I thought my plantar fasciitis was almost gone until a very easy five mile hike brought it back with a vengeance. With my first spring race lurking on the next page of the calendar (March 4th!) I decided to seek professional help again. This time, I am seeing a physical therapist for Graston treatments.
Graston Treatment For Plantar Fascittis
In case you haven’t heard of it, the Graston Technique® (yes, it’s trademarked) is an “instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization” technique. The practitioner uses a specially designed instrument (a specially shaped silver rod) in a massage-type technique to mobilize soft tissue, like scar tissue and myofascial adhesions. The treatment itself can be from uncomfortable to painful, but is worth it (to me at least) if it works.
I had my first physical therapy appointment on Thursday. After a full assessment, the physical therapist did Graston treatments on my foot and calf–the likely source of the problem. She also prescribed a regimen of stretching and rolling that I am committing to adhering to religiously:
calf stretch: 3 x 30 seconds
figure 4 stretch: 3 x 30 seconds
foam rolling (calf): ~2 minutes (spending 30 seconds rolling around tender areas)
lacrosse ball (foot): : ~2 minutes
The state of Virginia lets patients see a physical therapist for 30 days without a doctor’s referral–just enough time for my last appointment to be the Friday before that March race. Let’s hope I’m well on my way to recovery by then!
Weekly Wrap
At the same time I seeking new treatment for my PF, I’m cautiously ramping up my running again.
Monday: 45 min strength workout at home
I was tired after that 44 mile bike ride on Sunday, so I canceled my OTF class and opted for a full body strength workout at home.
Tuesday: 30 min strength workout at home
I accidentally turned off my alarm instead of hitting snooze, and when I woke up again it was too late to get to my indoor cycling class. I felt bad about doing a second strength workout at home until I saw Wendy’s post on many benefits of strength training.
Wednesday: I leaped out of bed at 4:15 to make it to my 5:00 OTF class.
Even though we switched stations three times, I still got a decent number of splat points, probably because the floor workouts kept my heart rate up with snatches and burpees.
Thursday: 4 mile run and first #runrise of the year!
I’m still trying to figure out which shoes are best for me right now. For this run I wore my Mizuno Wave Inspires with Berry Superfeet insoles. My foot felt good during the run, but my PF ached later.
Friday: CPY2
The peak pose was transitioning from tripod headstand to side crow. Since I only tried a partial tripod headstand once before, I focused on tripod headstand and convinced myself to lift my knees off my arms for a few seconds.
Saturday: 6 mile run.
I knew it was going to be cold for this run, but I expected temperatures in the 20s at least! I wore some of my warmest gear–including my Physiclo resistance pants for their extra thickness–and didn’t feel cold as long as I kept my gloves on–no checking my Garmin and no photos en route.
For this run I wore my Mizuno Wave Riders with Berry Superfeet insoles. My foot felt iffy during the run, and my PF ached a bit later, but maybe not as much as Thursday.
Sunday: CPY2
A rainy Sunday is perfect day for hot yoga–especially with a friend.
Deborah is much better at Warrior III than I am!
For the week ahead, I plan to do a 4 mile run on Thursday, and depending on how that goes I will do a 6 or maybe 8 mile run on Saturday.
I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap
I’m also participating in the Cherry Blossom Training Link Up. If I DNS the Reston 10 Miler or treat it as a training run, the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile run will be my first race of the year.
If you are training for Cherry Blossom or another spring race, link up your training post here:
[inlinkz_linkup id=746095 mode=1]
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
Great week of workouts! Glad you are getting your PF sorted out, that sounds horrible!
It’s the coming and going that’s so frustrating!
I hope you get rid of your PF. It must be frustrating
Good luck with the graston. It’s worked for me every time I’ve had it done. I agree the discomfort/pain is worth it!
It will be if it works! 😉
My chiro does Graston and she did it on my low calves and heels this week. She founds some pretty good tender spots too.
It definitely hunts out tight spots!
I hope Graston will do the trick. We have to a doc’s referral for physical therapy. It’s very nice you can at least go for a month without it. Nice job on such a cold run too! Thanks for linking!
I’m starting to feel a little aching in my plantar fascia. Hoping that’s all it is. Aching. Damn it. Graston scares me.
Thanks for sharing my post! Have a great week!
The timing on your strength training post was perfect. 😉
I did not know that about the PT. The PT I saw in the past wouldn’t do anything without a doctor order, so I started seeking others, like the chiropractor and massage therapist…I sure hope you get some relief.
Your pose is great!
Apparently a chiro can refer you to PT too – the things you learn!
I need to keep up with the foot stretches even when things don’t hurt! Great to see you today
That’s the hard part. I’m trying to do some stretching on my other calf and foot too.
So sorry that PF flared up for you again. I’ve had Graston on lots of body parts but, knock wood, no PF. I hope it does the trick for you.
OH NO! Im so sad it flared again—but good you have a plan?
Still, I can totally entirely imagine how dang frustrating that is.
xo
I’ve had the Graston Treatment for my Achilles Tendonitis. Uncomfortable is definitely an understatement – but it works like nothing else. My problem is also been as a result of hiking, so it makes running a little tricky.
I do think that Plantar Faciitis is more painful than my Achilles problem. Hang in there and keep doing the exercises!!
Great job with your workouts this week! I hope that the graston treatment helps your PF. I get graston treatments for my IT band and ankle and it’s very helpful!
I have never heard of this method. I will have to tell m mom about that. She always seems to have problems with her feet. Every time I use the HIIT app on my watch, I rarely get past the green zone. Guess I am not working hard enough.
I hope the treatments work well for you this time, so you can run your race on the 4th! How fun to meet up with Deborah for some yoga!
I’m happy to hear that is working for you! I’ve heard PF can be a tricky beast.
Fingers crossed that the PT appointments and the treatment help get rid of the PF for good!
I am eager to see how your treatment works, because I’ve been suffering from PF for months, to no avail.
Sorry to hear that – what have you tried?
I hope the treatments help! That’s super cool that you don’t need a referral for the first month — what is up with needing a referral, anyway?
Warrior III is hard! How fun to do it with Deborah.
PF can be so tough to get rid of! I dealt with a mild version this summer…Graston really helps. This was also a good reminder to stay on top of my calf stretches!
I’m learning how long 30 seconds can be!
PF is so nasty, and my two experiences with it were short-lived (and mild) in comparison to what I’ve read others experience. Hoping the treatment is a success and has you ready for your race!
Wow. I hope that treatment works for you. I’ve had plantar fasciitis several times before and the doctor was no help, even with painful heel injections. If love to hear that this treatment brought real relief. I’ve just been trying to change my shoes regularly to avoid my feet settling into the pain.
PF can be really tricky. While the cupping and ultrasound helped, it didn’t go away completely. Now I’m doing PT and focusing on stretching my calves and strengthening my feet.
I’ve had Graston technique done on my knees…oh man I loved that hurt! My knees have been causing me trouble and I’ve been thinking I may need to look at PT…but I will def need a referral with my insurance, ugh!
Hopefully PT treats that PF so you can get ready to race!
Knees usually need PT because there’s usually a muscle imbalance somewhere. I’m working on that too.
Great week of workouts… I need to add a little diversity to mine 😉
Sometimes mine are too diverse – just a little bit of everything!
Great job with your training! I hope that your PF gets resolved. I’ve never heard of graston for that. That’s really interesting!
Sorry about your PF, I hear the graston technique is awesome! Grewat job on your training despite the PF>
I’m hoping it does the trick!
I hope that the PT continues to be helpful and that you’re able to get rid out your PF pain. Nobody should have to suffer through ongoing pain.
I’m sorry about PF. I hope you kick it soon!
I’ve had graston done for ITBS knee pain and it was very effective. Hope it works for you too.
Oh, yeah, I’m sure Graston is great for ITBS. She did it some on my inner thighs to help with my hip tightness — yowzie!
Great job this week! Even with a snooze button! So sorry to hear you have plantar fasciitis, my husband suffers from it as well. I can’t imagine it being painful to walk! Hope it heals quickly!
PF really sucks. Luckily mine isn’t that acute, but I’ve been hobbled by it before.
Glad to hear – take care!
I really hope I can do Cherry Blossom next year. It looks like such a great event.
I’m sorry you are still struggling with the PF. I have been lucky not to have a flare up in a while, but they do take while to eliminate completely.
I should have sought treatment right away — and kept up with what I started. — It would be great for you to do Cherry Blossom!
I’d be interested in trying Graston on my hamstring and glute…. they’ve been talking to me for months now. Hope it clears up your PF so you can run the Cherry Blossom pain free!!
Oh, I’m sure it could help those issues as well – maybe check it out.
Oh, I love your warrior 3 photo! Too cute!!