Plantar fasciitis- foot injury help please

armymom5

I struggled with it last year big time! I did run some but did a lot of elliptical to stay in shape. I didn't go to a doctor and managed to get over it on my own. I made my own version of the strassburg sock. I wore that faithfully at night. Just google images of "homemade strassburg sock". Also, I did a lot of calf stretches before and after running. And I got myself some orthaheel slippers from QVC and wore those at home all the time. Never went barefoot. I did the golf ball under my foot at work alot. Google things that you can do for plantar fasciitis. Lots of great ideas out there. And be patient. Which was the hardest part for me. But I'm happy to say that I don't have problems with it anymore. Good luck! I know how painful this is!

BoxingChick

Yes I had it too and had to stop exercising for it to heal. I also got rid of all my flat shoes that had no built in arches. I now have one foot about a half an inch bigger than the other because the arch fell. But I haven't had another episode since I got better shoes!

purplemurfy

I have suffered from this for years.....has not gone away. It does get better when I rest it, ice it, etc. I've had several cortizone shots. I ALWAYS wear shoes with inserts or at the very least birkenstocks as sandals and slippers to have the arch support.

The cortizone shot works for a good while IF you follow the docs instructions to ice and keep off your foot and stretches.

I have a dog, so I can't NOT walk for a week let alone weeks at a time....just not possible. It is painful and I probably need the surgery, but who wants that!?

scottsgirl4lyfe2004

i have it but no due to any injury some people just get it hugs

MonaLisaLianne

These flip flops have been wonderful for walking around the house. I have them waiting for me next to the bed in the morning so I put them on immediately after stretching. Inexpensive and super comfortable.

http://www.amazon.com/Crocs-Womens-Capri-IV-Sandal/dp/B003YBHE5Q/ref=cts_sh_1_fbt

Since my PF began last November, my Crocs are the *only* shoe I can wear without pain. I wear both the sandals, and the traditional clog type. I also have Crocs flats called "Celestes" that don't aggravate the PF much.

bpbeckett

I have the same injury from last Oct. I have been seeing a Sports MD and he is great. Couple things...it comes from breaking down the arch in your foot. If you can get orthotics for your shoes it makes a world of different! Icing right after workout is best along with an anti-inflammatory like Advil or Aleve helps quite a bit. Try and pick exercises that reduce the running aspect if you can. I switched from jogging (which I did for years) to Crossfit and that has helped as well.

Honestly it is going to take a fair amount of time to recover. I can now run about 3 miles a couple times a week without it giving me pain but it has been a gradual process.

Hang in there it does get better!

sandrastreutker

Tape your foot - it will help. You can google to find out how.

ywalchle

I was also dealing with extreme foot pain and went to the doctor to find out I had Plantar Fasciitis. i was given a sheet with exercises as well as told to roll my foot over bottles of ice. It's helped a lot, but it's not "cured" it. I will more than likely be dealing with this for the rest of my life. Do the exercises religiously and it will help a ton. After walking for long periods of time I have to ice it really well and do stretching exercises. I'm one of those people who don't have the option of staying off my feet for long periods of time as well, I work retail

Good luck to you and hopefully your foot feels better soon

edited to add: I have one of the foot braces but cannot wear it while sleeping, so when I'm relaxing and watching tv I will wear it to keep the foot from relaxing too much than and it's helped some as well

HerbertNenenger

yes ! meeee. I attacked it with a wrap-around arch support I bought online - a decent one will only run you about $20 -$30 and they work well. I also did foot exercises, rolling your foot over a tennis ball first thing in the morning before you get out of bed, and I bought sneakers with good arch support. I also ended up having to wear my sneakers to bed for a couple of weeks which was a real pain in the butt but it stopped the foot pain at night. I have been pain-free for about a year now, but it was hells bells for a bit. Good luck with it !

ShannonMpls

See a doctor and get a referral to physical therapy if possible. Your PT will assess your injury and other strength imbalances that may be contributing to it (posterior chain weakness in particular). Correcting the strength imbalance may correct the plantar fasciitis.

Aside from that, the other tips are good: stretching (of the plantar area and entire posterior chain); rolling on a frozen water bottle; tennis ball massaging of the area.

I avoid barefoot altogether. I'm using superfeet insoles (green in my athletic shoes, black in dress shoes). Chaco sandals are great for PF also - excellent arch support for the flat-footed among us. I usually wear those all summer, coupled with Sanuk flip flops, but the flips gotta go Just bought Chaco flip flops though and they're great!

I took 6+ weeks off running but I kept up my other routine - cardio classes, elliptical, and especially weights. My PF is likely attributable in part to weakness of the glutes and hamstrings so I've been hitting those hard and will continue to do so.

njitaliana

I had it for 9 months. What helped me:

Superfeet orthotics (green) in all my shoes and slippers
Brooks Glycerin running shoes
Abeo sandals with built in arch support
Crocs flip flops with built in arch support (to wear in the shower)
Physical therapy (with a therapist who did rigorous manual work on my foot/calf)
Running the arch and heel of my foot back and forth over a golf ball (a tennis ball didn't help)
A nighttime splint to steady my leg/foot
Elevating my foot in a recliner


What didn't help:
Cortisone shot
Acupuncture
Tylenol
Advil

mulecanter

Had it. It sucks. Went to podiatrist, he prescribed a heavy-duty anti-inflammatory and a stretching program. Recovered quickly, ran marathon. Some are not as lucky.

armymom5

One other thing that I forgot to mention that worked well for me was Herbalife Joint Support. A friend suggested it and I thought it couldn't hurt to try and it worked wonders for me. I still take it 3 times a day.

nickle2dime

Orthaheel shoes! Wearing orthaheels saved my feet and changed my life. I wear them inside and out. I have a few different pairs. As soon as you put your foot down in the morning, slide them into your shoes. They even make house slippers. Wear them all day every day! I tried a few styles to find the ones that felt right, but a lot of that is due to having a wide toe box and very narrow heel. Almost all shoes slip on me. That is why all the orthaheels I wear are either backless or have an adjustable heel strap. These shoes saved my feet! I have zero pain now. It didn't take long for it to go away, either. These shoes are made for this! Dr Weil recommends them. I bought my first pair at a local specialty store so I could try on several at a time. This was more expensive than buying online but I wanted to see what they were like. Now I buy though Zappo's. Good luck to those suffering!! Give Othaheels a try!

Lots of styles!
http://www.zappos.com/vionic-with-orthaheel-technology

beanie1119

I had really bad PF in my left foot. I tried a few things including physical therapy. I tried the shoes, nothing. The therapy, nothing. So finally one day on a whim I got on one of those dr. scholls machines and it read my feet and pin pointed my pain. I bought the inserts they suggested (50 bucks). After about a month of wearing them, I was walking around and had been sitting for awhile and realized as I was walking I didn't feel my normal pain in my foot. I was thrilled. Ever since then I have made sure to wear the recommended inserts from dr scholls. I dont care if they are 50 bucks cause they are sooooooo worth it for me. Hope you find relief if you havent already.

alathIN

I had PF about 2 years ago. It did take me about a year to get through it, to where it doesn't bother me any more.

There seems to be a lot of individual variation in what helps and what doesn't. Here's my experience:

Completely stopping running DID NOT help for me. What wound up working was to continue running at a reduced volume and reduced intensity - consider each run as an extended warmup for the stretching, which is the real workout.

Stretching did help - I have gone through several different versions, most foucing on the calf, hamstring, and the foot itself. The Rubz ball is nice. Icing also helps. Some of the stretches I more or less invented myself and mostly involve sitting on my heels with my feet and toes in different positions to stretch different areas of the foot.

The Strasbourg sock helped me a lot. You can get this on Amazon. The problem with PF is that your foot flexes as you sleep, and the fascia starts healing in this shorter, flexed position. Then you wake up and take a step, and tear up all the healing that happened overnight. The Strasbourg sock keeps your foot in extension, so you can heal. This does not have to be worn super-tight or cinched back hard.

The steroid injection was like magic... for about two weeks, then the pain came back as bad as ever. I would not do this again as it doesn't really do anything for long term healing, and having injections increases the risk of PF rupture.

Orthotics didn't help me at all. I know a couple of guys who swear by them, but they are now wearing orthotics all day every day. It seems to me that orthotics don't really help heal the problem, they just do the job your PF is supposed to do for you.