Sunday, September 9, 2012

Trigger Point Plantar Fasciitis Away Now: How To Ease Pain Fast

I'm going to show you exactly where to trigger point massage to get rid of that plantar fasciitis heel pain that you have been suffering from.

Don't be like me
I spent close to RM1000 before finding this free solution to my plantar fasciitis. I found it in the
The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief book, borrowed from my library.

If you have heel pain, this is definitely worth trying. It might save you a lot of pain and grief and needless icing and abstinence (from running). It might spare you the fruitless search for heel cushions, padded shoes, foot splints, custom insoles, bla bla bla.

So, please try this first. Don't be like me ya. :)

You will Need

  • A golf ball
  • Your thumbs 

Where Does it Hurt?
If it hurts directly on your heel it could be one of two trigger points, or both of them. If it hurts on the inside of your heel it could be a different set of trigger points. I'll cover the direct heel pain first. This is a sharp pain that feels like you stepped on a stone. Or a nail is being driven into your heel.

Find The Trigger Point
Credit: Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
Use your fingers and thumbs to feel along your: 1) calf muscle, and 2) your quadratus plantae, to find the trigger points.

As I explained in previous post, the pain in your heel can be 'referred pain' originating from a trigger point in your calves. It is usually located in the 'belly' of the muscle and is a solid/hard mass ranging from 'noodle' to 'pea' shape/size (read about my two guinea pigs here).

In Figure 10.29, the black dot marks where the trigger point will be. Feel very carefully along every inch around there, rubbing back and forth with your thumb with a rolling motion.

Q: How do I know For Sure I Found It? 
A: OUCH!
Ya. It hurts when you push down on it. You don't even need to push hard. Just firmly. It surprised me the first time I felt and found that trigger point. That pea-like mass hurt exquisitely - only when I pressed on it.

A Good Kinda Pain
Now that you've found this first trigger point, use your thumbs and firmly rub it out in a smooth rolling motion. Do this 6-12 times. It will hurt, but in a good way. :)

This should deactivate the trigger point, resulting in the muscle being able to relax. You may discover that the heel pain and the tightness in your calves has eased. At this point you can safely stretch.

It's Still There
Okay, let's find the trigger point in your quadratus plantae next (Figure 10.55). This trigger point is very deep, so you will need to apply monstrous pressure with your thumbs to find it. Mine felt like a crunchy mass the size and shape of a bison rump steak gristle.

It will hurt.

And I don't mean the gristle.

To make it hurt some more, roll that painful spot over a golf ball. Work out the trigger point for about 6-12 good rolls.

And... Repeat
Do this every hour or two throughout the day. Stubborn trigger points can take up to two weeks before deactivating, but you should feel relief quite soon. For me, the pain went away like, immediately. Now, if you have pain on the inside of your heel, that's a different set of trigger points and I'll cover that soon.

It's Still There
If it didn't work for you, I'd love to hear about it!


xo Gracie




17 comments:

  1. Awesome. Though I do not have of,I am including this into my massage routine

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  2. Hehe, thanks for your comment Stupe! I've been applying it to my running friends here during my sports massages and it's great. Happy that your sciatica isn't bothering you anymore!

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  3. I love this article!! I am going to share it on my facebook page, thank you so much for writing this!

    William Prowse
    Author of Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide

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    1. Thanks William! I checked out your Facebook page. Good stuff!!

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    2. I have a sore spot front of the heel to the inside of the foot. Where is that trigger point

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    3. Hi thanks for your question. Try checking out my other post on trigger point for inner heel pain. Let me know how it goes

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  4. Hi, Gracie, my husband had just recently suffered PF and I have been looking for ways to help him manage the pain. I found your articles highly instructive and I can't wait to share with him and start with the whole regime. Thank you very much for sharing!
    - Nur -

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  5. Hi nuraini! Sorry to hear about your hubby's PF pain and I'm glad you found my blog posts helpful. Here's to a full recovery and pain free feet for your hubby!

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  6. Hi, I suffered with plantar fasciitis for 8 months -to the point I seriously considered injections and amputation! It went away and after 3 months it's back - so disheartening! I'm going to start your treatment today - thank you so much. Debbie

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    1. Hi Debbie, I totally understand how discouraging plantar fasciitis pain can be. Hope trigger point therapy helped!

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  7. Hi Grace, thanks for the article! I suffer from this too and found that the quickest way to deactivate a trigger point (TP) anywhere is with dry needling. I do it on myself, really! My plantar fasciitis is very old (has been with me for around 15 years now) and the TPs are really everywhere and very stubborn. Massaging did help ease the pain, but only a little. With dry needling, I feel a much greater relief. All that is needed are some acupuncture needles, proper sterilization and preferably a guide or book about dry needling so you know where there's a nerve (though you'll feel the pain when you do needle one! Know from experience, ouch!). Dry needling the foot is not dangerous because there are no risks associated with needling other areas of the body (pneumotorax, for instance). Try it, you'll find that you only need a fraction of the time you'd need with massage!

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    1. Thanks for sharing that interesting bit of information!

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  8. Hi Grace,

    I'm so happy to have find your blog and thank you, you have solved my problem. I think the PF had gone after the trigger point massage. It's amazing!

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    1. Hi Jasmine, thanks for your feedback - I'm thrilled to hear that the trigger point massage helped your PF!!

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