Heal Your Heel Pain

The Dynamic Duo of lower leg misery: Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. I’ve had them both. And based on my experience, Achilles tendonitis is child’s play when compared to plantar fasciitis.

But that opinion could be influenced by the order in which I had the two conditions. I acquired plantar fasciitis first. It was pretty much healed up once I felt the Achilles tendonitis symptoms creep in – a nagging soreness and tightness in the band of tissue which attaches at the heel and travels upward into the calf region, often called the heel cord. And being a veteran plantar fasciitis sufferer, I knew what to do immediately: back off. I stretched the area a little more than I had been, but other than that, my course of action was to ease off on the things that were causing it, mainly uphill sprinting in this case. I had not been doing much of that type of training, and after deciding to embark on it regularly, I went ahead and overdid it. Going from zero to full-tilt will almost always have deleterious effects, regardless of the activity. Sound familiar?

So my particular case of Achilles tendonitis healed in short order, thanks to NOT doing what I did upon first feeling plantar fasciitis’ soreness approaching: keep doing the same thing and hoping it would disappear. It doesn’t work, trust me.

So what if you acquire Achilles tendonitis, and keep on keeping on with whatever is aggravating it? Well, if you make that choice, the initial soreness is going to end up feeling pretty mild compared to what may be awaiting you. Continuing with the straining activity, be it training on risky surfaces, activities with plenty of jumps or stops and starts, uphill walking, walking or hiking longer than you’re prepared for, etc. may in fact result in a rupture of the Achilles tendon…yes, a complete tearing of the tissue. Often the procedure to rectify it at that point is surgical reattachment. Ouch.

Sound worth the risk of continuing on with the aggravation? I don’t think so. I’m glad I made the right choice and readjusted my activities to accommodate the blossoming Achilles injury. You should do the same, if you sense Achilles tendonitis may be starting. And remember, prevention is always easier than a cure. To see a description of stretching and strengthening motions which will head off both plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, take a look at my book Injury Afoot: 30 Things You Can Do To Relieve Heel Pain And Speed Healing of Plantar Fasciitis. The exercises are compiled into one brief, easy-to-read source.  They’re easy, they work, and they don’t take long to learn or do.

Just an update to yesterday’s post: I ran and finished the Twin Cities Marathon 10-miler today. My feet held out and no heel pain occurred. Yes! This was my 5th TC 10-miler, but my first after wrestling with and beating a bad case of plantar fasciitis.

Just a couple of years ago I limped and winced with the condition, and thought I might never run a city block again. Since then, I’ve run maybe 10 or 11 races, and have had no recurrence of the heel agony. So, if you currently suffer from plantar fasciitis, know that there’s hope! I’ve never had any surgery, shots, or ultrasound therapy of any kind. Just a regular routine of conservative, active recovery activities and a readjustment from the abuse I used to subject my feet to. I detail them in my book Injury Afoot, and I’ll be discussing them here. If I can do it, so can you!

Pat Hafner_TC 10-miler #5

Well, I guess tomorrow morning is when the rubber meets the road, or in this case, the running shoe meets the road. Sunday, Oct. 5, at 7:13 AM Central Time, the Twin Cities Marathon starting gun sounds. (Yes, 7:13…not 7:15 or 7:30…the marathon organizers run a pretty tight ship!) Several thousand runners will stride through the picturesque and chilly Minneapolis/St. Paul streets, enjoying the fall colors & the camaraderie, and trying to not collapse in a heap. A few of us more gravity-challenged folks are opting for the less grueling, more realistic 10-mile run. This will be my 5th TC 10-miler, but my first after recovering from the plantar fasciitis ordeal. So I guess we’ll see if the strategies I’ve listed in the book Injury Afoot – which this blog is based on – stand the 10-mile test. (Actually I know they do…I just ran 6-9 miles several times in recent weeks, but proving it on the course of a nationally-recognized race makes it more official.)

A few things I’ll be sure to include in my pre-race prep for foot protection:

Gently stretched Achilles tendons, calf muscles, and hamstrings. Same thing for the lower back. I have good, sturdy inserts in the shoes already to support my arch. And I’ll make sure to warm up thoroughly, with plenty of slow, gentle walking, then working up to faster walking, then to a slow jog. All just precautions. I currently have no heel pain at all, but I never want a recurrence.

Anyway, wish me well. For me 10 miles is a long way!