Feet

BethBabineau

I've been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. It makes it so I can't use my feet for very long without extreme pain. Looking for ideas for good exercises besides walking and if anyone else suffers from this, good walking shoes suggestions please.
Thanks!

canoepug56

Stretch.Try and curl your toes back towards your shins.

VryIrishGirl76

Pool?

BethBabineau

I'm trying swimming tomorrow!
Thanks canoepug and VryIrishGirl

DaisiesandViolets

Ouch. I finally have some relief after a year of plantar fasciitis pain. For me the trick was stretching my calf and foot before even getting out of bed in the morning and using inserts. Those first few steps in the morning were excruciating. I was using Superfeet in my running shoes which helped (although I had to give up running and only used those shoes for walking), but the real relief came when I started using the Superfeet dress shoe inserts while at work. You should probably ask your podiatrist for recommendations on inserts because what worked for me might not work for others, but after such pain for so long, the dress inserts were such a blessing for me! I agree with VryIrishGirl76 about the pool for exercise.

bwileaver

Try to pick things up with your toes. Curling them like that is one of the physical therapy exercises they give for PF. Also, roll a tennis ball under your arch or even better one of those textured dryer balls. This also helps. PF is micro-tears in the fascia and is way painful. Before you ever get out of bed, flex your feet and pull your toes toward your nose--this will lessen the pain. It is also a good idea to do this with therabands if you have them. Keep your stretches gentle, though! Ice packs will reduce swelling and heat will increase flexibility--just give yourself time to heal!

Lounmoun

There are some seated/chair workouts on you tube. Jessica Smith has one.
Mat workouts, swimming, bike riding?

kgirlhart

The stretches do help a lot and the inserts. I also freeze a plastic bottle of water and rub my foot over that. It is the same action as the tennis ball but I can ice my foot at the same time.

puffbrat

I had to get orthotics from the podiatrist which really helped. I also do basic calf stretches (Google straight leg calf stretch). My doctor told me to do that for 45 seconds, then bend the knee of the straight leg slightly keeping your heel on the ground for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and switch legs. The other stretch that helps me a lot is standing on a stair with the balls of my feet on the edge and gently lowering my heels until I feel a stretch (while holding on to something so I don't fall). Keep it gentle like bwileaver said.

thebuz

I had pf in both feet for 2 years and have been lucky to kick it and not have a recurrence. I concur with all of the advice above. Here are some additional tips.

1. When stretching before getting out of bed - Trace the whole alphabet with your toes.
2. Calf stretches are good but for me I can feel it start again if I don't stretch from hips to ankles. The stretches below are really good for this. If my hamstrings get tight then I get twinges in my feet. It's kind of like "your hip bone is connected to your...." and so goes the song. http://www.njsportsmed.com/files/myrtl_routine.pdf

I hope this helps along with the great advice above.

I was able to get rid of my PF through 2 sessions of acupuncture after a year of physio was not helping. This does not work for everyone but it's an option to explore if you are feeling like you aren't making progress. :-)

WendyLaubach

I agree with all of the above, but strangely what did me the most good, most quickly, was a really agonizing heel massage. I had to pound the carpet during it, but by golly if my feet didn't improve quickly after that. I suppose it broke up adhesions or something? I used to suffer quite severe pain first thing in the morning, but no more. What keeps it in check is very high arch supports (I wear Birkenstocks) and calf stretches. Of course getting the weight down helps, too. It doesn't help your exercise program to have bad foot pain, as I know very well, having been sidelined by a top-of-the-foot injury for the last 10 days, but at the right calorie level you will still lose despite the lack of exercise. Sometimes I go pick up 30+ lbs. of weight and then put it down, to feel the difference my loss so far has made to the pressure on my poor overloaded feet.

ldowdesw

Ouch ouch ouch! Had it and omg I felt sick from the pain, therefore my sympathies go out to you. Avoid flat shoes, flip flops and dolly shoes are bad, as for exercise, I was advised to stand on the bottom stair and try to drop your heels. X

clairec230787

Roll your foot over a can (of Coke or a tin of beans). Wear heels as much as possible.

chriscolh

The pain first thing in the morning was the worst for me. I really found relief by buying a brace to wear at night that pulled my toes upward. It's a little awkward at first (took me a few nights to get used to it), but I was able to start the day off with no pain. I agree with the calf stretching and rolling your foot, too. And ice it after exercise. When I was consistent with those things, the pain went away much sooner. Good luck!

Melinda0808

Same issue. I've been dealing with chronic pain for almost two years now. All the suggestions for calf stretching are super key. I bought a Pro Stretch to get that really deep and satisfying calf stretch each morning and night: http://www.amazon.com/ProStretch-S01000-Plus/dp/B0051BNU9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453228958&sr=8-1&keywords=pro+stretch+step+stretch

Additionally, grab a resistance band and start doing some of the exercises outlined here: http://www.thera-bandacademy.com/tba-exercise-program/Exercises-for-Plantar-Fasciitis

This is all stuff I did across the course of 2 months of physical therapy. Make sure you are warming the foot up in the morning (like plug the bathtub when you take a shower so your feet are in warm water) before you do some deep stretches and then at night, ice down your foot and arch with a frozen golf ball or a frozen bottle of water.

Grab Superfeet inserts (don't buy online - it's important that you are fitted for the right arch support) at REI or at another local retailer and wear them religiously. Wearing a slight heel always helps to get the pressure off the heel and arch. Try a brand like Clark's, Dansko or Alegria for stylish, but practical footwear with good orthotic support.

If you belong to a gym with a pool, swimming is by far the best (look for aqua jogging classes). However, if that's not an option - go for the stationary bike! You still get good cardio with no impact on those aching feet.

Good Luck!

markrgeary1

Get shoes and orthotics from a Certified Shoe fitter or Podiatrist. Don't buy shoes off the net or from anywhere but from someone certified.

BethBabineau

Wow, ohmygoodness, thank you ALL so much for your help and advice!! I live in a very small town, so I've got store-bought arch supports for now and one pair of shoes by Vionic Orthaheel. They're supposed to be very good for PF. I'm calling Dr Patty the Podiatrist NOW for custom orthotics! We have a brand new pool in town, so I'll try that too. I'll check out the links you all sent too, thanks so much. I can't believe the response!!

PiSquared

I also have plantar fasciitis. It started off as just my right foot, but it's also in the left now too. It stinks. There's not a lot of treatment options. I do have a pair of custom orthotics I wear in my shoes. These correct my mismatched leg lengths and provide serious arch support. They help a lot. They were expensive, though, and my insurance would not pay for them.

I wear the orthotics with most of my flat shoes. I do occasionally wear high heels (not too high, though), and find that the orthotics a) won't fit comfortably, and b) aren't really necessary in these types of shoes as I'm walking on the balls of my feet. I want to add that I do not wear heels every day, and when I do, I do it on a day when I know I won't be walking too much. I wear sneakers (or snow boots) to walk to the bus, and carry my dress shoes with me until I get to work. I also find that if I'm going to be standing for long periods of time at home (like Sunday afternoon meal prepping sessions), that it's a good ideas to throw the orthotics in my slippers.

Walking on dirt is much more comfortable to me than walking on pavement, even with orthotics in my shoes. If I have the option of an unpaved walking trail, I'll take that over a paved trail. Even so, walking isn't too bad so long as I wear comfortable shoes (can't stress that enough) and the orthotics. My feet will let me know when I've been over doing it, and I'll get that walking on a knife edge feeling. At the first signs of pain, I know that it's time to take a break for a while and let me feet heal a bit.

I've had good luck using an elliptical machine for exercise, versus simply walking. I'm not exactly sure why. I'm still standing. I know the elliptical is easier on my husband's knees, so maybe it's just less jarring to the body all the down.

When I have a flare up, one of the treatments given to me from my podiatrist is to roll a tennis ball or water bottle under the arch of my foot. A soda can works great for this. It's the perfect size and is nice and cold.

There is also a night brace I may look into getting at some point. I've been told my insurance will pay for the night brace. :shrug: I don't understand insurance. The brace basically holds your foot flexed, instead of pointed, which keeps the plantar fascia stretched. The idea is that your body will attempt to heal the tear in the plantar fascia, and keeping it stretched means that you will be less likely to re-tear the newly healed tissue when you take your first steps in the morning.

Good luck. There's not really a good way to treat plantar fasciitis without being completely off your feet for months.

PiSquared

Dealing with plantar fasciitis has taught me the importance of buying good quality, comfortable shoes. Yes, you may more money upfront for them, but, by golly, you will pay for them in pain later if you scrimp.