Can i bicycle with plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a common and painful condition that affects many cyclists. At Stavros O. Alexopoulos, DPM, our foot doctor Dr. Stavros O. In the meantime, follow your doctor's orders. When they give you the go ahead to do any type of exercise, low-impact activities are recommended. Low-impact exercise is anything that doesn't involve repetitive forceful contact between your feet and the ground.

Riding a stationary bike is one of your best options, as your feet don't touch the ground at all. Your heels also don't make contact with the pedals, which will avoid any pressure on that sensitive area of your foot.

The key is to avoid discomfort. As long as you can ride a stationary bike without pain, it is a great exercise to try when you have plantar fasciitis. Other options include using the elliptical machine, rowing, using a hand cycle and swimming, according to NorthShore University Health System. Take it easy with any type of exercise you do while recovering from plantar fasciitis. Now is not the time to train for a century ride. Treat your feet with care on and off the bike.

If your athletic shoes are old and worn out, the Mayo Clinic recommends replacing them so your feet are adequately supported when you ride. If you're experiencing pain and inflammation, check in with your doctor. You can also find relief at home by icing the area for 15 minutes three or four times a day. Stretching the arches of your feet regularly, including before and after stationary cycling, can also provide relief and improve mobility.

The Mayo Clinic recommends stretches that target your plantar fascia, Achilles and calf muscle. But, it is important to realize that this can mask the pain and it is possible to then overdo it because one might think that it is healed when it is not.

Some forms of physical therapy such as ultrasound therapy or electrical stimulation provide an anti-inflammatory effect ORIF physically decrease deep swelling edema. A cortisone injection can be beneficial. Ideally, this should be directed at the interface between the plantar fascia and the fat pad and not within the plantar fascia. An injection within the fascia increases the risk of a tear of the fascia. More aggressive treatments: Dry needling-ultrasound guided injection procedure Surgery such as plantar fascial release or gastrocnemius lengthening procedures.

Exercise guidelines: Use pain as a reference to your allowable activity level. When you are in the acute phase of plantar fasciitis with pronounced pain in the morning and when you get up from sitting, it still too early to return to exercise. Initially, non-weightbearing exercises may be tolerated without an increase in pain that day or the following morning. Use of a recumbent bike, swimming or aqua jogging After several weeks or even a month or longer , the following are good exercise options: elliptical machine, rowing machine, outdoor cycling and spinning class.

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