In the sports world, plantar fasciitis and heel pain are often associated with high-impact activities like running, basketball, soccer, or football. So it comes as a surprise to many people that the leisurely, low-impact game of golf is prone to plantar fasciitis.

While plantar fasciitis and heel pain can be caused by high impact sports and trauma to the plantar fasciitis, it can also be caused by chronic overuse. Golf, which typically involves long periods of standing and walking, can take a gradual toll on the arches of your feet, leading to heel pain and ultimately plantar fasciitis.

What are the warning signs, symptoms, and risks of plantar fasciitis? And how can you avoid plantar fasciitis on the golf course all together?

Risk Factors in Golf

The plantar fascia–the thick band of connective tissue that supports the bottom of your foot–is amazingly flexible and adaptive. However, like almost any other part of the body, it can be damaged through overuse. The game of golf puts the plantar fascia at risk for becoming inflamed and damaged (plantar fasciitis) in the following ways:

Overuse

Golf typically involves a good deal of standing and walking. And while it might seem that this low-paced, low-impact exercise would be beneficial, it can be overdone. Standing or walking for long periods of time can exhaust the arch of your foot, flattening it and causing small tears, inflammation, and eventually plantar fasciitis.

Over-extension

An improper golf swing can actually be a risk factor for plantar fasciitis. If you overextend (or twist your feet inward) while swinging–especially in combination with shoes that don’t support your heel and allow your foot to slide around–damage to the plantar fascia can occur over time. Little by little, strain and even small tears from overextension can take a toll and cause inflammation and pain when walking.

Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

It’s important to pay attention to potential symptoms for plantar fasciitis. Early diagnosis and treatment means faster healing and fewer potential complications. Keep an eye out for these symptoms both on and off the golf course:

• Redness and swelling of the heel
• Sharp, throbbing, or aching pain in the heel
• Heel pain that is worse in the morning or after periods of rest
• Heel pain that comes on suddenly and lessens gradually

Prevention and Treatments

The good news is that 90% of plantar fasciitis cases can be treated with easy, at-home remedies. Follow these tips to keep your arches, and your golf game, up to par:

Wear the right shoes: In addition to ensuring that your attire meets the standards of the golf course you’ll be visiting, make sure that your shoes are up to the task of protecting your feet from plantar fasciitis. Shoes should fit properly, support the heel, and have thick, cushioned soles.

Support your feet: Have a pair of shoes you love to golf in but aren’t the most supportive? Simply add orthotic inserts. Not only will they give you extra cushioning and support your arch–one study by Stude and Gullickson in 2001 found that orthotics can improve your swing, your balance, and allow you to drive the ball further!

Use a golf cart when needed: Rest is absolutely critical to preventing and treating plantar fasciitis, allowing the fascia time to repair itself.. Using a golf cart when needed can give you the rest you need and minimize damage while allowing you to stay in the game.

Stretch: Stretching isn’t just for runners! By committing to simple, daily stretches, you’ll strengthen and limber up your plantar fascia and surrounding muscles and ligaments. Stretching is one of the best ways to prevent and address damage to the arch.

Ice: If you notice pain in your foot or heel, apply ice for 20 to 30 minutes, two or three times per day. Icing will help with the pain, as well as decreasing inflammation.

Maintain a healthy weight: Because plantar fasciitis is caused by overuse and impact, reducing the amount of impact generated by walking and standing is an effective way to prevent and treat this condition. By maintaining a healthy weight, you reduce the amount of impact and damage to the fascia.

Work on your swing: Making sure that you’re swinging correctly (and not overextending), can reduce unnecessary strain and impact to your plantar fascia.

Golf ball massage: In this case, the remedy is in the malady! Simply sit in a chair and place a golf ball underneath your toes, then roll the ball from toe to heel, using as much pressure as you can comfortably manage. Massage can help break down adhesions to the plantar fascia and stimulate blood flow to the injured area.

Out on the green, your biggest challenge should be coming in under par–not worrying about your feet. By keeping these warning signs and tips for prevention in mind, you can ensure that golf remains the relaxing, satisfying game it should be!

An interview with the acclaimed writing-editing team of Bill Hayes and Jennifer Thomas

 With the release of their fifth book, Hullabaloo! The Life and (Mis)Adventures of L.A. Radio Legend Dave Hull, the writing-editing team of Bill Hayes and Jennifer Thomas have created a titillating textbook on an important part of pop culture history and the pedigree of rock ’n’ roll.

Hullabaloo! is both Dave’s wild personal ride as he worked “up and down the dial,” as well as a crazed chronicle of the evolution of commercial radio from the 1940s to the present—all presented with a soundtrack-in-words that ranges from Tennessee Ernie Ford to the Beatles and beyond.

Dave first took to the airwaves on Armed Forces Radio in the early 1950s. From there, his on-air insanity took him from Roswell, New Mexico, to Ohio to Michigan to Florida and finally to the mass-market of Los Angeles. In L.A., “the Hullabalooer” rose to number one in the ratings and even higher than that in the hearts of young listeners.

His zany tales of broadcasting bedlam make for an amazing, entertaining, and just plain fun book!

I had the privilege of sitting down with Bill and Jennifer to dig into the marvelous mayhem of creating 600 pages of hullabaloo!

 

Q: How did you meet Dave Hull and how did the book project take off?

J: We met Dave through a mutual friend, the completely psycho J.J. Solari. J.J. was a writer for Easyriders magazine, as was Bill. J.J. was also one of the featured “characters” on Dave’s Lovelines show on KGBS and KMPC years ago. J.J. told us that Dave’s story simply had to be told—and he was right!

 

Q: It sounds like Dave is pretty much surrounded by humor and wackiness.

B: Absolutely! Humor and wackiness are his trademark! They are what made him so successful. He is so proud of the fact that he never had to slide into the “shock-jock” category to maintain an audience—although his Lovelines show did get “hotsy-totsy” from time to time!

 

Q: There are some comments at the beginning of the book that indicate this was definitely a labor of love for you two, not just another book.

B: There is definitely a lot of love in this book. I was there when Dave was number one in L.A. I listened to him on my old AM car radios—we all did! It was that humor and the wackiness and the fun. It was the Beatles and the Stones and the rock ’n’ roll that not only changed the emotions and attitudes of American youth but in many ways it changed the world. And Dave Hull was right in the middle of it!

 

Q: The book contains many rare photos and graphics. Evidently Dave kept everything!

J: He sure did; and that made designing the book a lot of fun—and of course, a lot of work! We went through boxes of archival material. We came across original menus from his Hullabaloo night club, copies of the KRLA Beat newspaper, every issue of his fan club newsletter, autographed Beatles pictures, a script from The Monkees television show that Dave appeared on, tapes of his old shows, and so much more. It was like the storage areas at the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame! His fan club president, Linda Thor, also entrusted us with her original old-timey construction-paper scrapbook that she created for the fan club. We put as much of everything that we could into the book! Of course, if we had put everything, it would have been twelve hundred pages instead of just six hundred!

 

Q: Talking about the Beatles, Dave was called the “Fifth Beatle,” right? Why?

B: Well, he was a part of them here on the West Coast. KRLA management made him the president of their fan club, and he constantly broadcast “inside information” about them on his shows—like their personal addresses and phone numbers!

J: Yes, he had a top-secret insider (you have to read the book to find out who!) who always gave him the inside scoop. The Beatles never figured out how he knew so much!

B: Dave did spent time with the Beatles in person too. He spent a few weeks with them in the Bahamas while they were filming the movie, Help! And one time, he stowed away on their jet to Denver. Way back at the beginning, he helped Bob Eubanks to bring them to L.A. for their first West Coast concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium. He truly was the Fifth Beatle!

 

Q: And the Beatles and their legacy is still so popular and vital…

B: Absolutely! Just the other day a copy of the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band signed by all four Beatles sold for nearly three hundred thousand dollars at an auction in Texas. Beatlemania lives on!

 

Q: And so does Dave Hull…

J: So does Dave Hull! Dave finally retired from radio in 2010, but the buzz caused by this book resulted in him coming back! He returned to the airwaves with “Dave Hull & Mandy,” on Saturday, March 30 on CRN Digital Talk radio. The show, which airs from 2 to 4 p.m. Pacific each Saturday, features Dave teamed with popular radio personality Mandy Armstrong. Both worked at KWXY-FM in Palm Springs. And our old pal, J.J. Solari, will also be on the show! After a nearly sixty-year career, “the Hullabalooer” is back, and his wild life story has finally been written!

Please check out Dave Hull’s website at www.davehullthehullabalooer.com!
Purchase Hullabaloo!: The Life and (Mis)Adventures of L.A. Radio Legend Dave Hull from Amazon