14 Dec Back To Running Pain-Free! Astym Therapy Worked On My Plantar Fasciitis
While beginning training for the Oklahoma Memorial Half Marathon in January 2014, I developed a mean case of plantar fasciitis. I was able to run on it, but it was extremely painful for the first few miles of each training run. The day after a long run, it was nearly unbearable. I tried everything over the course of 9 months; non-stop anti-inflammatory medication, custom insoles, nighttime splints, taping, etc. I would try something new, it would seem a tiny bit better, but would be back to making me miserable within a few days, no matter what. I read everything I could find online and finally came across some people swearing by Astym therapy.
In September, after fighting my foot for 9 long months, I finally asked my doctor for a physical therapy prescription and decided to give it a try. The first session of Astym therapy was not exactly painful, but it was pretty unpleasant. I wasn’t expecting it to work, so when I woke up the next morning with that telltale pain in my heel, I figured it was another fail. After three more sessions, however, I stepped out of bed and was 100% pain free! I finished my 12 prescribed sessions with very little to no pain. I am back to running and will be training for next year’s half marathon! Every now and again, the foot gets a bit stiff (still no pain like before), but I practice the stretches and practices I learned with the Astym therapy sessions and am able to do everything I want to do.
Melissa Costello
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Clinic: Regional Physical Therapy-South
