A few members have recently sent me reviews on a couple of books about Plantar Fasciitis and how to get rid of it, cure it, alleviate the pain. I've reviewed The 5-minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution, by Jim Johnson and Injury Afoot: 30 Things You Can Do to Relieve Heel Pain and Speed Healing of Plantar Fasciitis, by Patrick Hafner. Both books were recommended by sportsmedinfo.net readers who ordered kinesio tape and one or both of these books at the same time. Many of them had suffered more than a year and were on the verge of having to have surgery or were debilitated to the point of not being able to participate in sports that required running making them miserable and hard to live with.

The 5-minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution. By Jim Johnson

This is the book I bought. It is a simple and quick do-it-yourself program that focuses on a 5-minute program you do at home daily that has a clinical success rate of 94% effectiveness at decreasing pain in people who suffer from chronic plantar fasciitis.

The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution is particularly useful for athletes and people who have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, experience heel pain and heel spurs, run or jog extensively, play a sport or have a job that requires a lot of time spent on their feet. Included is an anatomy lesson and prevention tips for prevention of plantar fasciitis. The best part is that it takes only 5 minutes per day.

This book includes: what plantar fasciitis is, the typical course of this annoying foot/heel pain, the solution to making it go away, tools to monitor your progress and how you can prevent it. All of this is backed up by published research and clinical studies. One of the surprising nuggets of information is the fact that plantar fasciitis is not a problem of inflammation but one of failed healing. And the book focuses on creating a healing environment so it can repair itself.

The author, Jim Johnson, is a physical therapist (P.T.) who works full time as a clinician in a large teaching hospital and writes books. He has spent over sixteen years treating patients with a wide range of pain and mobility problems. He is a Clinical Instructor certified by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States.

One of the complaints about the book was the cost. Prices range from 26.95 to 29.95. Personally, I was surprised by this. I don't find this particularly high priced and it's far less than a set of orthotics.

Injury Afoot: 30 Things You Can Do to Relieve Heel Pain and Speed Healing of Plantar Fasciitis. By Patrick Hafner

This book includes a 30-point action plan to overcome plantar fasciitis. The information is intended to save you the time of hunting down and deciphering conflicting advice, and save you money by avoiding futile and often dangerous "treatments." Use the steps found here to conquer plantar fasciitis and get back on your feet, literally.

This book presents a complete, multi-faceted approach to treating plantar fasciitis. While there are many actions a person can take to alleviate the pain caused by plantar fasciitis; this book congregates all the steps in one place and offers a plan of action for getting rid of it and preventing it in the future.The exercises and guidelines are easy and painless. And they are proven to work. It is 104 pages, which makes it a fast and easy read and cuts to the chase without a lot of fluff.

The author, Patrick Hafner, holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota. and has been involved in fitness and conditioning for over 30 years. He competed for 15 years in wrestling sports, winning numerous state, regional, and international titles, and has worked as a strength training adviser and judo instructor. As a hiking enthusiast, Patrick has explored trails all over North America and Europe. As a runner, he has completed over 70 races.

Which one should I get?

I have to tell you that those who wrote to me thought their book was the best and the two people who had purchased both recommended getting both. But I think either one is from a reliable resource and worthy professional. Each one is an easy read and those who wrote to me were not writing to complain about it but to tell me it had made all the difference.