How I fixed my plantar fasciitis

[@tiger2too18]

Glad to hear you did follow Drs advice. I am still doing 10k steps or over 5 miles per day for 7 months. I have only failed on less than this 4-5 times when travelling or being ill or demands at work. Keep enjoying the chess with your son😅.

[@patrickbeardslee4144]

I had PF for over a year before it started feeling better. It was miserable, couldnt point my toes without having pain. Glad you are feeling better.

[@jonallenoutside]

Congrats on getting through it. A year is a loooong time to be in pain. What was your key to healing?

[@patrickbeardslee4144]

@@jonallenoutside lots of PT, all of the stuff you did I did as well for strength building. I also rolled my foot every morning and night. I got special insoles and shoes and never went barefoot. I also got 4 cortisone shots to reduce the inflammation in the heel and those had an amazing effect.

[@Spoonfuloftarot]

Not sure if you remember running I to Scott and I on the long trail and we had to step off right before Jay Peak due to my pain getting so bad most days was a painful hobble from me. I saw the podiatrist and PT before our trip and was told I could go which was the wrong thing to do. It’s been 2 years now and I’m still in pain daily and have 3 podiatrists and 3 different physical therapists say they can’t help me. It’s BEYOND frustrating. And can you guess how it all started? Altras, I was looking for something that would be comfortable and would dry fast for the long trail and due to my foot structure it was the worst thing I could do. I’ve tried everything from PT, stretching, cortisone shots, shockwave therapy ect and nothing is working. The pain clinic said plasma therapy may work so I’m looking into that now because there’s a whole world to explore and I want to go see it. I agree that the mental part and the not being able to do what you want is worse than the pain. Glad you are able to get relief I’m hoping someday I will.

[@jonallenoutside]

Yes, I do remember meeting you guys on several occasions on the Long Trail. I was actually thinking about your foot issue when I was filming this and was hoping you had healed up by now. I honestly felt like mine would never heal but eventually it did after I basically shut it down for 30 days and started over with very low mileage. I feel like the strength training during this 30 days was critical. I really hope you can resolve your foot pain as I know how frustrating it can be.

[@Mikehikes61]

Great job and topic. I too started wearing altras and soon after developed Plantar fasciitis. It was a year plus journey for me, I was 58 at the time. Thanks again John

[@Mikehikes61]

Sorry for the misspelling. Jon

[@jonallenoutside]

Thank you! Yeah, a lot of people wear Altras on trail, but they aren’t for everyone.

[@Mikehikes61]

Where the Topos true to size?

[@jonallenoutside]

@@Mikehikes61 Yes

[@dianesoini]

I don't know the cause of my own PF but my feet started hurting after hiking the PCT. Altras weren't even invented then. I was able to get PF to go away by wearing these heel cup things called Heel Seats in my Altras. Before the AZT I did a test where I took long walks with different insoles. I tested with the stock insoles, some Powerstep insoles and the Heel Seats underneath the stock insoles. Every time I used the Heel Seats, my feet didn't hurt after the walk. Every time I used just the stock or the Powerstep insoles they did hurt after the walk. The Heel Seats were hard to get used to because it feels like you have something pressing on one spot over and over. I figured even they are a dumb gimmick I would wear them on the AZT if for no other reason than they fill up some space in the heels of the shoes, which I find kind of loose. I did the entire trail without any pain.

[@jonallenoutside]

Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear that it worked.

[@curefansc]

This was encouraging, thank you.

[@jonallenoutside]

@@curefansc I’ve backpacked over 1,000 miles since resolving my PF so recovery IS possible. I sincerely hope you can get back to 100%.

[@curefansc]

@@jonallenoutside thank you! It's been 3 months for me - I'm going to try the Aleve, since I'm already doing the stretches and rolling and have stopped running. Crossing fingers...

[@jonallenoutside]

@@curefansc Not a bad idea to talk to your doctor about Aleve and the appropriate dosage for your circumstances. There can be downsides.

[@cnikirk]

I think the zero drop shoe is good for you, but the transition has to be slow or else you risk PF, Achilles or calf injuries. Our feet tend to be weak from wearing shoes with a drop and a scrunched toe box. Your advice otherwise is solid IMO. Take a break until the acute pain is down then slowly add in volume.

[@jonallenoutside]

I did the 800 mile Arizona Trail last year with no pain, so things are going really well. I used a shoe with a wide toe box and 3 mm drop.

[@cnikirk]

that's great! I bet you never get a case of PF again with those changes. I'm on my second bout of it but I think I've learned enough this time to avoid it again in the future. Thanks for the videos!@@jonallenoutside