Plantar Fasciitis help?

NewMrsCarlson

I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis about 3 or 4 months ago. I woke one morning with great pain in my left heel. After a couple of days of limping around, I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed. I got a foot brace to wear at night, but it didn't work, my calves are too thick for it to stay in proper place. It seemed to have warded off a bit, but now that I am on my weight loss journey, I am starting to incorporate exercise into my regimen as well.

last night was my first time back in the gym, and did 1.5 miles of cardio. About half way through my heel was hurting me terribly, and made me go why did I think I could do this? But I know that I can. I am stronger than my body tells me.

So my question is, does anyone else suffer from this, and if so what are some tips / tricks that you have done to help deal with the pain while exercising? Thank you in advance for all help!

gentlygently

I found swimming is my cure....I guess it stretches and strengthens muscles. I do a mix of strokes...

AlabamaMama224

Yep. Those first few steps in the morning are terrible. I have found wearing good well fitting sneakers really helps. I've also recently started doing stretches that I'm hoping will eventually help, along with getting some of this weight off.

Bud_

I have quite severe PF (combined with heel spurs) and cannot run or put any sort of excessive pressure on either of my heels. Ops and injections have all failed to resolve so I am limited to low/non impact exercise. For me rowing (indoor) was the saviour! Cycling and swimming are also acceptable, but not my thing. Good luck, you can work around it

rosiesshire

Stretching, good shoe inserts and rubbing in magnesium oil after a run and letting it absorb really helped me, used to get it often.

born_of_fire74

Stretch your hammies. I was told PF starts with tight hamstrings. I don't need my custom orthotics ($$$) at the gym or for work any more, thank goodness ($$$)

ogtmama

K-tape helped me...you can look up videos on YouTube about how to place it for different problems.

deluxmary2000

Roll your foot over a frozen water bottle every night before bed. It hurts a lot at first, but helps tremendously.

Bearbo27

Frozen water bottle (as mentioned above) and good shoe insoles with plenty of arch support. Once I made sure all my shoes had good insoles, it improved over time. Weight loss does help though. Focus on your calories in right now and don't stress too much over the exercise part.

xtruexlove1988

The frozen water bottle like deluxmary200 said and rolling a tennis ball in the morning, also Epson salt paste. mix Epson salt and coconut oil and let it sit on your feet for a little while and then shower or bath.

jgnatca

It's not mind over body when it comes to chronic inflammation, which is what PF is. Consider recovery to be months long.

I'm a big fan of stretches (hamstring). Do some before you step out of bed.

The ice roller, foot brace, shoe inserts and rest are all excellent helps.

Voltaren gel can provide temporary relief.

Weight loss and the corresponding relief of pressure on your feet is also excellent.

The next time you feel pain like that when you are exercising, stop what you are doing. You bull through cardio exertion, not joint/tendon pain.

Unless you want to extend your recovery by months.

Chilli7777

My mother in law gave me a tip about gettinf a sauce/ketchup bottle (glass) and banging it gently on the sole of your foot...it actually healed my PF! The pain is worse in the mornings so try the trick then.

daniip_la

I have severe PF, iceing my feet and stretching don't help them. I have to get cortisone shots, I take prescription NSAIDS, and my podiatrist believes my ligaments are going to tear soon before I have time to schedule a surgery.

Get good orthotics, new tennis shoes with midsole support and good cushioning (I wear Brooks), and try everything you can to help the problem. You don't want it to get worse, my feet are to a really terrible point.

hali1

The therapists at my chiropractor's office did a few different therapies when I went through that the first half of the year. They mostly did some kind of deep heat therapy followed by myofascial release. A few sessions of deep tissue massage too. It seemed to help, but it still took me about 6 months to recover (but I didn't start treatment until a couple months in, so who knows how much worse I made it by trying to tough it out!) That kind of thing might be worth looking into if you can afford it, a lot of insurance plans don't like those offices.

Everyone else has also mentioned great ideas, at least the ones I've tried. Having to wear shoes all the time was the hardest thing for me to get used to, haha, but for being easy and free it made a ton of difference!

donnamcnulty

I highly recommend Brooks tennis shoes...
I have pf and they really make a difference! !

girlwithcurls2

jgnatca wrote: »

It's not mind over body when it comes to chronic inflammation, which is what PF is. Consider recovery to be months long.

I'm a big fan of stretches (hamstring). Do some before you step out of bed.

The ice roller, foot brace, shoe inserts and rest are all excellent helps.

Voltaren gel can provide temporary relief.

Weight loss and the corresponding relief of pressure on your feet is also excellent.

The next time you feel pain like that when you are exercising, stop what you are doing. You bull through cardio exertion, not joint/tendon pain.

Unless you want to extend your recovery by months.

This. You can't outrun this one. The NUMBER ONE thing you can do for PF is R.E.S.T. Seriously. I've dealt with this twice--once was about 15 years ago when I actually could take a load off for hours a day and rest my foot. It went away. Now, I'm in a different place in my life (full time work, three kids, etc) and cannot rest it as I should. You should NOT put any strain on it if you feel pain. This is NOT a "Just Do It" moment. I had two back-to-back steroid shots (so that I could follow through with a plan to climb a mountain last summer) but I was doing all of the PT that was recommended AND sleeping in a boot. Find a boot that fits. Roll your foot daily on a frozen bottle, wooden ball, whatever. Do calf raises with a negative heel. And do cardio that is non impact (water cardio in a pool, water running, swimming, cycling).

You CANNOT outrun this. You will extend your recovery by months. MONTHS. It's not worth it. Get to a PT or a doc and make a plan.

Man, that sounds terrible, but this is the voice of experience. I'm still only running 1 day a week (before it was 5) because I want to be pain free.

Oh, and ditch ANY shoes that are not supportive. Find out what works, and toss the others.

Good luck.

RodaRose

Stop walking /running like that. Do chair or mat or pool exercises. Also you can do upper body machines in the gym. Also consider physical therapist. Or massage therapist:
http://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/plantar-fasciitis-stretches#Stretching2
Also consider the hand bicycle machine at the gym or home for aerobics and to increase upper body:
http://totalbodyexperts.com/first-degree-e-920-fluid-ube.html

girlgroves

Agree with all those above that have said REST! I've had recurring PF and the impact of running/jumping type exercise just makes it worse and then it takes even longer to improve. Not worth it! Find exercise you like that doesn't aggravate it, rest and stretch your hamstrings well. Weight loss will help (it has for me) but running any long distances still sparks it off again. I was wearing a lot of flat shoes when mine was at its worst and the thing that seemed to help the most was swapping to a pair of shoes with a bit of a heel (only a low block heel) - no idea how - but the relief was almost instant. Perhaps worth a try?!

Good luck.

ccjlgrider

This is so depressing. I've always wanted to be a runner. Have tried C25K by myself several times and failed. Finally hired a running coach. I'm doing soooo good BUT I have PF in my left foot since the second session with her. I can't get it to go away. I wear Brooks (always have), I have orthotics for my shoes, I've taken ibuprofen, iced it, rolled it, have the weird sock to stretch it. I may have to quit running. You guys have no idea how depressing that is to me. Devastating. Being able to run a 5K without stopping has always been on my bucket list.

JenniferNoll

My podiatrist told me to get a pair of Crocs. Not the ones that look like regular shoes, flip flops, or the generic. He told me to wear them around the house and never go barefoot. They really, really help. I don't limp around any more.

geneticsteacher

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G. Frozen water bottle. Time.
I thought I had beaten pf permanently. I went back to yoga class, stretched regularly, switched to minimalist shoes and had no problem for 3 years. Then I did everything wrong - I quit stretching, stopped yoga, and did a really fast 2 1/2 hour walking marathon on a surface I don't usually walk on (concrete). Two hours into the walk, I heard a loud crack and immediate arch pain. Yesterday I was diagnosed with a tear in the plantar fascia.

jtkatch

Okay...lots of advice going on. I just finished therapy for my first bout of PF! Was diagnosed by a doctor and went immediately to Physio for the past month. It is much better but not 100% it takes about 6-8 weeks to get better with proper excerxises.

1- stretch hamstring and calves
2- internal and external rotation with toes up leading with the heel 10 each way
3- stretching your toes backwards and holding for 30 sec (repeat 5x)
4- roll with frozen ice bottle or tennis ball to relax the knots and fascia

5- a brace to be worn at night! Every night to keep the calf stretched which elevated the fascia at the bottom of the foot
6- NEVER walk barefoot. Wear soft supporting slippers or shoes in the house!!
7- no running or any impact exercises (for now)

These are the guidelines the Physio and Dr gave me and it takes time to heal but it will. Don't rush it or you won't heal.

Good luck and be patient

jgnatca

@ccjlgrider I'd like to offer some optimism, and a book recommendation. Taking care of a chronic problem, nipping it in the bud, does a few things. It heightens your body awareness, "Know when to fold 'em and know when to run". It allows you to run another day. I promise you the Olympic stars this year are the ones who either avoided injury, or followed all the doctor's orders to get back in to peak condition. Take care of this now and you will get your bucket list checked off.

https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189

jennalennafur

Compression socks can help! I wore them for a while because I work 10 hour days as a server. A coworker suggested I try them...Not entirely sure how it works but combined with that, stretching, and avoiding the treadmill. My feet are feeling a LOT better.

buckeye213

jennalennafur wrote: »

Compression socks can help! I wore them for a while because I work 10 hour days as a server. A coworker suggested I try them...Not entirely sure how it works but combined with that, stretching, and avoiding the treadmill. My feet are feeling a LOT better.

6-8 weeks to recover ...ugh...it hurts like a mother first thing in the morning

nvmomketo

I had this for years. It was actually caused by my inflammation due to being an undagnosed celiac. When I went gluten free the pain was gone within a few months.

My advice (from my expereience) would be to consider if there is any possible cause to it that you could correct. Is there anything causing inflammation in your life? Autoimmune issues? High blood glucose? Food sensitivities? Anything like that?

rodgiek79

I've had it for a year or so - I really do feel your pain. Stretching calves and massaging the plantar help enormously - painful but do it. But a roller ball massager from Amazon or a even buy a hockey ball to roll the foot on. It's painful but a must. Remember that inactivity makes it get tighter and more painful.
I also found strapping my foot with kinesiology tape helpful - start the tape on the outer edge of the foot and pull it tight under the foot arch to the other side - helps support the arch. Foot insoles that support the arch help too. Good luck x

gentlygently

Hello me again on this.

I may be lucky but (so far) I have found that swimming is ALL I need - I am guessing it stretches my hamstrings? I do a fair bit of kicking only. When I stop swimming, it comes back....

The reason I mention this is:

I am really loath to go down the arch support route - having tried properly fitted arch supports many years ago. I never could wear them for long....it all just hurt too much...and they made shoe buying even more difficult (I have feet that are hard enough to find a fit for anyway...). Plus I cannot tolerate any shoe with a built in arch....

There is also a whole school of thought out there that arch supports is not the way to go. Instead foot excercises that strengthen your arch, and going bare foot as much as possible is the answer - eg look up Bare Foot Running.... Arch supports relieve the problem but do not solve it.


( Oh - I also found doing ham stretches in bed before getting up helped.)

Anyway I am so grateful I found swimming.....but if it is no longer enough I will try the arch strengthening not arch support approach with gusto!