Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia, which runs across the bottom of your foot connecting your heel bone to your toes. Your recovery from plantar fasciitis will be only as fast as your adherence to an exercise regimen that allows the inflammation to subside and healing begin. Bicycling may indeed be a part of your entry back into more activity. Know when the time is right to begin pedaling and the signs and symptoms to watch for to ensure you're on the steady road to recovery.
Considerations
The advice to be patient, rest and tolerate the pain isn't welcome news, no matter if you're an athlete or simply a person who lives a busy life. You do need to rest from the damaging activities that caused the injury. That generally eliminates high-impact exercises, such as running, jumping and dancing. Swimming and bicycling, however, do top the list of acceptable exercise substitutes.
Mechanics
There is a small degree of action at the ankle during biking. However, this action is generated more by the muscles in the calf than the muscles in the foot. In a 1986 study published in the "Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine," M. Ericson found that ankle plantar flexors contributed only about 20 percent of the total positive mechanical work during seated cycling. That particular study concluded by suggesting that cycling is a useful exercise in the rehabilitation of patients with injuries including the Achilles' tendon. Since your plantar fascia attaches to your Achilles' tendon, this is a strong recommendation for your rehabilitation.
Injury Stage
During the acute phase of injury, the goal is absolute or relative rest. As much as possible, stay off your feet and avoid the activities that caused the pain initially or cause it now. Your doctor or physical therapist may recommend ice, elevation and NSAIDS until the inflammation indicated by pain and swelling are gone. Once you enter functional and rehabilitative stages when you are performing stretches and tolerating motion better is an appropriate time to begin biking. Pay attention to your pain, swelling or indications that you're re-injuring yourself and proceed cautiously. The last stage is re-entry into normal activities. Maintaining your cardiorespiratory fitness level by biking will enhance that process particularly if you are an athlete.
Warning
Listen to your body. Complete rest is important until your acute symptoms subside. Once you begin to resume activity, realize that too soon and too fast make you vulnerable to injury of the same type again. Plantar fasciitis does respond better to treatment than surgery, but it often can take up to one to two years to recover fully. The bike may prove to be a good cross-training method far after rehabilitation if you need to cut down on your mileage in the future.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Plantar Fasciitis; March 24, 2009
- American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine: Plantar Fasciitis: Treatment Pearls; Douglas Richie, Jr. D.P.M., et al.
- "Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy"; Cycling Biomechanics: A Literature Review; Cheryl A. Wozniak Timmer; September 1991
