Dear Trainer - I have a question, my left heel- after lot of running on the court or at the gym, I feel sore on the bottom of my heel. I use a roller where I rub my foot on it. Any other stretching plan or solution to where I can get rid of the pain/sore?
Dear Official - The pain you are describing "sounds like" symptoms that are consistent with plantar fasciitis. The good news is that it sounds like you are addressing this early so hopefully we can settle it down relatively quickly.
The good news is that if you can tolerate the discomfort, you are probably not doing any long term damage by working through it. The plantar fascia is a broad band of tissue on the sole of your foot that runs from the heel to the base of the toes. When this tissue becomes tight, then weight bearing activities forcefully stretch the tissue resulting in an overstretch or sometimes microtears of the tissue. Most commonly the pain is located near the heel where the tissue inserts into the bone. It is most painful during the first step of the day because the tissue shortens while sleeping and as soon as you step down it forcefully stretches pulling at the insertion. Pain is also typically present after standing for long periods of time, especially in shoes that do not provide a lot of cushion.
I have a few treatment suggestions that may help:
1) Work on your flexibility. The most important stretches you can do are calf stretches and an isolated plantar fascia stretch. The calf stretches are the traditional runners stretch in two positions:
a. Gastrocnemius Stretch: Stand pushing against a wall. Step one leg back, pushing heel into the floor.(Hold 20-30 secs)
b. Soleus Stretch: Step back leg in slightly, keeping heel pushed to floor, bend knee (Hold 20-30 secs)
c. Plantar Fascia Stretch: (Must be done with shoes off) Place affected foot on the edge of a step or chair with toes off the edge. Knee and ankle should both be at 90 degrees. Using your hand, pull toes up toward the ceiling. (Hold 20-30 secs)
Repeat each stretch 3 times
2) Ice the affected area. An easy and effective way to do this is to freeze water in an empty plastic bottle. Rub the foot on top of the frozen bottle for 10-15 minutes. This provides massage and stretch.
3) Massage the area to work out any tightness or areas of adhesions(tissue sticks to surrounding tissues). This can be done with the hands or some people like to rub their foot on top of a golf ball (you can also freeze the golf ball)
4) You may also want to try a heel cup or padded heel insert. There are several that have added cushion in the center of the heel insert. They are typically clear with a blue center cushion.
Hopefully these hints will help you manage the symptoms you are experiencing. Let me know if you have any questions.
Michelle Futrell, MA, ATC, SCAT
