Ask the Coach: Is running less the only solution to heel pain?

Heel pain, huh? Calcium buildup? Sounds more like a giant pain in the...training schedule. It is controllable to some degree. Typically speaking, your plantar fascia and the amount of stress it deals with causes heel pain and calcium build ups in your heel. How, you ask? When the fascia over-works from your arch flexing, it tightens it up. After a prolonged time off your feet, especially while you're sleeping, the fascia tightens up so much that it pulls on everything around it, which can create spots for calcium deposits to form.

Stretching and icing are great ways to alleviate some of the symptoms. Rolling on a plantar fasciitis massage ball will really help warm up the area by making the fascia more pliable. The Strassburg Sock itself is medically proven to get rid of plantar fasciitis, which would get rid of the pain.

OK so we've taken care of the heel issue and have a few more ways to ease that pain. Now let's keep it from coming back, shall we? Having SuperFeet inserts in your shoes will help stabilize your heel and minimize the over-flexing of your arches, reducing the strain on your plantar fascia. It may take a little time to adjust to the inserts as that type of support may be new to your feet so you'll want to switch them in and out, adding more time until you can wear them in your shoes all the time. This will keep you from having to cut back on the running and the pain!