Plantar fasciitis?

judykat7

OP Please let us know what works for you! I have developed this problem since trying to get healthy.

I know I need to give up flats, but I'm a flats girl!

What sort of shoes does anyone with this problem recommend that are good for professional jobs? I can't wear tennis shoes or Keens (at least not any I could see). I work in an office environment.

Heels at the office! The heels never did bother me but I would need to stretch my feet when transitioning to a lower heel. Platforms are your friend because you can seem to have higher heels but the platform reduces the actual difference.

NancyN795

Bump, to follow.

I have a boot that I wear at night and it helped a lot when I got it, but it disturbs my sleep, so I don't wear it every night. I probably need to do more stretching. Mine is better, so that I don't hobble constantly, but still bothersome.

techgal128

Thanks for all the replies! I'll read them when I have a bit more time.

I do know that my weight gain is likely causing this issue. Of course I'm trying to lose weight but it's difficult because of the pain. Kind of a catch 22.

randomworldgirl

I wear Birkenstocks 365 days a year. When my feet get cold, I put on socks and wear them with the Birks. I don't care if people make snide remarks. I wear arch supports in my tennis shoes (sneakers), but as soon as I get in the house, the Birks go back on. I never walk barefoot and never wear flat shoes.

judykat7

Beautiful kittens Nancy.

eshults89

You need Mizuno Wave Inspires or Riders. Trust no other shoe. really. I never had PF ever again and ran a marathon (and am training for another one) on them. Also got my friend hooked on them too!! They are the best!!!

MonaLisaLianne

The main thing you need to do is stretch your calf muscles, which in turn stretches your Achilles Tendon (in your heel) and this will help. Stand as though you are going to do lunges - one leg in front with knee bent, the other stretched out behind you. Keep BOTH feet flat on the floor, and stretch out the calf on the back leg as much as possible. Hold for a bit, then sitch legs. Do it again. Do this 4-6 times a day and you'll eventually get relief- at least I did.

jesiann2014

ProFoot makes an insert for Plantar Fasciitis. These helped me a lot. All of the posters who suffered for years... That's tough stuff! It's very painful and many times had me in tears. I finally just quit all walking, jogging, jumping jacks, etc and did a few stretching exercises every day several times a day. It took about 4 months to get better. I'm back to walking but not near the distances I was walking before. Taking it slowly... I do not wish to relapse! I wish u the best, OP.

LITtlerMeCO

I had this problem a few years ago. It would feel like I was being stabbed when I walked, I would wear multiple socks with a foot gel thing in-between them just so I could move around. I found this thing called Foot Sleep Support at Walgreens. It only took about a week where I would wear them at night and I haven't had any issues since.

heybales

The main thing you need to do is stretch your calf muscles, which in turn stretches your Achilles Tendon (in your heel) and this will help. Stand as though you are going to do lunges - one leg in front with knee bent, the other stretched out behind you. Keep BOTH feet flat on the floor, and stretch out the calf on the back leg as much as possible. Hold for a bit, then sitch legs. Do it again. Do this 4-6 times a day and you'll eventually get relief- at least I did.

Sadly the achilles tendon doesn't reach around the bottom of the foot as part of the plantar, and neither does the plantar reach around past the ankle to the leg.

That stretch may feel good and be needed for other reasons, but it won't help the plantar at all.

Only muscles that spans that gap is the flexor hallucis for your toes to pull down, and that stretch would help it. And it is a small part of the arch too, so what may have felt like plantar pain could actually be that, but it would be a minor twinge, not the full on pain the plantar brings.

And actually, you'd want to stretch both calf muscles (you have 2 actually going in to 1 achilles tendon), straight leg for the gastrocnemius like you describe, but also for the soleus a bent knee version, which is actually better for the hallucis.

MonaLisaLianne

The main thing you need to do is stretch your calf muscles, which in turn stretches your Achilles Tendon (in your heel) and this will help. Stand as though you are going to do lunges - one leg in front with knee bent, the other stretched out behind you. Keep BOTH feet flat on the floor, and stretch out the calf on the back leg as much as possible. Hold for a bit, then sitch legs. Do it again. Do this 4-6 times a day and you'll eventually get relief- at least I did.

Sadly the achilles tendon doesn't reach around the bottom of the foot as part of the plantar, and neither does the plantar reach around past the ankle to the leg.

That stretch may feel good and be needed for other reasons, but it won't help the plantar at all.

Only muscles that spans that gap is the flexor hallucis for your toes to pull down, and that stretch would help it. And it is a small part of the arch too, so what may have felt like plantar pain could actually be that, but it would be a minor twinge, not the full on pain the plantar brings.

And actually, you'd want to stretch both calf muscles (you have 2 actually going in to 1 achilles tendon), straight leg for the gastrocnemius like you describe, but also for the soleus a bent knee version, which is actually better for the hallucis.

So you are right and every medical expert is wrong?

http://www.healthline.com/health/plantar-fasciitis#Overview1
http://saveyourself.ca/tutorials/plantar-fasciitis.php
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/foot-heel-pain/plantar-fasciitishttp://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00149
http://www.athletico.com/2012/05/09/plantar-fasciitis-solutions/
http://thestick.com/info/contact/how-it-works/how-i-manage-plantar-fasciitis/
http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/photos/new-techniques-treating-plantar-fasciitis_96398
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/injury-pain/plantar-fasciitis.html
http://www.drpribut.com/sports/heelhtm.htm
http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/mdo/presentation/conditions/condition_viewall_page.jsp?condition=Condition_Heel_Pain.xml

I could list dozens more sources, but why bother.

heybales

From one of your links, the insertion of the plantar.



Stretching the achilles may bring relief to a totally tight area, but keep checking and you'll find those sites that discuss why something is useful, will admit that achilles stretch doesn't actually stretch the plantar. It helps potential other problems and removes them from the picture, which could still be useful.

As that picture shows, the tendon isn't effected by the bend of the ankle at all, it only bridges the bottom of the foot.
But the achilles inserts right above it, spanning the ankle.

Now, like I said, there are 2 tendons that also make up the longitudinal arch along with the plantar, and if those are tight those stretches may help.
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/anatomy/human-muscles/ankle-foot/flexor-hallucis-longus

But that's why many of the comments above regarding roller pin or cold can or such are good, for the minimal stretch you'll get out of a tendon, those are at least hitting it.

Insertion of achilles.