My husband (the non-runner) had knee surgery last month.
Funny thing, somehow when they were working on his knee, he managed to get Plantar Fasciitis in his foot.
He got his knee replaced, so I guess his foot was either anchored down or held down.
Whatever, my poor hubby now has a runner's ailment.
But, his loving wife, the runner, knew of some things he could do.
Plantar Fascia is the thick tissue that connects your heel to your toes.
It enables the foot to carry your weight and help you maintain your balance.
When your foot undergoes stress, it can cause a tear in this tissue.
And it is painful! Most runners get Plantar Fasciitis from running long distances and running in poorly fitting shoes.
As we've talked about before, making sure that you have properly fitted shoes is the most important thing a runner can do! If you do think that you may have Plantar Fasciitis, there are some exercises that you can do to help.
Fill a plastic 16-20 ounce bottle with water and freeze it.
Roll your affected foot over the bottle.
This helps, not only to take the tension from your heel - but the ice massage will help ease your pain.
Another thing you can do to help relieve the pressure in your heel is to pick up things with your toes.
A pencil, marble - anything that you can wrap your toes around.
If you catch Plantar Fasciitis early enough, do these exercises, make sure you are running in good shoes, make sure you are stretching before and after running - you should be able to save yourself a trip to the doctor! Just remember to run smart and always listen to your body.