I have a mild case of platar facitis and have been doing a few things for it that I have read on here. I know Charlie has mentioned the use of EMS to strengthen the feet well I am wondering can it work to treat Plantar Facitis as well and if so how?
I have been playing around with using 2 pads and putting one on the side of my arch and the other right underneath where my heal meets my arch. Has anyone played with this? Also how high should i jack it up and what kind of rate? I just dotn want to make it worse. Can EMS cause this?
What a coincidence, Quick. I just finished using my Compex on my feet about 5 minutes ago. I’m not sure if it is going to help but I plan on giving it a go for the next couple of weeks. Any success stories or advice would interest me as well.
I don’t have PF, but I have often used EMS for my feet. Generally, I simply place the pads on the ground and stand on them, one on the heel and the other near the toes. Play around with the placement a bit to get the best contraction, then crank it up. I find that I need to set the unit pretty high because of the calluses on my feet (from all of my barefoot running
However, I’m not sure about the advisability of using this protocol for PF. I would think a pulsing mode would be more effective for speeding the healing process.
You can also place pads on both side of your heel (where both sides meet the arch). I assume the pain is close to the heel. Play around with TENS and EMS. I used burst mode with TENS and pulse mode with EMS (contr.:1-4s, rest: 1-4s – just change the stimulus once in a while).
Have you tried acupuncture? I don’t think anything has healed a PF faster than those pesky needles. You can also do it yourself, it’s quite easy, and you know best where the pain is.
The ultimate thing would probably be acupuncture combined with a TENS current attached to the needles – you need special “clips” for that thou.
I had a very bad case not too long ago. I used it the same way you do but I used the constant pulsing mode. I would crank it up right before it started to hurt and leave it there for a while.
If you arent doing these already they are worth a shot:
Running on the grass.
Reduce the volume of high intensity sprints
Lay off using spikes on the track
Using a roller on your arches
Using a roller on your soleus
Active release or graston
Stretch your calves!!!
I dont know what other people have found but in my case it was just a matter of getting in over my head with training my feet were not ready for…
JB
BTW I also tried cortisone and $350 orthotics and they did not do jack shit. As a matter of fact the orthotics made my feet hurt more.
jay,
does the constant pulsing feel like a buzzzz or like a quick thump thump thump. I have been playing around with both. The constant buzz I can tolerate much lower than the power I can use with the thump thump.
Anything else i should know about it? Did it help? I think it made it a little sore since last night was the first time I did it.
Thanx for your other suggestions. I am not starting training for indoor until this goes away. It is my jumping foot. Also I just started doing some deep massage with biofreeze. Is there certain strokes I should use and how deep should I get>?
1- EMS pulse mode.
2- ICE.
3- Alterne COLD/WARM BAGS.
4- AIS routine for feet.
5- Baseball Ball under the feet or anything similar to a foam roller.
6- Trigger point work
Then you can work on calf, peronierus and tibialis (see above).
IMO, you can use a bucket or a bathtub with EPSOM salt.
Unlike the others I don’t like to stand on the pads. It makes my toes curl under which I find quite uncomfortable. So, last night I placed the pads on my feet and knelt down like this.
Much more tolerable. I used the resistance protocol which has a contraction frequency of 50 to 70 Hz, a contraction time of 7-8 seconds, and a rest period of 4-7 seconds. I wasn’t able to take it too high, though. My feet are weak
I also plan on using the Compex to strengthen the muscles of the posterior compartment (flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior) which have taken a beating over the years. These muscles resist excessive pronation which can lead to plantar fasciitis.
Basically the same way as someone would do it for you!
If you feel unsure, have a “specialist” perform it on you once or twice, after that you’ll perfectly capable of doing it yourself – if you have acupuncture needles that come with a tube it’s even easier. The main issue is not who does it, but that acupuncture is really helpful in the treatment of PF. Combine acupuncture with TENS and you’ll have an effective treatment combo.
the single one, to stretch my calfs and it has really helped with stiffness, you can get a much deeper stretch than regular calf stretching. The manufacturers claim in helps with PF and I can honestly say it does stretch the undersides of my feet when I hold for 1min. It is well worth a try.
The constant buzz. Try to get some graston on your calves. I did not try it but a chiro I know swears by it. I did get sore sometimes from the stim, but when I did, I would lay off the stim until the soreness went away then I would start back up. I guess cross friction would be the best. If you do self message work the achillies and the soleus. Try not to go too deep on the self message, you might make it worse. You might want to do some anterior tibialis exercies too.
