Marathon Me

I’m currently in a lot of pain due to the PF. I wear the Sock, but I fear it’s not enough because I also have a mass between the heel and the toes (on the arch). Would anything else help me? I really really don’t want to give up running, but if I can’t walk, I can’t really justify running.Ms. V

A lot of people are confused by what exactly is Plantar Fasciitis . This condition is also commonly referred to as a Heel Spur. While a heel spur may make you think of bony projections in your foot, PF is really damage done to the soft tissue in the bottom of your foot. A Heel Spur isn’t exactly the same thing, but treatments are similar.

Plantar fasciitis is a location oriented term that refers to the bottom of the foot(i.e. plantar warts). Fascia is a tough, inelastic band. ‘itis’is a term used to describe something that is inflamed (i.e. tendonitis, bursitis).

Fascia tissue is located throughout the body, usually providing support to the musculoskeletal system, providing rigidity, much like guide wires support a cell phone tower. Together with ligaments and tendons, fascia allows our body system that allows us to be mobile. Plantar fascia (foot fascia) originates on the base of the heel and runs across the arch of the toes. The primary function of the plantar fascia is to support the arch of the foot.

This is a fairly common ailment, suffered by your truly as well. You’ve already done the first piece, which is purchase The Sock. I think this should be everyone’s first line of attack. The Sock is far superior to the typical night split in that it is just a sock, and thus way more comfortable, and fairly cheap. I don’t wear The Sock as often as I should, but when I do, I notice an improvement. I like to take the sock and crank it down as hard as I can stand it, and then watch a movie. This gives you a good 90-120 minutes of a tough stretch. My foot will be irritated after this and so I can’t keep it that tight all night. I’ll then back it down to a more comfortable stretch for the remainder of the evening while I am sleeping.

It sounds like you are already doing this and thus looking for some additional options. The next thing I would recommend is the TP Plantar Fasciitis Kit from the TP Massage Site. Most likely your PF is caused by an overtight calf, like mine is. This is the reason for the sock as well as the TP Kit above. The Footballer will let you break down the bone spurs, if you have any, as well as the scar tissue building up there. The rest of the kit works on the underlying problem of having a calf that is too tight.

I can’t say enough good things about the products from the TP Massage Site. I have the full kit with the Quad Baller and I love it. It’s the one thing I bring with me on every trip I take. It’s my version of the American Express card, I don’t leave home without it.

A final thing you can do is do some manual massage on your foot to try and break up the adhesions and scar tissue. I find using a portable wine opener works very well. (Really any stiff plastic will work). You need something very stiff so you can apply various levels of pressure, as well as be able to just dig in deep. Afterwards you will probably want to ice your foot to reduce the swelling as you will be causing quite a bit of irritation. (Just don’t use the screw part).

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