PUBLISHED 06/25/2007
Plantar Fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue along the bottom of the foot, cripples many runners--me included. For four months, I pool-ran, swam, and biked, but what I really wanted to do--run--was too painful. I followed the standard rehab: stretching and icing my heel, popping anti-inflammatories, wearing orthotics, sleeping in a night boot to stretch the plantar fascia overnight. I also tried massage, active-release techniques, and reflexology--even two shots of cortisone in my heel. Nothing worked. Then I heard about low-level laser therapy, a noninvasive treatment that recently got FDA approval. A light beam is placed on the injured area to stimulate cellular reactions that are believed to fight inflammation, reduce pain, and speed recovery, says Robert Duggan, D.P.M., an Orlando-area foot and ankle surgeon. When added to a rehab plan, Duggan says, runners may feel immediate relief. Desperate, I decided to try it for a month.
Day 1: I see a local chiropractor for low-level laser therapy (forking over $15 for my insurance copay). He moves the laser over sore spots on my heel and arch. It's completely pain-free, and my foot seems to feel better right away. Placebo effect?
Day 2: Duggan says that if the laser is going to help, patients should notice improvement within one to three sessions, and indeed, I use the elliptical machine for 90 minutes without any foot pain.
Day 5: Today's the real test--a run. My first in 13 weeks. I do two easy miles with minimal discomfort and no flare-up afterward. Later in the day, I have my second laser treatment.
Day 12: I'm up to running five miles comfortably, so I try hill repeats. My heel feels tight as I'm finishing. After my run, I have my third treatment.
Day 24: Four treatments have allowed me to steadily increase my miles (zero to eight over three weeks) and the intensity of my workouts. Still, my foot feels sore walking around the mall.
Day 30: Some people respond when the laser is also applied to trigger points in their hip and calf, which can refer pain to the plantar fascia, so my chiropractor lasers these points today during my fifth treatment. I didn't detect a change, though.
Bottom Line: My four-month layoff decreased the acute pain, but it was the laser treatment that gave immediate, near-total relief, and that got me out running again. Well worth five appointments and $75.
