Best Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis

sonyareichweinmcintosh

I have been suffering with PF for 6 months. It gets better, then it gets worse. I finally saw my doctor; 1. stretching exercises, 2. rolling a tennis ball under my foot, 3. get good shoes, and 4. lose weight. She did not put me in night splints, that would probably be next. I think that if I'd gone sooner, she would have me in them by now.

I'm working on the shoe angle so I can work on the weight issue. I picked up some vionics for work, they really do feel pretty good. I also have some birks for around the house.

I hiked 6 miles in saucony's and felt pretty good, just some tenderness (23k steps that day). I walked 4 miles in town in the same shoes (11k steps that day), and am in excruciating pain! I think the difference was the concrete surface.

So, any advice on the best shoes for PF? Particularly for walking on hard surfaces? I would like to increase my hiking also.

Thanks!

Sonya

Char231023

Concrete does it for me I cannot run or walk any extended period of time on concrete.

SaintsFanBob

I had PF last year and finally caved and spent more than I ever thought I would ($90 online) for a pair of Brooks. I swear by them now and haven't had the slightest issue since switching from my Saucony and Asics. I would go to a store and try them on and get on a treadmill and then go home and search for them. I bought mine at sportchalet.com and they were $30-40 cheaper than at Sports Authority.

mbaker566

concrete can do that
berks can do that too. some don't have great support

also consider stride. I have a completely different stride walking and running
when I hike or walk, I have a tendency to overpronate
running, I underpronate.
so I have two different shoes

rileyes

Crocs if it is around the house. Gel in the heel area can help.

CricketClover

I wear Birks almost daily to work, Orthoheel are also good (I think they are either the same as vionics or owned by same?), I wear Brooks with Superfeet insert for exercise. If wearing Birks make sure it is the original footbed and not the squishy one, at least that is what I go for.

Eudoxy

Asics with blue super feet inserts worked best for me. I had a pair of crocs around the house that I had never worn that I started putting on the second I got out of bed, too.
But stretching, rolling and kneading my calf made the biggest difference. People suggested it was probably coming from there, but I didn't think it was since it wasn't sore. But sure enough, I could find certain trigger points in my calf that gave me immediate relief in my foot.

sonyareichweinmcintosh

Thank you all for responding. It sounds like super feet insoles are definitely the way to go and either Brooks or asics for my walks.

Sonya

rileyes

I use the green SuperFeet for high arches. They are almost identical to some custom inserts made for me at a running store. I don't know if they will offer instant relief like the softer gel heel during your recovery-- you may need to alternate as you adjust.

Cherimoose

I would only wear insoles for activities that actually cause pain. Wearing them all the time weakens the arch even more (PF is usually from arch degeneration), so try to gradually wean yourself off insoles completely. The Strassburg sock is good for restoring arch flexibility - gives a deeper arch stretch than night splints. For walking on concrete, i'd try Altra Olympus - they have a large stack height and no heel drop.

rileyes

@Cherimoose --I read that all the time. I walk barefoot as much as possible to strengthen my feet. I lift barefoot too. I think it is a gradual process. I would definitely heal from the PF first. And the Strassburg sock certainly helps.