Plantar fascitis

MrsG1994

Does anyone have ideas about plantar fasciitis? It is pretty much chronic for me at this point. I have done almost everything that has been suggested but thought someone here might have been successful healing/preventing it. I would love to hear your ideas. Thanks!

chad_phillips1123

I've dealt with it off and on and to varying degrees for a year or so. The things that have worked for me is 1) rolling a tennis ball under my foot (back and forth, side to side) to loosen it up. This usually relaxes my feet when they flare up. 2) There are foot exercises you can find online (spreading the toes out for a few seconds, curling them down then arching them back, and calf extensions) that have reduced the frequency and severity. 3) Heel/foot orthotics (the slip in the shoe kind).

Hope that helps! Good luck!

MrsG1994

Thanks, Chad. I have never tried the tennis ball thing. I think I need to be more consistent with the stretching. I have done all those exercises in the past. Just don't keep them up once it gets better!

ndwildbill

When I finally started wearing the right size shoes, (a size and a half bigger) and using good arch supports, I stopped having plantar faciaitis problems.

cafeaulait7

Oh, chronic I don't know about. When I get bouts of it (where it really hurts to walk as soon as I get up and beyond), I use an arch brace with one of those gel pads in it for a few days to a week. I have to let the tendon heal full days before letting it change shapes again all day, basically. But I've never had it for longer than a week or so at a time. Chronic can be very different. Good luck!

TheMojoMissy

I've battled it for 9 months straight. I've recently found some relief with the Dr. Scholl's active inserts (more than my orthotics), rolling with a golf ball daily and dramatically increasing my water intake. The golf ball will bring tears to your eyes initially, but it works. I'm finally walking and doing light jumping again. Good luck and remember to stretch!

Barbonica

I had it for over a year, and finally beat it with the following. Took about 10 months (had continuous improvement during that time), but haven't had any issues for several years. I still follow #1 and #2, which I think is why I have been pain free for years.
1. wear Birkenstocks whenever possible (or anything that has a ridge under your toes; it causes your toes to grip when walking). Wear them around the house instead of barefoot of slippers. I think this helps stretch the tendon;
2. Ice 1x-2x a day, especially after working out (a bag of frozen peas under your arches is very comfy!);
3. Stretch foot (point and flex) as many times a day as you think about it; make sure you stretch before getting out of bed.
Not sure if there is any science behind any of these, but these are the suggestions that I found worked for me. Good luck!

dabberD13

Good morning! I am a massage therapist, and have had several clients with PF...I've had it too. What folks have said so far is good. I have heard of taking frozen or partially frozen water bottle and rolling your foot on it to provide pressure/stretching and also the icing part.

One thing I have learned is that, while the pain is in the bottom of the foot - a lot of times the problem leads to a spot up on the back of the calf. If the anatomy isn't familiar, look at a 'muscle chart' - the spot is on the soleus muscle, right where the two heads of the gastrocnemius come together (or go apart, depending on your perspective). It can be a very tricky spot to palpate by yourself (not impossible, but tricky) because the way you might have to contort to get to it leads you to tighten up rather than relax :noway: BUT - if you can have someone work on the spot for you while you lie face down, that can be a good thing.

It doesn't take crazy heavy pressure to work it out. It might need to be 'mashed' a little to find the sweet spot (very uncomfortable), but once found, medium to light finger pressure on the spot, in a counter-clockwise motion will begin to work it out. Use a little dot of Tiger Balm when rubbing...after do some calf raises/dips...it should be feeling better very soon.

If you have a massage therapist you like to or want to see, ask them how they would address PF - and if they don't do it this way, if they only address the bottom of the foot, ask them to try manipulating that spot. This can easily be worked on in a half session (if time or money are a factor and it's not realistic to have a full-body session), and depending on the severity and other factors at play, a couple of sessions should be all that's needed. YMMV! but that has been my experience in 11 years of practice.

red0801

When I finally started wearing the right size shoes, (a size and a half bigger) and using good arch supports, I stopped having plantar faciaitis problems.

^^^this^^^

Spend the $ and go to a running store to have your feet measured & ur gait examined. You'll love urself & ur runs will become a thing of joy.

init2fitit

I just bought walking shoes with high support, or for my other shoes, I went to Walmart and bought the sole inserts, Dr Scholls Arch Supports. They used to sell some specifically for PF, but I haven't seen those but for 10, this replacement is fairly nice.

Ninkyou

I got this in early/mid August. I got a night splint at Walgreens (made by ACE). After the first night it was like 60% better. I went from barely being able to walk to being good for the whole day. When I walked longer distances I could still feel it, but it wasn't as bad. I still have a tiny bit of the pain, but I'd say I'm about 90% better than I was then.

lynn1982

I used to suffer from it - rolling a tennis ball really helped. It seems to have disappeared (haven't dealt with it in 2 years!), but here are some other tips from mindbodygreen (I know some of their suggestions tend to be a bit cooky, so don't murder me if these sound ridiculous!):

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10638/how-to-deal-with-foot-pain-caused-by-plantar-fasciitis.html

Angimom

Sorry double post!

Angimom

Good morning! I am a massage therapist, and have had several clients with PF...I've had it too. What folks have said so far is good. I have heard of taking frozen or partially frozen water bottle and rolling your foot on it to provide pressure/stretching and also the icing part.

One thing I have learned is that, while the pain is in the bottom of the foot - a lot of times the problem leads to a spot up on the back of the calf. If the anatomy isn't familiar, look at a 'muscle chart' - the spot is on the soleus muscle, right where the two heads of the gastrocnemius come together (or go apart, depending on your perspective). It can be a very tricky spot to palpate by yourself (not impossible, but tricky) because the way you might have to contort to get to it leads you to tighten up rather than relax :noway: BUT - if you can have someone work on the spot for you while you lie face down, that can be a good thing.

It doesn't take crazy heavy pressure to work it out. It might need to be 'mashed' a little to find the sweet spot (very uncomfortable), but once found, medium to light finger pressure on the spot, in a counter-clockwise motion will begin to work it out. Use a little dot of Tiger Balm when rubbing...after do some calf raises/dips...it should be feeling better very soon.

If you have a massage therapist you like to or want to see, ask them how they would address PF - and if they don't do it this way, if they only address the bottom of the foot, ask them to try manipulating that spot. This can easily be worked on in a half session (if time or money are a factor and it's not realistic to have a full-body session), and depending on the severity and other factors at play, a couple of sessions should be all that's needed. YMMV! but that has been my experience in 11 years of practice.

^^THIS^^ I had PF about 4 years ago and after 10 months of severe pain and many doctor visits I visited a person who does Rolfing, which is a more complex form of message. I think what the lady did to me was similar to what this message therapist is describing. The first time she found that "sweet spot" I almost came unglued, it felt like a fireball under my skin, she messaged this fireball down my leg, she worked on my leg for about 45 minutes. When I left I was 80% better than when I came in!! It was AMAZING. I went back for 2 more treatments and have never had a problem since.

AdrianBry

what i do for mine...

1. Ice for up to 40 minutes 1-2 times a day about 2+ days per week but start off with 10 minutes
2. I do eliptical and bike workouts. avoid long duration running or walking workouts.
3. stretch your calves
4. BEST THING FOR ME: take 2 golf balls and really massage your feet

thomakg

Golf ball or tennis ball for sure - also try to do a kneeling stretch of foot with toes on the floor - as deep as you can go until you can actually feel the stretch thru the sole of your foot. I almost resorted to the overnight foot brace. The toes tend to point at night in natural repose, tightening up the fascia, and that's what make the mornings so bad. The braces apparently keep the foot in a 90 degree.

tavenne323

I wrote a blog about it a bit ago.

http://www.fitpowernation.com/3/post/2013/04/plantar-fasciitis.html

I've suffered from off and on since high school volleyball.

Cherimoose

I wrote a blog about it a bit ago.

http://www.fitpowernation.com/3/post/2013/04/plantar-fasciitis.html

Good post. Most studies find PF is from degeneration, not inflammation. When it's associated with flattened arches, the degeneration is usually from a history of wearing shoes with an overly-rigid sole (weakens the posterior tibialis, reduces circulation to and within the fascia). With high arches, i believe it's the opposite problem - excess foot tension.

By the way, scaphoid fractures sometimes don't show up on x-rays until the second week. ;-)

james6998

Does anyone have ideas about plantar fasciitis? It is pretty much chronic for me at this point. I have done almost everything that has been suggested but thought someone here might have been successful healing/preventing it. I would love to hear your ideas. Thanks!

10 years of having it, for me, after trying everything possible, i am learning to live with 1. walking on my toes, 2. tolerating the pain.

mrsjohn99

Just finishing a round of steroids for treatment. It's been brutal for about two years and finally had to go see the doctor because it was excruciating.

He has me doing basic calf stretches several times a day, wearing orthotics when exercising for extra support, wearing splints at night. In a week I have seen an 80-90% improvement. He also has me rolling my feet on a bottle. 20oz coke bottle filled with water and then frozen works well.

My podiatrist says almost all cases tie into the calf and the Achilles being tight, so the more stretching you do on an ongoing basis, the less it will bother you going forward. Hoping I can keep up with this to avoid the debilitating pain I had been sufering from.

kemcclell54

I've had a single serious bout, and I was successful at treating it with two things: a) foot stretches three times a day, including just before getting out of bed (grasp the ball of your foot with one hand and your heel with the other, and stretch 3 times for 20 seconds each); and b) changing my shoes. I bought orthodics for a relatively inexpensive pair of sneakers, and because my job involves being on my feet for several hours a day, I switched my work shoes to Dansko Clogs. The latter are expensive, but worth it. My doc also told me to get a new pair of workout shoes every six months.

I talked to many people about this condition, and got all kinds of advice (some quite contradictory); this is what worked for me.