Swimming is supposed to be a good exercise for people with plantar fasciitis, in that it won't inflame the problem, but I'm starting to wonder if this is true for your typical Masters swimmer. For one, there are a lot of hard pushes off the wall. For another, there is swimming with fins (long fins and zoomers). Does anyone have any experience with this? I can't seem to shake my plantar fasciitis and I wonder if swimming (or at least wall-pushing and swimming with fins) is delaying recovery.
I got P.F. from running in 1987 and it was more swimming that I turned to to keep me fit. I got custom orthotics and was able to return to run after a couple weeks, but it still took months to completely subside. I continued wearing orthotics forever, still have them.
Dan: i was suggesting arch supportive flip flops for the healing time for the OP, not forever. Unfortunately, not everyone will successfully wean off arch supports because of personal body mechanics, severity of injury, delays in seeking treatment etc. At best, the healing time is often long and protracted. Going flat footed too soon doesn't help. The other thing to keep in mind is that the plantar fascia is not a muscle to be strengthened in the usual senses. Personally I wear supportive footwear for activities where I am on my feet a lot, but not necessarilly at the pool. If I was having active PF pain I would be more cautious.
I got P.F. from running in 1987 and it was more swimming that I turned to to keep me fit. I got custom orthotics and was able to return to run after a couple weeks, but it still took months to completely subside. I continued wearing orthotics forever, still have them.
Dan: i was suggesting arch supportive flip flops for the healing time for the OP, not forever. Unfortunately, not everyone will successfully wean off arch supports because of personal body mechanics, severity of injury, delays in seeking treatment etc. At best, the healing time is often long and protracted. Going flat footed too soon doesn't help. The other thing to keep in mind is that the plantar fascia is not a muscle to be strengthened in the usual senses. Personally I wear supportive footwear for activities where I am on my feet a lot, but not necessarilly at the pool. If I was having active PF pain I would be more cautious.
