Help with Plantar Fasciitis

Eat2Win

From what I have read while dealing with my PF for many months now, we have to have foot support ALL the time. That means no bare feet or wimpy flipflops............sad for the Summertime especially. Whenever mine gets better and I get relaxed, it comes back when I do not keep my foot supported with a good arch support.
Reading medical info, it suggested seeing a Podiatrist if no improvements are found after three weeks of constant PF maintenance.
It's possible that you have something more like a bone spur.

ExcelWithMel

Roll the tight parts around on a golf ball. Frozen even. Get it in there good. No other ball works, as golf ball is so hard. Put it on the floor, stand up, and roll your foot over it for 5-10 minutes at least once a day. I did all the things you said and this worked the best. I'm still not cured and still not running, but at least I don't have to limp around for 30 minutes after I get up from bed or sitting awhile.

Also the best stretch is ankle rolls. Prop your leg up so your foot is free and roll your toes in 360 degrees one direction 10 times, and then 10 times the other way. Part of my problem seems to stem from a tight calf and ankle muscles so even all the foot stretches in the world would not loosen this up.

Also make sure you have good arch support shoes. I wear my Keens almost exclusively now and my Clarks when I need to dress it up a little.

Good luck! I missed 3 races already this year because of my PF.

moonfruity

See a chiropractor

JustJennie1

"Too young for cortizone"? What?? That is for pain.

.... because as soon as you start taking it, you become addicted to its instant gratification, and then have to take it forever. Above and beyond that, it stops working eventually because, like everything else, your body builds up a tollerance for it, and its stops working for you eventually. Usually when the problem is so bad that you can't function without it.

:huh:

My husband had PF and had to go to the doctor to get cortizone shots and had to take anti inflamatories. He never became "addicted' to them. As soon as his foot started feeling better and he had minimal pain he stopped getting the shots. It's not something that they make you do forever. He wasn't sitting at home shooting himself up with the stuff it was done at the doctors office.

ETA: I am sure there are people out there who do get addicted to it but this isn't something that they give you an RX for and you do it yourself at home.

yo_andi

new balance minimus shoes.

i know i know, not a lot of support which is what your foot needs. but the support of shoes and custom orthodics treat the symptoms, not the disease.

i had PF and achilles tendonitis. i did everything you did for years. the thing that finally helped me was getting a pair of new balance minimus shoes (trail running ones) because my personal trainer recommended them for weight lifting. i started wearing them little by little, just to the gym to lift, and to walk to and from there. then i started wearing them more often, to run errands or go to work.

then one day i realized that i had been waking up every morning, and not limping around. i think it was a combination of everything: of exercising, lifting weights, stretching, wearing the boot at night... but the glue that held it all together were those shoes.

QFT. But mine did take a very long time to heal. Upwards of a year. Sadly, there is no quick fix.

GormanGhaste

What kind of exercise are you doing? You may need to temporarily give up high-impact exercises to give it a chance to heal. If even walking aggravates it, maybe try water aerobics?

Patrick0321

Taping before exercise like the video below also helped me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy1ZEJ-kKTg

Doodlewhopper

new balance minimus shoes.

i know i know, not a lot of support which is what your foot needs. but the support of shoes and custom orthodics treat the symptoms, not the disease.

i had PF and achilles tendonitis. i did everything you did for years. the thing that finally helped me was getting a pair of new balance minimus shoes (trail running ones) because my personal trainer recommended them for weight lifting. i started wearing them little by little, just to the gym to lift, and to walk to and from there. then i started wearing them more often, to run errands or go to work.

then one day i realized that i had been waking up every morning, and not limping around. i think it was a combination of everything: of exercising, lifting weights, stretching, wearing the boot at night... but the glue that held it all together were those shoes.

^^^ This but after the inflamation has settled down and everything has healed.

Plantar fascia is an extension of the achilles, and plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of these tendons. It is thought to be caused by tight calfs and poor ankle range of motion.

Take NSAIDs and ice, use a boot or sock at night. Keep the foot immobile for a while and try to stay off it until the pain goes away. Be patient.

A tendon takes a long time to heal because it doesnt have a lot of blood flow. Ultra sonic treatment is the best for increasing blood flow. A good strong vibrator massager is a good secondary means to stimulate the blood flow.

After things cool down a bit start doing toe and calf stretches, (check youtube)

Also check youtube for Low-Dye Taping.

Wearing orthotics and motion control arch supported shoes will only address the symptoms. Build your feet and work to increase their flexibility as well as your calfs.

Shoes caused much of your problem. You have weak and flaccid feet. To prevent PF go barefoot every opportunity and wear minimalist shoes.

I cant stress the importance of using the vibrator massager enough to increase the blood flow - and be sure to use it on the calfs!

sunshineanstars

Bump

vickeydorton

I used to be a manager for a place that sold diabetic shoes- never go barefooted and it will help you out , always wear tennis shoes over sandles

mattkdawson

I had it for a while too and it would be worse when i wore a specific pair of shoes. You can get one of those hard massage balls and roll your foot around on it.

mine really went away when i started running regularly though

OhLeita

I used to be a manager for a place that sold diabetic shoes- never go barefooted and it will help you out , always wear tennis shoes over sandles

This is true. I had it and Birkenstock soles helped a lot, too.

Blessedby2boys

I had a mediocre boot, when I got a higher quality one, a few nights later, I was pain free.

Blessedby2boys

I had a mediocre boot, when I got a higher quality one, a few nights later, I was pain free.

ucabucca

What helped me the most was taping it even more than custom fitted inserts I tried the boot too Didnt help me. Swimming did help with no impact for exercise and ice bottles rolling did help with the pain and stretching over time will help good luck

rachseby

I had PF something terrible, and nothing helped until I lost weight. The problem completely disappeared.

Not a fix for now, but another reason to go get your goal and something to look forward too!!

I think that this has cured it for me too! I've only lost 25 lbs but it has helped...

bubbles1212

I just got relief from this and Achilles Tendonitis. I went to my podiatrist and he suggested physical therapy and heel lifts for my shoes. I did the PT for a while, but didn't have tome to go anymore. I spend $30 on heel lifts and wear them in my shoes. I have not had pain since I started using them. I have also started running again, which I never thought I would be able to do again.

ksb1957

I suffered from it terribly.....both feet......one worse than the other.......I drug my foot behind me.........and watched as my friend got to show my horses for me in the ring.......arghhhhhhhh..........I had several injectioins into my foot........both from the inside outside and thru the heel.........<--> grimace.......
I actually had BAXTERS surgery on my right foot.........the surgeon (orthopaedic) hones out the area where the tendon slides because the inflammation was so heavy ........it only pulled.
What finally helped me is this.......and Im not certain you don't just have to ride it out......but TRY EVERYTHING!!!! I did exercises, bought $300 shoes........tried it all............what I think really worked was.............I bought some earth shoes...........and I switched my tennis shoes out every 12 weeks.........I did not go barefoot.......nor did I wear flip flops (i think they are a huge culprit)........and my doctor gave me a medrol pack for a different matter...........I woke up one day..........and no pain...........or at least it was moderate........and little by little my feet healed. Now I can wear flip flops and all shoes......including high heels....and best of all....i can run!!!!!!!!!!!!

GiddyupTim

I think the most important thing you need to do is to get insoles with arch support for all your shoes. They used to recommend custom orthotics. But for most people those are not necessary. Get Superfeet insoles, available at any running shoe store.
And stretch, stretch stretch ! It can take a while but it works.
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ortho/foot-ankle/_documents/plantarfasciitisteachingsheet.pdf
The first stretch they recommend (in the page linked above) helped like 90 percent of 80 people with plantar fasciitis for long than a year.

ckmama

I've have it terribly in both feet. I too was distressed about not being able to wear pretty sandals and heels. I bought Ortha heels to get me through the past year.

But no matter what tennis shoes I wore whether fitted by an running store or buying on my own they never got better. I thought at one point I would have to have surgery or end up in a wheel chair. I bought inserts for the shoe which helped some, stretching and ice rarely helped.

So the other day I started thinking about when my PF started and it started after I got "fitted at a running store" for a pair of over priced brooks. Then I switched to asics, then saucony and they really didn't get any better. So I went back to the same brand of tennis shoes I was wearing before i switched to the brooks and now I am waking with less pain in the mornings and can actually walk around barefoot.

Good luck it is an aweful thing to have

heybales

I had to get custom orthotics in all my shoes, and back off pounding exercise for a year. Dealt with it for probably 10 years at various stages of trying to exercise and doing too much, re-injury, to feeling decent.

None of the other stuff worked long enough or well enough to really heal. Or perhaps didn't give it enough time.

I still wear them in the non-flexible shoes.

But other than those shoes, when I finally got over the injury, barefoot running got it totally healed. Now minimalist running since I need sole lift for shorter leg.

Oh, I did custom orthotic 1 time with podiatrist, and then did an online service and just mimicked placing the feet in the foam box. Couple of shoes where it worked, local place did custom too, stand on tool that pushes up little rods to get surface right. Wish I'd done them first, much cheaper.
Online was much cheaper too, and many more options. Like low-profile carbon fiber for biking shoes. No carbon fiber bike, but I can say the insoles are!

scloyd

I dropped 80 pounds and quit wearing my Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers. I only wear decent shoes with good arch support. That took care of the PF for me. No pain the last 9 months.

SandonPro

I suffered from this for about a year, I tried everything and nothing helped. Eventually out of frustration I was given a referral to see an orthopaedic surgeon. He gave me a Cortisone Injection under ultra sound conditions and it fixed it almost instantly. That was 8 years ago now and I've never had any issues since!

gentlygently

Go swimming ?

My PF was getting really noticeable. I googled away at all the options and worked out I really needed better stretched out calves and foot muscles, and any tension in them 'excercised out'.

I started off a load of stretching and massage routines but soon got bored when they did not make much difference and were dull to do. But I started going swimming for other reasons and then noticed my PF had simply disappeared.

Nowadays I swim moderately hard two or three times a week - works the feet and calf muscles and theres lots of stretching as you put your foot into breaststroke mode...

The PF comes back quite quick if I stop going ( as does a lot of back muscle tension ) .

Worth a try....

acpgee

Haven't read all the posts, so I apologize if mine is a repeat.

I had PF with heel spurs as well. I was prescribed calf stretches (described lower down) and given off the shelf arch supports on the NHS in the UK which took care of the problem within 6 weeks. Last time I had this problem in the Netherlands I was given custom arch supports which also took care of it after a month or so.

Calf stretch: Place the edge of a cutting board on top of a book that is about two inches thick. Stand on this with your toes raised for five minutes at a time, a couple of times a day. I have this set up in front of the wash basin for when I brush my teeth and also in the kitchen.

backfixer1

The problem with most approaches to plantar fasciitis is that the care is directed toward where you hurt and not why. As seen in most responses to this post, most approaches have to do with stretching, boots, and other things that work on where the pain is, but ignores the basic reason people have plantar fasciitis.

In the book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain, you will find out that plantar fasciitis encompasses the way you walk, your body style which predisposes you to having the problem which generally occurs with people whose feet toe out which is inefficient, and are of asymmetrical build. This causes the pelvis to distort, which overworks the legs and the myofascia suirrounding the legs tightens up, which increases the impact at the ground. The constant insults caused by a shortened stride and ineifficient body mechanics will tighten the backs of the legs, the calves and a shortening and tightening of the plantar fasciitis which causes pain.

This is why using night splints may give some relief, but never truly improve the condition long term. The problems are in the pelvis, and the person suffering likely need to have inserts in their shoes and avoid flat sandals in the summer. Read this blog post for more helpful hints at http://www.backfixer1.com/blog/plantar-fasciitis-why-your-feet-hurt-and-why-it-is-more-than-a-foot-problem/.

You may also wish to read Cheating Mother Nature, which is available through Amazon.com and other booksellers. Unfortunately, most physicians have the mindset of looking at where you hurt and not why. This book will put you in control so you have a better understanding of why people hurt and you have the tools to better choose who will help you.