Published on July 28, 2026 at 06:00 AM
Infections often appear in groups. In the running group I coach, we’ve had an ankle year (lots of sprains), an owl year (multiple owl attacks), a hip year, and even a pneumonia year. Now, today’s injury is plantar fasciitis. “It seems like it’s everywhere,” a colleague told me.
However, knowing the causes can be difficult. The ankle year was probably a reflection of a statistical structure called Poisson distribution This explains why random events sometimes appear in clusters. Other groups have clear reasons. The Year of the Owl was associated with the increasing presence of highly territorial territories Banned albums. That was the year we realized we had to take them seriously and be alert. Common training patterns can also produce combinations of injuries. Iliotibial band (ITB) problems.For example, it is known to be associated with running on inclined surfaces. If everyone’s favorite long run were suddenly on a route that was always on a side slope, the increase in ITB problems wouldn’t be surprising.
So, when it comes Plantar fasciitisHas anything changed? Or is the Poisson distribution just doing its job?
Dive deeper into plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis It is pain in the thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia, that connects the ball of your foot to your heel. It is usually seen as an inflammatory problem, but a 2003 study It was found that it is actually a degenerative condition without inflammation. In either case, the pain usually appears as pain in the heel, whether when running or when getting out of bed for the first time in the morning. It can also be really frustrating because it can take up to a year to resolve.
“Nine to 12 months is not abnormal,” says Matt Klein, MD, assistant professor of physical therapy at George Fox University, Newburgh, Oregon, who specializes in plantar fasciitis, among other things.
The biggest Risk factors Other than overtraining, Klein says, there are tight calves, stiff feet, and Limited ankle movement. But changes in shoe design may play a role. “What’s happening in the running industry now is that shoes are getting stiffer,” Klein says. “Even though not every shoe has a carbon plate, they have actually increased the stiffness of a lot of shoes, and we know that excessive stiffness (of a shoe) can contribute to ankle stiffness.”
Is it the shoes? Must have shoes.
Today’s shoes also feature a lot of rocker, meaning they have a curved base that allows your foot to roll forward, similar to the way you would roll forward in a rocking chair. This in itself isn’t bad, says Klein. Because research says it can withstand pressure of the sole of your foot, including the plantar fascia. But rockers are often produced with designs that bend the toes upwards — a feature called a toe spring, which can angle the toes upwards by up to 30 degrees.
This is possible Speed up you in the race By allowing you to step forward more easily, but this may have costs if you always use shoes that include this. “The toe spring reduces the amount of work the intrinsic foot muscles have to do to maintain stability in the MTP joint (the joint between the toes and the ball of the foot),” said Harvard University researcher Daniel Lieberman (famous for his role in the book Born to Run). External operation In 2020. Regular use of them means that these muscles will not be as well conditioned and will be less able to protect other tissues in the foot, such as the plantar fascia.
Portland, Oregon, sports podiatrist and minimalist shoe advocate Ray McClanahan He adds that a toe spring keeps the arch muscles that control the toe constantly stretched, as well as preventing them from taking pressure off the plantar fascia. Moreover, McClanahan says Research dating back to 1905 It appears that in cultures that typically wear shoes with stiff toe springs, the toes remain elevated Even after taking off the shoes.
Moderate shoes
It is also important that a shoe that fits one runner may not fit another. Benno Nigg, now-retired co-director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Calgary, Alberta, has found that when runners have a choice of shoes, they “choose shoes.”Comfort filterIt can be relied upon to guide them toward the shoe least likely to cause injury.
But this only works if there is a wide enough selection of shoes to try on.
“There’s still decent diversity in the racing world, but a lot of trainers are starting to look and feel the same,” Klein says. Yes, there are exceptions, but for the most part, “everything has become more solid and solid.” This is a problem, he says, because the shoe that fits best is the one that works best with your personal biomechanics. “It shouldn’t be too stiff or too flexible,” he says. “It should feel right.”
Break the cycle of plantar fasciitis
If you are one of the people suffering from plantar fasciitis, the first thing you should realize is that you are not alone. one He studies It is found to be the third most common running injury. Recovering from it may require a lot of trials. One of my best friends, a hiker, not a runner, suffered from it for about a year, and then, as a hiking holiday approached, had eight acupuncture treatments. They worked, and I went from not being able to walk more than 2 miles to walking 11 miles.
Klein agrees. There is good evidence that treatments such as acupuncture and… Dry needling “It could work,” he says.
However, dealing with plantar fasciitis can be complicated. He says current best practice guidelines include:
- Keep moving. “You should keep moving as much as possible,” Klein says. “You’re not causing tissue damage.” This doesn’t mean you should ignore pain and run a marathon or run a 5K pace. As always, appreciation is important.
- Try arch support. Maybe it will work; Maybe not. “You won’t know until you try it,” Klein says.
- Seek physical therapy to reduce stiffness in your calf and big toe. Either can apply tension to the plantar fascia.
- You have to realize that not all heel pain is plantar fasciitis. “Everything in that area is described as plantar fasciitis, but there are actually many things that can cause these types of symptoms,” Klein says. That is, what you think is plantar fasciitis may actually be a pinched nerve or tendon problem. “Make sure someone can actually diagnose you,” he says. “The nerve will not respond (to treatment) in the same way as a tendon or plantar fascia.”
Of course, consider changing your shoes (or… Strengthen your feet). Low-profile shoes show a 10% strengthening of the foot’s intrinsic muscles, McClanahan says, “and should be an area of focus during recovery.”
How to completely prevent plantar fasciitis
Scott Christensen, head of coaching at USA Track & Field, suggests there may be ways to train yourself to become more resistant. He says plantar fasciitis in distance runners is associated with excessive running straight forward, especially in a narrow range of strides. The solution, he says, is to diversify your training to include not just race-pace work, but sprints, strength, agility and coordination.
“Distance runners should jump rope, fly run 30 meters in sets at full speed, (do) a lot of deep body squats and lunges, jumping jacks, side-to-side jumps, back jumps, etc.” People who do this “don’t get plantar fasciitis,” he says.
