I recently started cycling again after a 25 year hiatus, and things are going pretty well. the other day, though, I started feeling some pain in my foot, and it is the same problem that forced me to quit jogging - plantar fasciitis. I also golf (walk 95% of the time) and have had no problems ever. Presently, I am riding a mountain bike mostly on roads, and I'm wearing all-terrain running shoes. Is there a possibility the cycling could cause plantar fasciitis? If so, what might I be able to do to rectify the problem? I really enjoy being on the bike again, and I don't want to have to quit another activity because of a foot problem.

Any opinions, advice, and experiences are appreciated.

Dean

Yep, and I got rid of mine, but it requires some discipline.

The trick is to NEVER walk barefoot, especially when you've been off your feet for more than half an hour -- and your shoes must have adequate arch support.

The most crucial time is when you're getting out of bed; you have to put your shoes on before you take your first steps for the morning, because the area has "cooled" down.

It took me a few days to get into the habit, and it's a pain in the @ss puting your shoes on for a two minute trip to the toilet in the middle of the night, but it's worth it.

As far as I know, it's caused by lack of stretching of the Achilles and calves

Orthotics (custom arch supports) can help. My podiatrist also prescibed anti-inflamatory drugs, He injected some cortisone too. It went away after a long while, avoid movements that make it hurt if possible.

As a messenger I get on and off my bike a lot and I would feel a twinge if I got on or off on the right side of the bike (my right foot was sore). I guess putting tension on the achilles tendon as 531Aussie mentioned. The riding itself wasn't a problem, I just had to be more careful walking (avoiding running and hard heel strike) and got on and off the left side of the bike. I never had to stop riding though I cut back on my hours working. I hope you get well soon!

stretch, man, stretch! I can't stress that enough. a few times per day, stop to stretch your calfs and achilles. it sounds crazy, but it works. I had plantar facitis for a few months last year, and it was aweful. I tried arch supports, and they helped a little bit. but the most important thing is to get those calfs stretched out.

Two pairs of thick socks in my shoes at all times stopped mine. It has gone away for years now. I hadn't even thought about it until your post.

Hi, I had problems with Plantar Fascitis a few years ago and it turned out to be a certain pair of shoes that I owned. However, a doctor I played golf with one day in Florida noticed my slight limp from the pain and told me that if every morning I would roll my foot on a tennis ball (to stretch tendon) for 5 minutes the pain would go away. It took about a week but I never had the problem again.

Hope that helps!

Rob

ddeand - it's taken me years to get my plantar fasciitis under control and this is what i've learned:

1) stretching is very important, but don't think you can stretch away the pain - it's more of a maintainance thing. what i mean is, once you finally get things under control stretching and exercise will help to keep the calf and foot loose.

2) for a cyclist, cross-training is important. cycling is healthy in so many ways, but if you're plantar fascia is already full of microtears from overuse then the problem with cycling is that it doesn't give you a natural calf stretch and the tightening in your gastrocsoleus can aggravate your condition. plantar fasciitis is already slow to heal because the white tissues involved don't get much blood flow.

3) orthotics are important as well, but another thing that helps is hiking/backpacking shoes that have less flex through the arch and heel area. i have some montrail low-rise hikers that i use for jogging because they're less bendy through the middle than my new ballance running shoes. but that's in addition to orthotics - i move my orthotics around so that I _always wear them in all my shoes. i have a pair of merril sandles, but i'll only wear them when there's no significant walking involved because they're just too bendy.

what i'd suggest you do is think seriously about cross-training. i've had my feet under control for years now but i still rarely do the same thing even two days in a row. i do this rocky trail-jogging thing on the days i'm not riding. it's perfect because it's low impact compared to running but still involves the natural gastrocsoleus stretch that cycling lacks. be careful with swimming - again, healthy for the rest of you but pointed-toe and kicking for all that time can tighten your calf and not give you the natural stretch you need.

back before i had it under control i tried to avoid walking around in bare feet too, and i even used those horrid foot braces to keep your feet bent a bit when you sleep. but gel type inserts and wearing two pairs of socks - these kinds of things are just trying to cushion an uncomfortable spot. cortizone shots are not about healing either i don't think, so don't think there are any medical solutions. the surgical procedure is absurd - i think they just cut the plantar fascia to make more room!

try to stay positive. i know how frustrating it can be, but ultimately cycling and other rather intense foot activities can be your friend again. it might take a year or more for things to heel enough, but once you have some cross training and stretching going on the same things that gave you an overuse injury can be used more conscientiously to keep things loosened up and prevent that injury from coming back.

all the calf stretches are good: hanging off a stair (my fave), pushing against a wall, sitting on the ground and using a towel around the ball of one foot. consider taking a yoga class as well once you're in a place where being barefoot doesn't hurt or feel too tender.

don't try to ride as much as you can get away with. it's overuse that makes it worse - so if you recognize what's going on you have to change your behavior and ride less often and less intensely. in the early phases of plantar fasciitis i think the whole point of any mild exercise should just be to loosen the muscle groups and tissues in your legs. a bit of walking or spinning can be enough depending on the severity of the condition.

the last thing i'll recommend is to disabuse yourself of the "try as hard as you can" notion that permeates all sports. pushing big gears, sprinting, charging up hills - these things are _so not your friend. you'll see ppl around you do it and hear stories on the boards of how much ppl can push themselves - but this is where overuse injuries come from: going to long and trying to hard. it's that simple really. start small and listen to your body - don't shoot up to old distances and speeds that you remember you used to do and don't reward early successes by doubling your mileage your next time out. your goal is to be able to ride 100-150 miles a week again someday soon - not to go as far and as fast as you'd like _right_now.

and another thing:
don't ride in your "all-terrain running shoes" - get some real bike shoes and pedals. they're totally stiff on the bottom and won't let the bottom of your feet bend like sneakers do. this is a no brainer for somebody with plantar fascia problems.

Thanks, Y'all!

I appreciate the responses. It seems that the first step (no pun) is to stretch. I started doing that and haven't had any trouble since (about 5 days ago). I also just bought a new bike and got some decent shoes in the deal, so that should help. As far as the cross-training goes, I am on the verge of joining a health club and will do quite a bit of differentiated workouts.

Again, thanks for the help.

Dean

Thanks from me, also, just happened on the thread after getting a probably diagnosis. Great reading.

Again, many thanks.

I am a runner who has picked up cycling. If you are a distance runner you have had a run in with PF or at least know many who has. It sucks and is one of the hardest thing to get rid of. Many runners turn to cycling to help has it is not as bad on it as running. I am on a non-running training period now to try to get it corrected (had it since July of last year). It is nearly gone and would have been gone a while back, but stupid me has to run in the Indy mini marathon every year.

Let me tell you that there will be 2 schools of thought on this that have some overlap. best of luck finding out what works!!

One school is to add orthodics and more shoe (in the running world, 'more shoe' means to run in a higher stability or motion control shoe) to stop the pain. This often works, but many believe (me) that it only ends in making your foot weaker as the shoe does all the work.
One school says to never walk barefoot. One school says to run barefoot to strengthen the arch.

Both say stretch, strech, and more stretch, though they might differ on how and when.

Deep tissue message is important to if you ask me - use a tennis ball or golf ball or PF specific device. Wherever it hurts most, do it more.

Best of luck. PF sucks.

Interesting...I had plantar fasciitis for about two years that never resolved...until I started riding a bike. It gradually went away. I am totally pain free now.

Cycling has helped me get in my cardio fix and has greatly helped my PF. It is likely the benefit has come from running 2-3 days a week as opposed to 5.

If you need a plantar fasciitis "boot" for stretching your tendons while you sleep, PM me. I have one for sale that's hardly been used (size large).

I was also going to recommend looking into the stretching splint that is used at night time. It really did the trick for me.

https://www.thesock.com/ it does help, but not the cure all for me. It does take some time to get used too while sleeping. Insoles with arch support helped me along with daily stretching and ICE!

Buying insoles with arch support for all your shoes too. Dress or sport

Hi
I have had some good results with this

https://www.thesock.com/

You also need to do the calf streatches.
Also I use a small bottle filed with wather then frozen. I then roll my foot over it.

Dave

Also, avoid (like the plague) shoes with a heel.

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pla...ciitis/DS00508

I've got a few questions.

Why is barefoot bad? is it simply because there's less padding between your heel and the floor?

I have some orthotic insoles that correct and realign my feet (they push my arches up and out). Are those what peopletalk about when they talk about when they mention insoles, or are they talking more about the general cushioning ones?

Doesn't the action of cycling (pressing with the ball of the foot), stretch the tendon, and shouldn't that make it better - so should you try and cycle more?

Can it be connected to IT band problems? I have on/off IT band problems in the same leg, which seems to have cleared up now, only to be replaced by this.

I've got somemore questions, I'm sure, but I can't think of them now.

Thanks

Barefoot is the least arch support you can get. I think that's why it's bad.

I was practically crippled with plantar fasciitis for three years. I'm fine now, but to prevent it coming back the doctor recommended using cycling shoes with stiff soles, plus I stretch religiously before AND after any exercise, and wear motion-control running shoes with added motion-control insoles (available from Road Runner Sports) even though I don't have flat feet.

Three years of getting up in the morning and walking like an 80-year-old was horrible, so I have become very serious about taking these precautions.

Anyone got any knowledge about the orthotic insoles?

I had my PF since last summer; I have been rehabbing it by rolling my foot on a wooden foot massager since the past 3 months, this has been working out quite well. Originally I was just rolling my foot on it, but now I have progressed to standing on it and applying pressure to it while flexing my foot. This has helped a great deal; painful at first but the pain gradually subsided. I can run 6 miles now or bike 35 miles without having any undue stress finally.