Healing Your Heels

The most common running injury to the heel area is called plantar fasciitis. This condition is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes. You’ll feel pain along the inside bottom of your foot anywhere from the heel through the arch. Many times, the pain is worst when you step out of bed in the morning or when you’ve been sitting for a long time, and then it improves during the day as the plantar fascia has a chance to loosen up.
The plantar fascia most often becomes inflamed because it has to work through more of a range of motion than it’s designed to. When your heel strikes the ground, the pressure on the heel pulls on the plantar fascia. If your calf muscles are too tight, or if you overpronate but don’t wear shoes with enough motion control, then you’re most likely to develop plantar fasciitis. Also, high-arched, rigid feet can predispose you to this injury because when your heel lands, your foot doesn’t move enough, so the plantar fascia has to absorb more shock.
The best treatment for plantar fasciitis is icing. Ice the bottom of your foot from heel to ball. One good trick is to ice your foot with a frozen cola bottle (if you can still find the glass ones). The cold of the bottle does the work of the ice, and rolling your foot over the contours of the bottle gives the plantar fascia a nice little massage. (It’s pretty hard to stretch it otherwise.)
Most people with plantar fasciitis can run on the injury. Cut back if the pain gets worse, not better, as you run. Preventative steps include increasing the flexibility of your calves and Achilles tendons, and making sure that your shoes have the proper combination of motion control and cushioning.