Plantar fasciitis - Tenex Procedure?

jaxCarrie

Hey - has anyone on here gotten the Tenex procedure for their PF? I've been diagnosed as 'chronic' by my orthopedist. I've done PT, I stretch daily, I do strengtheners (hips, ankles, etc) daily, I no longer run (been off running for about 10-12 weeks), I sleep in a night boot, custom orthothics, ice bottle (roll). I have taped it for additional arch support. I do swim and bike still (careful to keep my heel/foot not-pointed on the bike.) Was training for a September Ironman, but that looks to be off the table. Ortho recommended Tenex with PRP injection. 2 week non-weight bearing, 4 additional weeks no impact. Wondering if this is 'realistic'? He was fast to tell me that the success rate is 50-70%. Just frustrated.

jgnatca

Never heard of the Tenex procedure. Nearly every instance of PF I have overcome was chronic, with months long recovery. It sounds with the orthotics, night boot, and icing you are doing all you can to prevent aggravating your condition.

jaxCarrie

Basically very small incision (like a toothpick size) is made, ultrasound guided, breaks down the damaged/scar tissue that is causing the PF, and off you go.
http://www.amjorthopedics.com/home/article/a-novel-treatment-for-refractory-plantar-fasciitis/2f495b08e4530e0b081e535227379717.html

Chargunshow

How long have you had it? It can take up to a year to recover. I would avoid surgery, actually and stick with what you are doing as well as make sure you are in the proper running shoes.

jgnatca

Yeah, I looked it up when you mentioned it. PF does take a long time to heal from.

jaxCarrie

Going on 4 months. Yes, i got new shoes too - but I don't 'think' that was part of the issue...I am a runner, I change my shoes out every 300(ish) miles, I wear a stability shoe, but I did change them out when I felt the first tingle. part of my cocktail of 'fix the PF 2016 plan'.

DanyellMcGinnis

Only thing that worked for me was wearing different shoes every day. It seems when I wear the same pair often, my feet adjust and I'm back to PF pain soon after. All the ice and stretching in the world don't help. When I wear different shoes all the time, I find myself having to hold my feet slightly differently each day, and for some reason that helps me. Haven't had a relapse in a couple of years now. Plus I get to wear lots of different fun summer sandals (some flat, some heeled, some with wedges, all with different foot bed shapes). I do also wear inserts in my workout shoes, and do different sorts of cardio each day (Focus T25, step aerobics, MMA-style workouts, urban rebounding, etc.). I don't run, though, because the repetitive motion aggravates my knees.

On the other hand, it is possible my case was milder than yours. Didn't even realize there was a surgical option and I personally would probably only do that as a last resort. Thankfully I have been able to keep mine under control by other means.

beemerphile1

I did all the basic stuff, podiatrist, orthopedist, orthotics, physical therapy, night splint but finally beat it when I ignored all the professionals. What I did is start walking barefoot every opportunity I had, within a short time I gained much more flexibility in my feet and the PF pain ended.

I believe that most all foot problems are caused by shoes, so get rid of the cause.

LeanButNotMean44

Several years ago, after a severe case of PF and partial tear of the fascia, I had shock wave therapy on my foot. This sounds a bit more invasive (my foot was numbed but there was no incision), though. It definitely healed my foot & I was able to run marathons again after I was fully healed.

Marshachia

My PF healed by itself after one year. So I think surgery is not necessary.

LiftandSkate

PF is the devil! Agree about never wearing the same shoes more than one day in a row. Proper, good fitting supportive shoes are a must. Acupuncture helped immediately and dramatically. Calf stretching and foam rolling, and lots of it. There are actually 3 trigger points in our calves that refer pain to just under the heel, so releasing those areas, if they are tight or knotty, can provide a lot of relief. Finally, for me, avoiding jumping/running type activities is key. I can lift heavy weight, cycle and skate all I want, and do lots of other things, but running would cripple me. Sorry, not what you want to hear, I know. This must be an awful injury for a runner.

jaxCarrie

LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »

Several years ago, after a severe case of PF and partial tear of the fascia, I had shock wave therapy on my foot. This sounds a bit more invasive (my foot was numbed but there was no incision), though. It definitely healed my foot & I was able to run marathons again after I was fully healed.

How long was the 'healing' process? How many sessions?

jaxCarrie

I really want to avoid surgery.....I am signed up for acupuncture next week. When I talked to the acupuncturist, she did tell me I'd know pretty quickly if it was going to work....so I'm hopeful.

Cherimoose

What do you think caused the PF?

Do you have flat or high arches?

Have any of the treatments you've tried helped? (stretching, rolling, etc).

FL_Nettie

I had it last year and it took about 4 months to heal. I swore by KT tape. I know, I know, there's no scientist evidence it does anything but it really seemed to help me. I also rolled a tennis ball under my foot & iced it at night. It took awhile but I've been pain free for 6 months.

jaxCarrie

Cherimoose wrote: »

What do you think caused the PF?

Do you have flat or high arches?

Have any of the treatments you've tried helped? (stretching, rolling, etc).

normal arches. See above for what I've done: new shoes, night boot, physical therapy, ASTYM, cortisone, stretching, trigger point, ice, orthotics. trying acupuncture.

jaxCarrie

FL_Nettie wrote: »

I had it last year and it took about 4 months to heal. I swore by KT tape. I know, I know, there's no scientist evidence it does anything but it really seemed to help me. I also rolled a tennis ball under my foot & iced it at night. It took awhile but I've been pain free for 6 months.

Oh, I LOVE KT tape. I've also taped my arch for support if I have a heavy day or walking.

dapunks

Many years ago I developed PF and had no success with orthotics, ice etc. What did provide relief was Active Release Techniques (ART). http://www.activerelease.com/what_patients.asp. I have been quite lucky and the PF has not returned since I did the therapy. I also found it helped to treat shin splints.

itsalifestylenotadiet

I had to have an actual release on mine and it still hasn't completely healed after 16 years but I have many more physical problems that also have come to light over the years including FIBRO which interrupts healing. This is really interesting and wish they had this therapy before I would have opted for surgery. I am now currently getting TPI inj. for a buttock tear that I have had for 15 years and my docs all told me that it was a lypoma and they don't hurt (I complained of pain and not being able to lay on my side) and a myraid of other symptoms. Finally found a pain doc who listened to me and sent me to someone who did an actual MRI on the lump itself. My pain doc is now doing injections using this same method of using my own serum to try and heal the injury because it is now too late to surgically or even use PT to fix it. Check out the PRP on this page. I don't know how to reply directly to anyone because I am new to the forums. http://www.heelpaininstitute.com/Advanced-Treatments.html#Tenex Procedure

jaxCarrie

itsalifestylenotadiet wrote: »

My pain doc is now doing injections using this same method of using my own serum to try and heal the injury because it is now too late to surgically or even use PT to fix it. Check out the PRP on this page. http://www.heelpaininstitute.com/Advanced-Treatments.html#Tenex Procedure

Yes!!!! So PRP is an option...pretty costly since it's not covered by insurance - the ortho/foot guy said I'd probably need 3-4 treatments (@800 per pop) every other week. And it's no gaurentee. he said he'd recommend the Tenex (also on that page) and do a PRP while he's in there to help regenerate/speed up healing. UGH. So much out there.

jaxCarrie

dapunks wrote: »

Many years ago I developed PF and had no success with orthotics, ice etc. What did provide relief was Active Release Techniques (ART). http://www.activerelease.com/what_patients.asp. I have been quite lucky and the PF has not returned since I did the therapy. I also found it helped to treat shin splints.

My chiropractor is an ART guy....I went to see him about 4-5x in February when this flared up....sadly, it didn't alleviate the pain.

mitch16

You've addressed the issue as much as possible with respect to your workouts, but do you wear high heels often? Are you making sure that your every day shoes aren't contributing to the issue?

itsalifestylenotadiet

I can only get the PRP once every 4 months and i've only had one injection but time will def. tell if it will actually heal it. Good luck.

CorneliusPhoton

I did a lot of the same stuff for my PF as you have done, except buy the expensive orthotics. Instead, I bought a couple of pairs of shoes that I found on Footsmart that had high arch support. Orthaheel flip flops have high arch support and feel really good. Wore nothing but orthaheel tennis shoes and orthaheel flip flops for a couple years (otherwise used their insoles) and my feet are now in great shape. Your results may vary, of course, but they worked for me, and I was pretty much crippled with my PF. You need to do a LOT of stretching of your calves and achilles every day, and manipulate the plantar fascia with your hands every morning. Best to you.

itsalifestylenotadiet

Foot smart has some of the best cushioning socks that I have ever worn. They offer support and cushioning for my feet. They are expensive but I literally use no bleach and I hang dry instead so they last forever. http://www.footsmart.com/P-Thorlos-Mens-Womens-Level-3-Walking-Mini-Crew-Socks-Pair-60389.aspx?cm_vc=recs_pp_rr&rrq=http://recs.richrelevance.com/rrserver/click?a=3819f42ba5137a3f&vg=1d2267f2-c6eb-48e0-9638-c0554b210694&pti=1&pa=h1&hpi=4147&stn=CategorySiloedViewCP&stid=113&rti=2&sgs=&mvtId=-1&mvtTs=1465331382266&uguid=a0c467f2-c6eb-48e0-9638-c0554b210694&channelId=WEB&userAttribute=IsClearance%3Afalse%7CIsSmartBuy%3Afalse&s=c4897270-6439-4bf2-b5a6-28c9101c4bd6&pg=1904&p=60389&ind=4

jaxCarrie

I live in Florida and love my ortho-heel flip flops. With that said, I've got custom orthotics, so I wear them with my new running shoes (that I walk in) and switch them into my Hoka running shoes (lots of cushion) for the back half of the day. I work from home if I'm not in an airport. If I travel - see clients, I do wear high heels and then change immediately into 'reasonable' shoes (running shoes or earlier in the year, my Dansko clogs). I'm probably in heels no more than 4-5 hours...and I'm not 'on' my feet that entire time (i.e. sitting).

Cherimoose

jaxCarrie wrote: »

Cherimoose wrote: »

What do you think caused the PF?

Do you have flat or high arches?

Have any of the treatments you've tried helped? (stretching, rolling, etc).

normal arches. See above for what I've done:

I was asking which of the treatments, if any, made a definite improvement.. or if you're not sure.

laceyn18

I had it for about a year and recently it seems to be fading away. The only thing that really helped me was a good deep tissue massage. By good I mean quite painful! That would ease the pain for a few weeks so I started getting more regular massages. Fingers crossed but the last month or so it's almost non existent.

itsalifestylenotadiet

I have to apologize, I didn't see in your original post where you mentioned the PRP. Forgive me

Triathlete1502

Commiserations on your plantar fasciitis; it must be quite frustrating to refrain from running.

Are you a heel striker or over pronater?

I've come across some interesting articles about the relationship between your foot strike and plantar fasciitis and below is one of them:

http://runforefoot.com/can-forefoot-running-cause-plantar-fasciitis/

All the best and to a speedy recovery!

mxchana

I suffered from PF for the longest time... until I got WalkFit Platinum Orthotic inserts. In short order my painful, chronic condition was cured. They come as a set that you can experiment with to see which exact height you need to give you relief. I wore them in my shoes for about a year... Now I no longer need to wear them.

See for example

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BKTS8G/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=74341569083&hvpos=1t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1497317876690908630&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_501qwcnxw2_b