By Nic Wiseman (Guest Blogger)

“It was in Autumn of 2012, whilst training for the Chester Marathon, I had been having issues with plantar fasciitis. I took to Twitter and I was recommended a treatment. It was very painful and not of particular help at that time. I strapped my foot up and limped to a 5 hour 30 minute finish in Chester.

I then embarked upon a 90-day run streak (when you run every day for at least a mile) – good move, eh? The foot was no better, nor worse. But, at the end of January, the pain became almost too unbearable. The pain felt like a red hot poker was sticking through the sole of my foot.

Help was required. I had noticed Teddington Osteopaths when running to and from Bushy Park parkrun. I set up an appointment and met Ceira Kinch.

I was in a bad way and flinched when she touched my foot. Crazy as it now sounds, I was still persisting with my run streak.  Ceira let slip in subsequent appointments that when she first saw me, she thought, “how am I going to get this man to stop running?!”

Eventually she persuaded me it was the wisest thing to do and we designed a programme of stretches, foam rolls and weekly visits.

After two weeks off running, I did a couple of test runs and things progressed well. With controlled running and visits to Ceira, the plantar fasciitis was gone by the middle of May. I have since joined a local running club and have had no further episodes of plantar fasciitis.

Ceira’s approach was to realign my posture so there was no need for orthotics and so that my body now adopted a neutral stance. She also explained the way that all parts of the body affect each other. So, constant stretching and exercises are crucial to a healthy running life.

Because of this regime I am now running 25-45 miles per week, I am bettering my pace and enjoying running more than ever.”

Our thanks to Nic Wiseman for this blog.  Nic’s company, Green Shoots, provides gardening services and is based in Twickenham.  For more information about Green Shoots please click on the following link http://greenshootsuk.net/ or follow them on Twitter @GreenShootsG.

If you need further advice about plantar fasciitis or any other aches and pains that you may be suffering as a result of running, exercise in general or just everyday life, please contact Teddington Osteopaths on Tel: 020 89773295.