How I coped with Plantar Fasciitis

What are the symptoms?

For me the base of one of my feet would have a sharp pain towards the central inner part of my heel. When running there was relatively little pain, but afterwards and in particular the day after it was extremely painful to walk. 

In the x-ray photo you can see the heel spur that developed with calcium build up on my heel. It is quite a significant addition to my foot and has provided an immense amount of pain. 

Many people recommend custom insoles to manage it. I am pretty thrifty so was very reluctant to spend that much money and so instead I found these insoles on Amazon. They are so cheap that I decided I had nothing to lose by trying them. I found they worked really well easing the pain after I had been for a run. I even broke the number one marathon rule and put them in my shoes for the first time so they could get me through the Berlin marathon. I knew if they were going wrong I would be able to take them out and throw them away. Thankfully they worked brilliantly and I was soon able to put them in all my footwear. 

They work really well because they provide enough support so the base of your foot does not land on the heel spur providing lots of relief.

The luxury product I bought for being around the house was a pair of oofos. Plantar Fasciitis was usually worst the day after a race when it became excruciating to walk. These oofos are sold as recovery shoes, but I found they made walking with plantar fascitis at home significantly more comfortable.

Wearing the Oofos provided so much relief, especially after runs because they were designed to aid recovery and were a crucial part of relieving the pain. 

To overcome Plantar Fasciitis many people recommend certain stretches, but unfortunately, I found very few of these worked. The only stretch I maintained was the calf stretch where I would stand on the bottom step, or curb on the street and lower my heel below the level on my toes. 

Thankfully I have now reached the stage where I am not bothered by plantar fascitis and no longer have the need for the insoles. It has taken a couple of years to get through it, and I would not wish to repeat it. I still run with the insoles because that is what I am used to now, and to run without them feels strange.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about Plantar Fasciitis and my experience.