I Have Plantar Fasciitis and When I Run My Heel Pain Keeps Getting Worse

Your heel pain may keep getting worse as you run because each stride repeatedly stresses the plantar fascia, making the irritated heel harder to tolerate.

When you have plantar fasciitis, running repeatedly loads the bottom of your foot with every landing and push-off. The plantar fascia attaches near the heel and helps support your foot, so running can repeatedly stress the same area and make your heel pain increase as the miles add up.

As the run continues, the plantar fascia has to keep handling the demands of your stride without much interruption. If the area is already irritated, that repeated demand can make normal running increasingly painful and may change how comfortable your foot feels with each step.

The Pain Builds With Each Running Stride

Repeated push-off keeps asking the plantar fascia to support your foot.

Every stride requires your foot to support your weight and then push you forward again. The plantar fascia helps maintain the shape and support of the foot during this motion, so an irritated plantar fascia can become increasingly painful when you repeat that movement over and over during a run.

Your Heel Gets Harder To Ignore As You Run

Continued running can make the same heel problem increasingly noticeable.

Early in a run, your heel pain may be manageable enough that you keep going. As the number of strides increases, however, the plantar fascia continues to be stressed, which can make the heel increasingly sore or painful and harder to run through comfortably.

Why Your Heel Pain Keeps Worsening

Your heel has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your heel feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Heel Feel Better

Your heel starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why does my heel pain keep getting worse when I run?

Repeated running continues to stress the plantar fascia with every stride, which can make heel pain increasingly noticeable as your run continues.

Why does my heel hurt more the longer I run?

The plantar fascia keeps handling repeated landing and push-off demands, so irritation can become more painful as you accumulate more running steps.

Can running make plantar fasciitis pain worse?

Yes. Continuing to run while your plantar fascia is painful can repeatedly stress the area and make your heel pain worse during the activity.

Why does my heel start hurting more halfway through a run?

Your heel may become more painful after repeated strides because the plantar fascia continues to handle the same running demands as the activity continues.

Should I keep running when my plantar fasciitis pain is getting worse?

If your heel pain consistently worsens during a run, reducing the activity that triggers it can help avoid repeatedly aggravating the area, and persistent symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.