You’re in the middle of training for your next marathon. You hit the track every day. Then one morning you swing your legs out of bed, hit the floor, and wince in excruciating pain: Your plantar fasciitis is back.
It’s not surprising that, as a marathon runner, you have a chronic injury. Running-related musculoskeletal injuries are common among both marathoners and ultramarathoners. About 7.9% of runners suffer from plantar fasciitis, which can come and go.
At Texas Heart and Vein Multispecialty Group, our board-certified podiatrist, Nathaniel Alabi, DPM, urges you to treat your plantar fasciitis and try to prevent a flare. At our Houston, Texas-area offices, we offer treatment and support so you can stay in the race, even with heel pain.
How do you train for a marathon with plantar fasciitis? Follow these tips.
Even though the term “fasciitis” refers to inflammation (i.e. “itis”), the main problem with most cases of plantar fasciitis isn’t the inflammation. It’s the microscopic rips and tears in your plantar fascia that occurred over time, which can lead to inflammation.
In fact, you may have experienced for yourself that anti-inflammatories don’t completely resolve your pain. That’s because they can’t repair the torn and damaged tissue.
Another reason to hold off on medications is that it may mask the pain enough that you may continue to rip and stress the plantar fascia as you train. Eventually, overtraining makes the condition worse and may prevent you from running at all.
Without painkillers, how bad is the pain on your training days? If it hovers around 4-5 on a scale from 1-10, you can probably run through it without causing more damage. But make sure your pain recedes to a pre-run level within 24 hours before training again.
You should always replace your running shoes every 300-500 miles to ensure that they give your feet the support they need. With plantar fasciitis, consider switching out the shoes sooner rather than later to be sure they continue to absorb the shocks that your plantar fascia can’t.
You may also benefit from customized orthotics that ease the strain on your foot if you have alignment problems, such as overpronation. A sports medicine evaluation can pinpoint problems in alignment and gait that could be remedied with orthotics and take some stress off your heel and sole.
Also be sure to rotate your shoes daily. Have at least a couple of pairs of running shoes and regular shoes so that you don’t overuse the same muscles and tendons every day. Changing shoes forces your feet to adapt.
Torn, worn plantar fascia stiffen and are less able to absorb shocks. The stiffness also creates pressure and pain in your heel.
Even before you suffer another attack, try to help your damaged tissue heal and stretch with physical therapy, stretches, and stimulating exercises that increase blood flow to the bottom of your foot. Stretches and other activities that prevent or relieve plantar fasciitis include:
Shockwaves are an in-office procedure that breaks up scar tissue and damaged tissue. The procedure stimulates blood flow and healing to help build a stronger plantar fascia.
Night splints stretch your damaged, stiff plantar fascia as you sleep. Or, you might try kinesiology tape, which also stimulates blood flow.
Compression socks squeeze your feet and help bring more blood to the area. You can wear them at night, in place of a splint if
you find splints uncomfortable.
You can also wear compression socks during the day and while running to add extra support to your feet. You might look into compression socks that are specifically designed to remedy plantar fasciitis.
Training for a marathon needn’t entail running during each training session. If you have plantar fasciitis, it actually shouldn’t.
Give your feet a break as you build strength and endurance throughout your body. Try other activities, such as:
If you have a marathon scheduled and your plantar fasciitis has flared up, phone us at the office nearest you or schedule an appointment online today. We can help with prevention and also with alleviating pain or resolving the condition altogether.
We service Greater Heights, Pearland Market, League City, Lake Jackson, Manvel, Rosharen, Alvin, Fresno, Missouri City, Arcola, Friendswood, South Houston, Kingwood Market, Humble, New Chaney, Atasciacita, and Northeast Houston, Texas.
