Thanks for your question. It’s hard for me to comment without having examined your foot, but at least from the story you’ve described, it sounds very much like a case of plantar fasciitis, a common problem with runners. Plantar fasciitis is caused by inflammation of some tissues in your foot. It can be caused by overtraining, overuse, and improper or worn-out footwear.
The pain for plantar fasciitis is typically felt in your heel and your foot arch. It’s more likely to be plantar fasciitis if it’s on the bottom inside of the heel, and causes pinpoint tenderness and pain during your first few steps in the morning. This is because the fascia (connective tissue in your foot) stiffen and shorten overnight. This eventually subsides as you move around, which improves your pain, just as you’ve described.
It’s also super common with runners – approximately 10 percent of runners will have plantar fasciitis in their careers.
Treatment is usually by reducing run volume or resting. Some other commonly recommended treatments include: Shoe modification, strengthening exercises, and medical treatments like cortisone injections or electro-stimulation. Often plantar fasciitis resolves by itself though.
There are a variety of other soft tissue disorders that can mimic plantar fasciitis, and there are also other things you’d probably need to see a doctor to check out and exclude – for example, some types of autoimmune disease can also present with early morning joint pains (you didn’t mention if any other joints were affected).
You may want to consider seeing a GP or Sport Medicine doctor, who will be able to properly diagnose the injury and tell you the best treatment plan for complete recovery.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Cheers
