Can I run with Plantar Fasciitis?

Summary

This video script addresses the common running injury, plantar fasciitis, explaining its inflammation and irritation of the foot's largest ligament. It challenges the conventional medical advice to stop running, emphasizing the importance of communication with doctors to continue training for a specific race. The speaker shares personal strategies for managing the condition, such as running on the right side of the road to reduce stress on the fascia, and advises against corticosteroid injections. The focus is on reducing inflammation naturally, monitoring pain levels, and maintaining fitness while healing, advocating a thoughtful approach to treatment and recovery that aligns with a runner's goals.

Takeaways

• 👨‍⚕️ Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the largest ligament in the foot, not just irritation.
• 🏃‍♂️ Stopping running is often advised by doctors to reduce stress on the plantar fascia, but it's not the only solution.
• 🗣️ It's crucial to communicate your running goals to your doctor to ensure they are part of your treatment plan.
• 🚫 Plantar fasciitis doesn't self-resolve; ignoring it can lead to chronic inflammation and potential rupture.
• 🔁 Continual stress and inflammation can degrade collagen in the plantar fascia, leading to a condition called fasciosis.
• 🚶‍♂️ Running with plantar fasciitis is possible for most runners, but it requires careful management.
• 🧊 To reduce inflammation, use methods like contrast baths, ice, compression socks, and elevation.
• ❌ Avoid corticosteroid injections as they can weaken the collagen and increase the risk of rupture.
• 🛣️ Running on the right side of the road can help decrease stress on the plantar fascia, as demonstrated by the speaker's personal experience.
• 🥗 Pay attention to nutrition, sleep, and stress levels to support the healing process of the plantar fascia.
• 📝 Keep a pain journal to monitor pain levels, running activity, and progress towards healing.

Q & A

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation and irritation of the largest ligament in your foot, known as the plantar fascia.

Why do doctors often advise runners with plantar fasciitis to stop running?

Doctors suggest stopping running to remove the majority of stress from the plantar fascia, which they believe will help the injury heal faster.

Why is it important for runners to communicate their goals to their doctors?

It is crucial for runners to communicate their goals to ensure that the doctor understands their timeline and helps them achieve their race objectives while managing the injury.

What is the misconception about plantar fasciitis being self-limiting?

The misconception is that plantar fasciitis will eventually go away on its own. However, if it's inflamed and the runner continues to run on it, it can lead to chronic inflammation and won't heal without proper treatment.

What can happen if a runner with plantar fasciitis continues to run without addressing the issue?

Continuing to run without addressing plantar fasciitis can lead to chronic inflammation, partial ruptures in the fascia, and a condition known as fasciosis, which is different and more severe than plantar fasciitis.

What is the first step recommended to reduce inflammation in plantar fasciitis?

The first step is to reduce inflammation through methods such as contrast baths, icing, wearing compression socks, and elevating the feet.

Why are corticosteroid injections not recommended for plantar fasciitis?

Corticosteroid injections are not recommended as they can weaken the collagen in the plantar fascia, making it more prone to rupture.

What is the importance of running on the right side of the road when dealing with plantar fasciitis?

Running on the right side of the road can help decrease stress on the plantar fascia by using the slope to supinate the foot, which can aid in healing.

What are some ways to support the plantar fascia while running and healing?

Supporting the plantar fascia includes maintaining fitness through alternative exercises, ensuring proper nutrition, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and stretching the Achilles tendon.

How can runners monitor their plantar fasciitis and ensure they are healing?

Runners can monitor their condition by tracking pain levels using a pain journal, observing for signs of bruising or swelling, and ensuring that pain and inflammation are decreasing over time.

What is the role of a runner's overall body strength and form in the healing process of plantar fasciitis?

Strengthening the entire body, including the glutes, hamstrings, and core, helps maintain running form and reduces the risk of further stress or injury to the plantar fascia.

Why is it essential for runners to challenge the standard of care when dealing with plantar fasciitis?

The standard of care often involves stopping running, which may not align with a runner's goals. It's essential to find a treatment plan that allows for continued running while healing to meet personal and race objectives.

Outlines

00:00

🏃 Understanding and Managing Plantar Fasciitis for Runners

Plantar fasciitis involves inflammation of the largest ligament in the foot. Doctors often recommend stopping running to reduce stress on the plantar fascia, aiming to accelerate healing. However, the key is to communicate with your doctor about your running goals. Ignoring plantar fasciitis can lead to chronic inflammation and more severe conditions like plantar fasciosis. It's crucial to address inflammation through natural methods and continue running mindfully to avoid worsening the condition.

05:00

📊 Monitoring and Treating Plantar Fasciitis

Effective management of plantar fasciitis includes reducing inflammation and supporting the healing process through proper nutrition and rest. Monitoring pain and swelling is essential, and tools like a pain journal can help track progress. Avoid treatments like corticosteroid injections that can weaken the plantar fascia. With careful attention and appropriate measures, runners can maintain their fitness while healing plantar fasciitis.

10:01

🏥 Communicating with Your Doctor About Plantar Fasciitis

Doctors often follow standard treatments for plantar fasciitis that may not align with a runner's goals. It's crucial to clearly communicate your running objectives and training plans to ensure the treatment supports your running schedule. Monitoring pain, avoiding invasive treatments, and focusing on overall fitness are key strategies for managing plantar fasciitis while continuing to run.

Keywords

💡Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition characterized by irritation and inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the largest ligament in the foot. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the condition's impact on runners and how to manage it without ceasing to run. The script mentions that many doctors advise against running when suffering from plantar fasciitis, but the video challenges this by suggesting that with proper management, runners can continue to run and heal simultaneously.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury or irritation, which in the context of plantar fasciitis, occurs in the foot's plantar fascia. The video emphasizes that reducing inflammation is crucial for healing and suggests various methods to achieve this, such as contrast baths, icing, wearing compression socks, and elevating the feet. The term is repeatedly used to stress the importance of managing inflammation to prevent chronic issues and promote recovery.

💡Runners

The term 'runners' is integral to the video's narrative as it targets a specific audience who are dealing with plantar fasciitis while trying to maintain their running routines. The script discusses how runners often make the mistake of ignoring the pain associated with plantar fasciitis, which can lead to chronic inflammation and further injury. The video aims to provide guidance for runners to manage their condition effectively without completely stopping their training.

💡Healing

Healing is a key concept in the video, focusing on the recovery process from plantar fasciitis. It is mentioned in various contexts, such as the importance of reducing stress and inflammation to the plantar fascia to facilitate healing, and the potential negative impact of corticosteroid injections on the healing process. The video encourages a proactive approach to healing, including monitoring pain levels and adopting strategies to support the body's natural recovery.

💡Stress

In the video, 'stress' refers to the physical strain placed on the plantar fascia, which can exacerbate plantar fasciitis. It is used to explain why runners are advised to stop running when diagnosed with the condition, as running adds stress to the already inflamed ligament. However, the video also suggests that managing this stress through proper techniques can allow runners to continue training while healing.

💡Chronic inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a persistent state of irritation and swelling that can occur if plantar fasciitis is left untreated or if a runner continues to run without addressing the condition. The video warns against ignoring plantar fasciitis, as it can lead to chronic inflammation and the development of more severe issues such as partial ruptures of the plantar fascia.

💡Collagen

Collagen is a protein that forms the structural component of the plantar fascia, as mentioned in the script. The video explains that the inflammatory process can lead to the degradation of collagen by enzymes, which can weaken the plantar fascia and contribute to its degeneration. Collagen supplements are suggested as a potential aid in rebuilding and healing the plantar fascia.

💡Doctors

Doctors play a significant role in the video's message, as they are often the first point of contact for runners seeking treatment for plantar fasciitis. The video advises runners to communicate their goals clearly to their doctors to ensure that the treatment plan aligns with their needs as athletes. It also challenges the 'standard of care' provided by doctors, which typically involves advising against running, and encourages runners to seek doctors who understand their specific goals.

💡Nutrition

Nutrition is highlighted in the video as an important factor in the healing process. It suggests that maintaining a healthy diet, including antioxidants and possibly collagen supplements, can support the rebuilding of the plantar fascia and contribute to faster healing. The video emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to recovery, which includes not only physical treatment but also nutritional support.

💡Pain journal

A pain journal is introduced in the video as a tool for runners to monitor their pain levels associated with plantar fasciitis. It is suggested as a means to track progress and ensure that pain is decreasing and activity levels are increasing. The video provides a free downloadable pain journal specifically designed for runners, emphasizing the importance of self-monitoring and data-driven decision-making in managing the condition.

Highlights

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the largest ligament in the foot, not just irritation.

Doctors often advise against running with plantar fasciitis to reduce stress on the ligament.

The goal with plantar fasciitis should be to communicate clearly with doctors about the importance of running and specific race goals.

Plantar fasciitis is not self-limiting; continuing to run can lead to chronic inflammation and damage.

Ignoring plantar fasciitis can result in the condition worsening into a different problem called Boshy OSIS.

To treat plantar fasciitis, reduce inflammation through methods like contrast baths, icing, wearing compression socks, and elevating feet.

Avoid corticosteroid injections as they can weaken collagen and make the plantar fascia more prone to rupture.

Support running fitness while managing plantar fasciitis by running on the correct side of the road to decrease stress on the ligament.

The speaker personally healed from plantar fasciitis in two weeks by running on the right side of the road and without other treatments.

Monitor pain and swelling to ensure plantar fasciitis is not worsening and that healing is progressing.

Maintain a pain journal to track progress and provide insights into what may be aggravating plantar fasciitis.

Nutrition, sleep, stress management, and stretching the Achilles tendon are key to healing plantar fasciitis.

Consider nutritional supplements like antioxidants, tumeric, and collagen to support the rebuilding of the plantar fascia.

Consult with a doctor before taking any supplements to ensure they are safe and appropriate.

Be deliberate and thoughtful about running activities to avoid worsening plantar fasciitis while still training.

Strengthen the entire body, not just the foot, to support running form and reduce stress on the plantar fascia.

Communicate clearly with doctors about the timeline and goals for running to ensure treatment aligns with race preparation.

Do not accept the standard of care blindly; advocate for treatments that allow for running while healing plantar fasciitis.

Transcripts

Dok on the run we help injured runners

run what is plantar fasciitis well itis

means inflammation so if you have

plantar fasciitis it's just irritation

and inflammation of the largest ligament

in your foot now lot of doctors tell you

to stop running if you have plantar

fasciitis well the idea is that you're

stressing the plantar fascia when you're

walking on it and of course when you're

running there's a little more stress on

it when you're running so in the

doctor's mind they think well if we can

get you to stop running it's going to

remove the majority of the stress to the

plantar fascia and you'll start to heal

faster so again the doctors job is to

make you heal the doctors job unless you

make it their job is not to get you to

your goal race on time so when you go to

the doctor make sure you explain to your

doctor you know okay my foot hurts but

the problem isn't that my foot hurts the

problem is that I want to do this

particular marathon on this particular

day I have this much time to get ready

and I want to finish in this particular

time you need to make sure that the

doctors on your team so that's the key

thing you've got to do differently when

you go to the doctor don't just answer

their questions make sure that you get

your point across now back to the topic

at hand so if you have plantar fasciitis

some people will tell you it's

self-limiting that eventually it'll just

go away not true if it's inflamed and

you continue to run on it you continue

to irritate it you continue to aggravate

it and you get chronic inflammation

around the plantar fascia it won't just

go away it can't it's not gonna heal

that doesn't mean you can't run most

runners I think can run with plantar

fasciitis but you don't want to ignore

it the mistake runners make when they

have plantar fasciitis is they just

think okay well it's not that big of a

deal it's just a irritation I can tune

out the pain I know how to suffer I'll

just do it I'll just run well the

problem is if you do that you get

chronic inflammation that develops

around the plantar fascia you get

irritation your body responds with

inflammation and then the inflammatory

fluid actually contains degradation

zaimes

that are supposed to remove tissue

debris all that junk that happens as a

consequence of the injury well the

problem is those degradation times

actually degrade collagen your plantar

fascia is a huge sheet of collagen on

the bottom of your foot so if you have

those enzymes continually you know

infiltrated around the play

dissolving the plantar fascia

effectively the plantar fascia develops

a different problem called plantar

fasciitis

so when runners are just run and ignore

it for a year or two they get plantar

fasciitis the the fashion gets thicker

it gets degenerated the some of the

fibers start to rupture you get a bunch

of little tiny partial rupture is where

the the fash is actually coming apart

then you have a different problem

altogether it's not plantar fasciitis

anymore it's not even inflamed anymore

its Boshy OSIS which is a different

problem so you don't want to just ignore

it and run you have to do something

about it

but if you do something about it and you

can improve while you run then you can

stay on track and you can finish your

goal on time so again the thing that

prevents the plantar fascial from

healing is too much continual stress

applied to the fafsa and too much

inflammation so the first step is get

the inflammation out you know do

contrast baths ice it wear compression

socks elevate your feet do whatever it

takes to get the inflammation to calm

down we discuss all that stuff in the

runners heel pain course but just do

whatever it takes to get the

inflammation out and don't do

corticosteroid injections don't let your

doctor inject you it weakens the

collagen and it's more prone to rupture

if you just run on it so don't do that

but do all the natural stuff you can do

at home all by yourself to get the

inflammation to calm down first if it

calms down it feels better then what I

would do is try to really support your

fitness try to do some other stuff to

maintain your running fitness and run a

little bit to test it out when you run

and test it out you want to make sure

you're running on the right side of the

road so if you haven't seen that video

you should check that out on how to run

on the right side of the road when you

have plantar fasciitis because if you

pick the right side of the road you know

depending upon which direction you're

running it will actually change the

amount of stress and strain on the

plantar fascia your goal is to decrease

the stress to the plantar fascia now I

personally not long ago a few months ago

I had plantar fasciitis on my right foot

and all I did was run on the right side

of the road where I was deliberately

running on the slope to supinate that

foot and decrease the stress to the

plantar fascia my plantar fasciitis

healed in two weeks I didn't do anything

else no pills no injections no night

splints no no fancy gizmos no stretching

routine nothing I ran every day on the

right side of the road my plantar

fasciitis went away so yes in that

respect that's proof that you can run

with plantar fasciitis if you know what

the

problem is if you know how bad it is if

you monitor it and you're making sure

that it's not getting worse and that

it's in fact getting better even as you

continue to run so that's the main

things you got to think about what

prevents it from healing and don't do

those things then think about what helps

it heal and do those things so do the

stuff that really supports the plantar

fascial you know pay attention to your

nutrition make sure you're sleeping make

sure you're not stressed out make sure

that you're stretching the Achilles

tendon because that's really one of the

keys to healing plantar fasciitis and

then also do something to reduce the

inflammation in terms of antioxidants in

your diet tumeric taking collagen

supplements or something like that that

can actually help rebuild any little

micro tearing that might have happened

in the plantar fascia you know of course

check with your doctor before you take

any kind of nutritional supplements but

those things can all help the whole key

again is to try to do whatever you can

control to accelerate the healing make

sure you reduce the inflammation and

then make sure you just really monitor

your pain monitor your swelling make

sure you're not getting any swelling and

keep a painter I want to make sure that

your pain is going down go to the

website just go to doc on the run comm

and you can download the pain journal

for free it's right there on the website

I actually made a pain journal for

runners that you can just print out it's

like a PDF so you just print it out keep

track of your pain keep track of what

run you're doing when it happened what

surface you're running on and then you

can continue to improve even as you

continue to run and heal your plantar

fasciitis

but don't just ignore it that's the

worst thing you can do is just think

well I'll just tune it out you have to

pay attention to the pain so the pain is

going to be associated with inflammation

if it hurts you're getting more

inflammation if you get more

inflammation you're getting more of

those degradation enzymes around the

faster that can damage it long term you

don't want to do that so that's the

thing is you really have to just be

thoughtful about this and be deliberate

about doing all the things that can help

it improve avoiding all the things that

will make it worse but that doesn't mean

you have to stop running most runners

with plantar fasciitis can run and heal

their plantar fascial all at the same

time you just have to be thoughtful

about it when you see your doctor you

also need to make sure that your doctor

is being thoughtful about it that sounds

stupid but trust me I used to do this

basically any patient that came in with

heel pain they were assumed to have

plantar fasciitis and that's common in

most doctors off

so it's a simple fix for plantar

fasciitis but usually that's just like

first step reduce the inflammation you

know with a corticosteroid injection you

don't want to do that you know or stop

running you don't want to do that where

a night splint or a fracture walking

boot you don't really want to do that

either so you have to do all the things

that are going to help without making

your running Fitness worse without

actually decreasing your fitness making

you weak or making you lose all that

aerobic fitness that you work so hard to

build you know that's why you have to

really talk to your doctor about this

and drive home the point that look this

is my goal the only way I'm going to

give you a good review and tell people

that you're awesome is if you get me to

my goal race on time if if you tell me

to sit out my race I'm not gonna tell my

friends that you're an awesome doctor

that's just the way it is so you need to

be straight with your doctor and you've

got to be you know really forceful

sometimes and explaining that this is

your goal your goal is to run your goal

isn't to get the heel pain to go away

your goal isn't to make the heel pain go

away when you wake up and step out of

bed

the goal is to get to your race and be

able to run and be fit for that run so

that's the big thing now again that

brings up a you know a main point here

and that the standard of care is what

most doctors do in any given community

and the standard of care fails most

runners most runners want to run most

doctors tell you stop running so when

you go to the doctor very specifically

tell the doctor what your timeline is

tell them what race you're going to do

tell them what your training plan is and

what braces or what runs you think you

have to do in preparation for that race

you need to be straight with your doctor

and you need to make sure that they

understand what your real goal is that's

crucial and the next thing is the thing

about is that you got to monitor it so

really three ways to monitor it so if

you have bruising first of all you

probably don't have plantar fasciitis

it's probably a partial rupture of the

plantar fascia if you have lots of

swelling you may have a partial rupture

or even plantar fasciitis but there

really isn't that much swelling when you

have plantar fasciitis so you want to

monitor that you need to look for

bruising if it really hurts you need to

look for swelling you need to monitor

your pain so again get the pain Journal

print it out keep track of your pain and

make sure you're staying on track if

you're getting better that's good you

should be able to continue to run and

continue to run more your goal is to get

your heel pain to go down and your

activity to go up even as you continue

to he

so that's really what you have to focus

on then you have to really make sure you

do everything else you want to fortify

the rest of your system the whole rest

of your chassis you know everything else

glutes hamstrings your core everything

that supports you when you run you want

to work hard to strengthen those things

so that as you run you don't lose your

form and pronate unpredictably in a way

that's gonna stress the plantar fascia

that would put you at a risk of re

injury to the plantar fascial so you

know again really be thoughtful about

this really think about what you can do

where you run what workouts you do what

are the things you can do changing your

running form what can you do to put a

little bit less stress on the plantar

fascia and continue to heal what are the

things that you can do to heal faster

whether it's nutritional supplements or

sleeping more decreasing your stress

more what are the things you can do to

make the plantar fascia heal faster

don't just accept the standard of care

you don't have to stop running you don't

have to have corticosteroid injections

you don't have to take ibuprofen every

day you just need to figure out what's

right for you and that probably includes

running so talk to your doctor about it

make sure you're thoughtful about it

make sure you're keeping track of your

progress and then try to keep running

while you get your plantar fascial to

heal doc on the run we help injured

runners run