26 Mar How to Safely Run with Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis, one of the most common running injuries, affects more than 2 million people each year.  This uncomfortable foot condition develops as a result of inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a connective tissue located on the bottom of the foot.

But how does the inflammation of the plantar fascia occur in the first place? There can be many causes for this, including:

• Poor foot structure while running,
• Wearing uncomfortable and inappropriate shoes for your foot type,
• Suddenly increasing your running mileage,
• Running too much and not resting enough,
• Being overweight.

Clearly, there can be many causes of plantar fasciitis, so it’s best to inform yourself before even starting to run.

Of course, plantar fasciitis can be avoided if you practice safe running, meaning you always wear comfortable shoes, you stretch before and after your running sessions and you carefully and slowly increase your running mileage.

Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot avoid injuries no matter how careful we are. This is why even the most experienced runners suffer from running injuries, including plantar fasciitis.

But once it happens, can we ever go back to running? Absolutely – just give your feet time to heal. Take a few days off (or weeks, depending on how serious the injury is), relax, stretch your feet every day – and get yourself a foot massager.

Can Foot Massagers Help Runners With Plantar Fasciitis

Foot massagers for runners are a great way to promote blood circulation and the flow of oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues. They are also perfect for accelerating post-recovery, especially the electric foot massagers that offer various massage programs and often come with the heat function that speeds up the recovery even further.

But electric foot massagers are far from being the only massagers that can help with plantar fasciitis – even regular manual rollers can greatly help in relieving the pain and promoting recovery. With their nubs, balls and rollers, manual massagers deeply massage the bottom of the feet, kneading the fascia and stretching the tight muscles.

Handheld massagers can also help with plantar fasciitis – you can use them for the soles of your feet to ease the pain, but also on your calve and thigh muscles to relieve muscle tightness.

So what massager is the best foot massager for runners with plantar fasciitis? That depends on several factors:

• Your needs: if you’re in a lot of pain, it may be best to invest in an electric foot massager that comes with many different massage programs and features. If, on the other hand, you’re not under a lot of pain but are rather uncomfortable, buy a regular foot massage roller.
• Your budget: if you don’t want to spend too much money on foot massagers, pick one of the manual, affordable ones. Although much cheaper than electric massagers, these foot massagers also provide pain relief and promote recovery.
• Your space: if you’re looking for an easy-to-move foot massager that you can also use at work, it’s best to pick a lightweight, simple foot massager that can be conveniently used just about anywhere (think handheld foot massagers).