[Ged]

Anyone got any advice on treating this? I'm actually asking on behalf of my wife, who seems to be struggling with it getting back into running post baby. Any must do exercises? Or is it just a case of rest?

Any advice much appreciated

[duncan]

Gastrocnemius stretches (calf stretch with straight knee) may help. Tight calf muscles may increase load on the foot.

[TobyD]

Anyone got any advice on treating this? I'm actually asking on behalf of my wife, who seems to be struggling with it getting back into running post baby. Any must do exercises? Or is it just a case of rest?

Any advice much appreciated

This sounds odd, but bear with me,  put an orange in the freezer and when frozen,  roll under affected foot (feet) with a firm pressure,  refreeze orange and repeat. The cooling  should alleviate discomfort and it pretty effectively massages the affected tissue. Combine with gastroc stretches as Duncan recommends; I'd say run but shorter distances  and not on roads, trails paths and  any uneven  softer surfaces. 

[cheque]

put an orange in the freezer and when frozen,  roll under affected foot (feet) with a firm pressure,  refreeze orange and repeat. The cooling  should alleviate discomfort and it pretty effectively massages the affected tissue. Combine with gastroc stretches as Duncan recommends

  This is how my other half fixed hers. She used a frozen water bottle instead of an orange though.

Hers was caused by running a marathon in the shoes she’d trained for it in- having never done a race that long she didn’t appreciate how much bounce they would have lost. Nowadays she can feel the slightest warning signs that she’s getting PF again and will adapt her footwear choices (only wearing a certain pair for trails not the road etc.) accordingly- hopefully that helps although obviously women’s feet change during pregnancy so it might not be relevant.

[Ged]

Thanks everyone. So basically massage and ice, stretch, and sort out trainer support.

How does one go about getting ortho insoles fitted and made?

Toby, before she goes to a physio, are they basically going to tell her what you said?

[siderunner]

I was out of running for a couple of years with plantar.

I found superfeet insoles very helpful, in taking the weight off and relieving pain. I also iced frequently using a frozen waterbottle. Later on calf raises seem helpful, slow and with good form, possibly negatives only. I recommend avoiding bare feet, especially in the morning; Birkenstocks are very helpful around the house due to the arch support. It’s usually worst straight out of bed in the morning; one therapy is a splint/sock thing which stops you pointing your toes at night, keeps the tendon shortening up (havent tried that).

I’d be wary of pushing the calf stretching in the first phase, it can aggravate the plantar tendon. Maybe tight calves can/do cause it - I got calf cramp at 19k in a half and forced myself to run the last 2k without dropping pace.

Overall it’s a very frustrating injury for which the solution is not unanimous in the sports science world. I recommend accepting some time out, and a very cautious return to mileage.

Sorry not to be the bearer of encouraging tidings - hopefully her experience will be better than mine!!

[sherlock]

Mrs Sherlock suffered from this a couple of years ago. She recommends 'Drawing the alphabet with toes' before getting out of bed, calf raises various online exercises all helped but the clincher was changing her footwear to brand called Fit-Flops.
These are not particulary cheap but have been instrumental in her continued well being. Not sure if they do a running shoe but they certainly do a trainer type shoe.She sometimes gets good deals on Ebay.
Hope that is some use, I should point out that neither Mrs S or myself or any of our relatives have any connection etc etc

[winhill]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1950456921833764

Shows a couple of techniques, the calf stretches possibly the best. Rolling the foot on a frozen bottle etc I found no use at all.

[TobyD]

Toby, before she goes to a physio, are they basically going to tell her what you said?

Probably, more or less. Massage techniques may vary. If they offer ultrasound on the Achilles tendon that has no evidence base for PF. If she's very sure that it is PF, it might well be no more beneficial to see a really good sports interested podiatrist, who'll be able to check running gait and footwear and advise accordingly, as well as making insoles. If it was me I'd email local running clubs or athletic clubs, and ask them if they know anyone.

[SA Chris]

Mrs Sherlock suffered from this a couple of years ago. She recommends 'Drawing the alphabet with toes' before getting out of bed, calf raises various online exercises all helped but the clincher was changing her footwear to brand called Fit-Flops.

I've got a pair of Oofos flipflops which i live in most of the summer, and are amazingly comfy. Recommend the foot massage, I use a 2 bottle of frozen water. I've also got a hard rubber ball for massaging under feet.

Re: Ortho supports probably best to see a podiatrist before blowing a load of cash. Getting some cushioned Hokkas or similar may help too.

Also worth looking at running technique, if your style means you are hitting your feet hard it can't help, and a bit of variety including trails and grass and not just tar and pavement can help.

[Scouse D]

I'm going to throw my hat into the ring here for some outside the box PF knowledge having been a perpetual sufferer. Whilst in the depths of a crippling bout of PF I stumbled across a piece of advice which worked wonders for me.
Calf stretches and the like always provided temporary relief at best and often aggravated my Achilles. I needed to address the issue of why my calves were permanently tight.
The advice that worked for me was to foam roll and stretch my quads. The idea behind this was that my pelvis was being pulled down at the front and consequently up at the back which put strain on the posterior chain. Long story short, it worked wonders for me. It also helped sort out some low back pain which was a result of the anterior pelvic tilt.
As well as the foam roll and stretch I also did loads of other stuff to sort out the anterior tilt like glute bridges (loads on YouTube).

[SA Chris]

In short, see a specialist.

I thought I had PF, went to see a podiatrist, and he said it was just bruising in the sole of my foot from upping mileage too quickly.

[Scouse D]

In short, see a specialist.

...and roll out your quads

[SA Chris]

roll out everything. not just for PF, something else will get you.

[Ged]

Thanks everyone. Plenty to get in with. We were in font last week and she was gutted to be out of action. Luckily she's gunning for us to go back in October 

[SamT]

Had it pretty bad in the past and I'll echo what others have said but only in that :

Going to the physio/massage/ultrasound I'm pretty sure did nowt for me but cost a pretty penny.
Rolling on a golfball/water bottle/orange is as good as getting a physio for massage.  Offers temporary relief of discomfort but is not the solution.

Footwear is completely the resolution for me.  Superfeet (green ones) in all my shoes, or birkenstocks.
And not wearing bare feet round the house, especially if you have tiled/laminate floors. 

I have a few pairs of new 'fashion' trainers that if I wear for a while (perhaps a night out that ends up with lots of walking between venues etc, I can feel it coming on).  Similarly, if I have been busy round the house/kitchen (hard wood floor) and haven't bothered with my birkenstocks, I can also feel it coming on. 

Re: getting insoles fashioned/fitted,  they seem to be incredibly expensive, on top of the podiatrist fees so I'd try golfball/superfeet first, then only if that fails, see a sports orientated podiatrist/physio and splash the cash.

Good luck with it.