Newb here, but not new to running. Battling plantar fasciitis that showed up for the first time ~3-4 months ago. Went to the podiatrist today, and got exactly what I didn't want. Doctor's treatment plan is cortisone shot (which I got), taping my foot, come back in a week. Eventually he's talking orthotics, etc, etc. Never go barefoot, wear shoes whenever you're not in bed, blah, blah... When I tried to discuss my needs with him, I got the "I'm the expert, do what I say and you'll get better" speech. When I told him I had been wearing VFFs exclusively for running and casual wear for the past 4 years, and barefoot whenever shoes aren't required (lived in a culture where it was normal to take your shoes off when entering anyone's home), he told me to stop it all immediately. When I told him that switching to VFFs for running eliminated my back and knee pain from using high$$ motion control shoes, his response was (wish I was making this up) "I only work on feet. I don't know anything about all those other body parts. If you want your feet to get better you'll do what I tell you."
So, here's my back-story: 49 y/o male, 72", 230#, running for over 30 years, averaged 25-30 miles/week until about 10 years ago (weighed about 210 until that time). Went through a bad stretch of health that really messed up my training base, and now I'm down to running 3-5 miles, 3-4 days/week. I ran in high-quality motion control shoes that I had to replace every 3-4 months because of knee and back pain. I was definitely a heel striker, and ~20 years ago I was a bad over-pronator. As stated above, I have spent the past 15+ years living in a culture where you took your shoes off as soon as you entered anyone's home, and I prefer being barefoot whenever possible. Never considered barefoot running, but when I read about VFFs I thought it was worth a try. I switched to them 4 years ago, and had a really easy break in period. It only took me about a month to get back to 3-5 mile distances. I transitioned pretty easily to a midfoot running style.
I've never had issues with feet, ankles, anything like that until ~3-4 months ago. At first I thought I had a stone bruise in my heel (left foot) and tried to run through it. At the same time I got the "broken glass when you get out of bed" symptoms, but didn't connect them. I laid off running completely for the past 2 months, and my foot was getting better, until the stupid cat got out about three weeks ago, and I took off across the yard barefoot chasing him. Something popped in my foot, and it put me on the ground. I couldn't walk at all that day, but the next day I broke out the old motion control shoes and wore them for the day, along with pounding motrin. I'm back to where I can do my 1.3 mile walk with my dogs without any pain, and just a little "soreness". I'm very proficient at feeling better before I am better, and jumping back into stuff too soon, so I want to go at this carefully.
Sorry for the long intro, but wanted to try to answer as many questions up front as I could.
MY QUESTIONS:
1) Should I go back to the podiatrist at all? If he wants to stick me again, should I let him?
2) Assuming the answer is "no" to #1 (which is my inclination), how do I know when I can start back to running?
3) When should I start working more on flexibility? I've always had tight hamstrings, along with very strong calves and whatever that muscle is along the shin. Flexibility has never been my strong suit, but it's never hurt me before either.
4) Other suggestions for self-rehab?
Thanks for the wonderful service you provide on this site!!!
EDIT: More questions I forgot to ask last night:
5) I'm assuming my root cause is probably some sort of asymmetry/imbalance issue. Is chiropractor a good place to start? Haven't been to one in >5 years. If so, what training/certifications/methods should I ask about when searching for a new one?
6) Is it ok to start rolling my foot while I'm still working to eliminate pain?
So, here's my back-story: 49 y/o male, 72", 230#, running for over 30 years, averaged 25-30 miles/week until about 10 years ago (weighed about 210 until that time). Went through a bad stretch of health that really messed up my training base, and now I'm down to running 3-5 miles, 3-4 days/week. I ran in high-quality motion control shoes that I had to replace every 3-4 months because of knee and back pain. I was definitely a heel striker, and ~20 years ago I was a bad over-pronator. As stated above, I have spent the past 15+ years living in a culture where you took your shoes off as soon as you entered anyone's home, and I prefer being barefoot whenever possible. Never considered barefoot running, but when I read about VFFs I thought it was worth a try. I switched to them 4 years ago, and had a really easy break in period. It only took me about a month to get back to 3-5 mile distances. I transitioned pretty easily to a midfoot running style.
I've never had issues with feet, ankles, anything like that until ~3-4 months ago. At first I thought I had a stone bruise in my heel (left foot) and tried to run through it. At the same time I got the "broken glass when you get out of bed" symptoms, but didn't connect them. I laid off running completely for the past 2 months, and my foot was getting better, until the stupid cat got out about three weeks ago, and I took off across the yard barefoot chasing him. Something popped in my foot, and it put me on the ground. I couldn't walk at all that day, but the next day I broke out the old motion control shoes and wore them for the day, along with pounding motrin. I'm back to where I can do my 1.3 mile walk with my dogs without any pain, and just a little "soreness". I'm very proficient at feeling better before I am better, and jumping back into stuff too soon, so I want to go at this carefully.
Sorry for the long intro, but wanted to try to answer as many questions up front as I could.
MY QUESTIONS:
1) Should I go back to the podiatrist at all? If he wants to stick me again, should I let him?
2) Assuming the answer is "no" to #1 (which is my inclination), how do I know when I can start back to running?
3) When should I start working more on flexibility? I've always had tight hamstrings, along with very strong calves and whatever that muscle is along the shin. Flexibility has never been my strong suit, but it's never hurt me before either.
4) Other suggestions for self-rehab?
Thanks for the wonderful service you provide on this site!!!
EDIT: More questions I forgot to ask last night:
5) I'm assuming my root cause is probably some sort of asymmetry/imbalance issue. Is chiropractor a good place to start? Haven't been to one in >5 years. If so, what training/certifications/methods should I ask about when searching for a new one?
6) Is it ok to start rolling my foot while I'm still working to eliminate pain?