OWNER, AS WELL AS EVENT ORGANIZERS HERE IN HAMBURG WILL HAVE THE VERY LATEST IT’S A
PAINFUL CONDITION THAT ONE IN 10
PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE IN THEIR
LIFETIME. ONE OF THEM. HAVE YOU
EVER HAD THIS? I HAVE NOT HEARD
YOU RIGHT NOW MEASURE TO TRICK
MAN WHO’S LIVING IN WINDSOR,
PLANTAR FASCIITIS THREATENED TO
ACTUALLY DELAY HIS DREAM OF
RUNNING THE BOSTON MARATHON. ARE
DR FRANK MCGEORGE HERE TONIGHT
TO SHOW US WHAT GOT HIM BACK ON
HIS FEET. DARK. WELL, YOU KNOW,
KAREN AND JASON HUMAN FOOT HAS
20-6 BONES, 30 JOINTS AND MORE
THAN 100 MUSCLES AND TENDONS AND
LIGAMENTS NOW, BUT WHEN IT COMES
TO PAIN, THERE’S ONE LIGAMENT IN
PARTICULAR THAT’S OFTEN TO
BLAME. IT’S CALLED THE PLANTAR
FASHION. IT’S THE BAND OF TISSUE
THAT ACTUALLY CONNECTS YOUR HEEL
TO THE FRONT OF YOUR FOOT AND
SUPPORTS THE ARCH WHEN IT
BECOMES IRRITATED. THE PAIN CAN
BE DEBILITATING AS THE RUNNER
YOU’RE ABOUT TO MEET KNOWS ALL
TOO WELL. IT’S JUST JOYOUS. TO
BE FLOATING ALONG THE GROUND.
AND GOING FAST. JIM FORENZA IS
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO JUST
LOVES TO RUN DEALING. YOU CAN DO
IT AND KEEP DOING IT AND KEEP
DOING IT AND YOU DON’T REALLY
HAVE TO STOP AT 70 YEARS YOUNG,
HE’S CERTAINLY SEEMS TO HAVE
FOUND HIS FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, AND
HE HAS HIS EYES SET ON A BIG
GOAL IS PROBABLY THE PREMIER
MARATHON IN THE WORLD, AND I RAN
IT IN 1982 WHEN I WAS 30 YEARS
OLD. LAST YEAR, HE QUALIFIED TO
GO BACK TO BOSTON. BUT WITH THE
MARATHON APPROACHING, JIM RAN
INTO TROUBLE. KIND OF CREEPS UP
ON YOU. YOU KNOW IT’S COMING.
AND THEN WHEN YOU FEEL THE
NEEDLE IN YOUR HEEL YOU KNOW YOU
HAVE IT FOR SURE. IT’S CALLED
PLANTAR FASCIITIS. FASCIITIS IS
INFLAMMATION AND IRRITATION OF
THE TISSUE, THE FASHION TISSUE
THAT RUNS UNDER THE FOOT. WATSON
IS THE LEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER AT
THE REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF
MICHIGAN. SHE SAYS PLANTAR
FASCIITIS IS VERY COMMON IN
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVE OR ON
THEIR FEET A LOT AND THEY CAN BE
VERY LONG LASTING. IT’S HARD TO
GET RID OF. IF YOU DON’T CATCH
IT IN TIME, THERE ARE SEVERAL
CAUSES, INCLUDING MUSLIM
BALANCES, SHOE CHANGES OR
UNSUPPORTED FOOTWEAR ARE COMMON
TRIGGERS. CHANGES IN YOUR LEVEL
OF ACTIVITY CAN FLARE IT UP AS
WELL. SO IF YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO
WASN’T ACTIVE AND ALL OF A
SUDDEN START GETTING ACTIVE,
SOMETIMES THAT DOES IT OR IF YOU
ARE SOMETHING THAT DOES TRAIN A
LOT, AND THEN MAYBE YOU HAD A
TRAINING CHANGE OF SOME SORT. IN
CASE I HAVE A TENDENCY TO RUN
TOO HARD SOMETIMES AND PUT
STRESS ON IT AND I PROBABLY
DON’T DO AS MANY STRETCHES AS I
SHOULD. WITH THE MARATHON JUST
WEEKS AWAY, JIM BEGAN PHYSICAL
THERAPY AT THE REHABILITATION
INSTITUTE OF MICHIGAN AND GO AND
I WAS WONDERING WHETHER I WAS
EVEN GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO. HE
WAS UNABLE TO RUN THE ENTIRE
MONTH LEADING UP TO THE
MARATHON, BUT GOT THE GREEN
LIGHT TO COMPETE FROM HIS
DOCTORS. WORKED OUT. I MEAN, MY
GOAL IS TO FINISH THAN IT WAS TO
FINISH UNDER FOUR HOURS AND
QUALIFIED FOR THE NEXT BOSTON
MARATHON. AND THAT’S WHAT I DID.
I RAN OFF THREE HOUR IN 57
MINUTES. MARATHON. PRETTY
SURPRISING BASED ON HOW LITTLE I
WAS TRAINING FOR IT. EARLY
TREATMENT OPTIONS CAN INCLUDE
REST, ICE, ANTI INFLAMMATORY
MEDICATION AND STRETCHES. IF
THAT’S NOT EFFECTIVE, DOCTORS
MAY RECOMMEND PHYSICAL THERAPY.
STEROID INJECTIONS, SHOE
ORTHOTICS, NIGHT SPLINTS OR IN
EXTREME CASES, SURGERY. AS WELL
. IF YOU’RE REALLY PAYING
ATTENTION, AND YOU CAN CATCH IT
EARLY ENOUGH, YOU CAN USUALLY
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BY
STRETCHING, STRETCHING A COUPLE
DIFFERENT WAYS. JIM IS NOW
FOLLOWING A PROGRAM OF
STRETCHING TO AVOID A RECURRENCE
, AND HE’S BACK TO THE SPORT. HE
LOVES JUST THE FREEDOM OF
MOTION. IT’S EXCITING AND IT’S
FUN TO COMPETE. I’M VERY
COMPETITIVE AND DOESN’T PLAN TO
LET ANYTHING BREAK HIS STRIDE.
HE MIGHT HAVE TO SLOW DOWN A
LITTLE BIT, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE
TO STOP. JIM TOLD HIS WIFE THAT
HE PLANNED TO MAKE BOSTON HIS
LAST MARATHON AND FOCUS ON
SHORTER RACES. HE SAYS HE WAS
TELLING THE TRUTH AT THE TIME,
BUT SINCE HE QUALIFIED TO GO
BACK TO BOSTON, HE’S NOT RULING
IT OUT. OH MAN, I WISH HIM LUCK
IF HE CAN DO THAT, FRANK, BY THE
WAY FOR FOLKS WHO DON’T KNOW HOW
DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR HEEL PAIN IS
ACTUALLY DUE TO PLANTAR
FASCIITIS? WELL YOU KNOW IF IT’S
THE MOST SEVERE IN THE MORNING
OR AFTER YOU’VE BEEN SITTING FOR
A LONG TIME, THAT’S A GOOD
INDICATION THAT IT MIGHT BE
PLANTAR FASCIITIS. YOUR DOCTOR
OR SPORTS MEDICINE DOCTOR CAN
RULE OUT OTHER POTENTIAL CAUSES
AND IF NECESSARY. REFER YOU TO A
PHYSICAL THERAPIST. THE BOTTOM
LINE HERE, THOUGH, IS DON’T JUST
IGNORE IT BECAUSE IT CAN GET
WORSE AND REALLY INTERFERE WITH