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.
Walking around in bare feet is really bad for plantar fascitis, but somewhat unavoidable for swimmers.. Make sure that you wear flip flops with arch support (not the cheap flat kind) on the pool deck and in the locker room whenever you possibly can. I am PT and have been away from the outpatient world for a long time, but remember that very minimal time walking barefoot could really set off symptoms. That has been my personal experience as well
MSK,
Wouldn't you agree that arch supports act as a crutch for the arch (Plantar Fascia) and relying on them doesn't allow you strengthen the arch...like being barefoot would do? Getting the PF healed, and then a common sense approach to strengthening it...without arch supports...and keeping it strong by going barefoot (or without arch supports) as often as possible...is what has worked for me. I've been a runner for more than 40 years. I used to get PF frequently. But since taking that approach ten years ago, and running in shoes with no arch support, I haven't gotten PF again.
Dan
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.
