 4 or 5 months a couple of years ago with PF.  What worked for me was custom orthotics and very cushioned shoes (Asics Nimbus)  for my high arches.  Good luck with your orthotics.

In case it helps you, I have also been trying a few other things at the same time. Some, all, or none of them may be contributing to my recent progress. I make an effort to eat a balanced diet but have started to take a daily multi-vitamin recently. Along the same lines, I've read a suggestion that glucosamine may help with tendon injury recovery, so I'm also taking some of that daily. I don't usually like taking stuff like that but it's a measure of my own frustration with plantar fasciitis that I'm willing to try almost anything.

I try to use frequent gentle stretching too, being carefull not to overdo the stretching and cause more inflammation. Stretching and easy massage helps a lot first thing in the morning before I get out of bed and put weight on my foot. There are also night splints available that help prevent the fascia from shortening overnight while you sleep but I haven't tried one yet. There are strengthening exercises that I use too, but again being carefull not to overdo them. It bears repeating that I use a lot of icing and rest on my foot even when it doesn't seem necessary.

Good luck with your foot!

thank you all for your replies. So far, it doesn't sound like anyone had to give up running from it?? I actually was blessed with atypical PF, which means I had no first step morning pain, the tear actually occured in the arch. I'm hoping with more supportive orthotics, and possibly another bout of physical therapy, I may kick this thing once and for all. Guess I'll be a great swimmer before I get many running miles under my belt again!