Sidelined by Injury!

[jade]

Hey all,
Haven't been in the saddle for a few days as I battle plantar facitis (sp?) I have it in my left heel and it's very painful.
Has anyone else had this? I refuse to go to the foot doctor about it because I'm already doing the treatment prescribed which is:

*rest
*ice
*Anti-inflammatory meds
*Muscle Relaxer meds
*Pain reliever meds
*stretching

Out of all of the above I've found stretching to be the most effective.
Anyway, if anyone else has this I would love to hear from you!

Be well-
jade :sadblinky

[Isabeau]

Ouch. I've never had that *knocks wood* but I've heard it's painful. You take care!

[jade]

Hey isabeau,

Ouch. I've never had that *knocks wood* but I've heard it's painful. You take care!

Thanks! I do feel better today. I'm going to wait one more day (because it's going to be really hot here tomorrow) then we have a cold front going through. I'll ride then.

Thanks again for thinking of me!
jade :hug

[jroche5998]

Jade,

I hope things get better for you soon.

[2big4mysize]

ouch the stretching, and strengthening of your foot muscles should help you a lot.

Hope it heals up well for you.

[Iapetus999]

I've heard that stretching PF is bad...that you need to let the foot heal and then strengthen the foot muscles.
Here's a link my chiropractor gave me:

http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/23/12/03.html

(you can ignore the chiropractic mumbo jumbo)
I've been having a little bit of PF/Achilles tendonitis, especially in the morning when I wake up.
I just hope it holds off from being serious 'til I climb Rainier and then I will take a long break in training. :nod

[Piasabird]

Hey there, Jade!

I've had Plantar Fasciitis a couple of times. Three times I've had Cortisone injections in my heel area. I finally had to buy expensive orthotics for my shoes and I haven't had a flair up since then.

My doctor advised me to never go around barefoot :sadblinky and to wear shoes that are nice and cushy, not hard soled.

I don't wear my orthotics all of the time now but I always look for a shoe or sandle that has a nice arch support. That's one reason that I love Birkenstocks so much.

Other than what I've told you about my experience, you're doing everything right with:

*rest
*ice
*Anti-inflammatory meds
*Muscle Relaxer meds
*Pain reliever meds
*stretching

I hope you get better quickly. I know you're anxious to keep cycling. :yes

[jade]

Hey Jim,

Jade,

I hope things get better for you soon.

Thanks. While it's still a little tender, it is better today. I'm taking one more day off then hitting the trails tomorrow. It's going to be scorching hot here today so no biking for me!

Thanks again for your best wishes,
jade :wave

[jade]

Hey 2big4mysize,

ouch the stretching, and strengthening of your foot muscles should help you a lot.

Hope it heals up well for you.

Thanks for the encouragment! I appreciate it!

Be well-
jade :wave

[jade]

Hey Iapetus999,
Interesting article. My experience has been the opposite. Since I have fibromyalgia on top of this I HAVE to stretch. Otherwise my muscles become rock hard and cramp up. When I stretched my calves on my bike tour I did get relief of my pf. But I'm also taking alot of meds one of which is a pretty high powered muscle relaxer. I think that probably makes a difference because the muscles are being relaxed internally and then some externally.
But interesting article just the same. I see a chiropractor as well along with a physical therapist and a massage therapist or my fibromyalgia. They are great folks to have on your team!

Thanks again!
jade :wave

[jade]

Hey Pbird!

I've had Plantar Fasciitis a couple of times. Three times I've had Cortisone injections in my heel area. I finally had to buy expensive orthotics for my shoes and I haven't had a flair up since then.

*I have custom made orthotics and wearing them does make such a difference!

My doctor advised me to never go around barefoot :sadblinky and to wear shoes that are nice and cushy, not hard soled.

*Me too but unfortunately I do go barefoot alot. That's a big problem for me. I wish I could find some sandals that have the same arch support as my tennis shoes. It's hot/confining to wear shoes all of the time!

I don't wear my orthotics all of the time now but I always look for a shoe or sandle that has a nice arch support. That's one reason that I love Birkenstocks so much.

*Maybe I will check out Birkenstocks too! My brother-in-law wears them year round.

Other than what I've told you about my experience, you're doing everything right with:

*rest
*ice
*Anti-inflammatory meds
*Muscle Relaxer meds
*Pain reliever meds
*stretching

I hope you get better quickly. I know you're anxious to keep cycling. :yes[/quote]

*Thanks. I'm going to try to ride tomorrow night. It's suppose to cool down and we have a group ride (Taco Ride!) on Thursdays. I will try to ride then.

Thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate it!

Be well-
jade :hug

[BreakfastSurreal]

I had custom made insoles for my shoes...cost about $500 or some crazy mess...let me just say that I got home, tried to put them in my tennis shoes, and then when I tried to walk around it felt SOOO funny...like my feet were sitting too high up in my shoes, and my shoes just didn't fit right...so..I stopped wearing them : / such a waste, but my feet are better now. I did not have PF, but I had problems because I started running 6 miles a day and I have little to no arch in my foot, so there was a lot of pressure being put on them and it was painful

I also wear Birkenstocks around the house! THEY work!

[jade]

Hey "BreakfastSurreal"
Thanks for sharing your experience! I couldn't walk without my orthotics. I put them under the little pad that comes with my shoes and I can't even hardly tell they are there. I wear them in my bike shoes too. For me it was worth every cent. One of the things about orthotics that I learned was that you have to transition in to them. When I started I only wore them for 5 minutes. Then I added minutes as the week went on. After a couple of weeks I was wearing them everyday and couldn't even tell I had them on.
Sorry you had a poor experience with yours.
I will check out Birkenstocks though. They sound like a good investment!

Be well-
jade :wave