Best Gym Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis

nszocinski

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myak623

I've had good results with Asics Gel. I have the same problem, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as bad with the Asics compared to other shoes.

JJinWI

I'm going through a bought of PF right now also. It has been absolutely awful. Chronic pain is so draining and depressing.

One thing I did notice that has seemed to really help, is to take 800 mg (four) Advil RIGHT before I go to bed. I am crossing my fingers, but I have noticed a dramatic decrease in the pain.

New Balance are the best for the gym. I like Dansko and Born dress shoes - super comfy. I am definitely more comfortable in a bit of a heel. Flats are killers. I have a huge arch.

Good luck to getting pain-free soon - all of you

emilymiesel

I didn't read through everyone else's responses but I had problems with shin to knee pain (not shin splints). I also got plantar fasciitis when I was doing a fitness boot camp!! I went on a week long journey to finding the perfect shoes...

Come to find out Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Reebok... All the popular shoes with "cute" styles are the worst for your feet!! Nike is supposedly redesigning their shoe to compete with Brooks (which are amazing shoes).

I ended up getting the Brooks 10. Which are a running shoe, but I bought them for the awesome side support for the side to side movement I do with Turbo Fire or any other high intensity workout... Basically the sales lady told me they could be used for cross-training/running/walking/whatever I needed them for. I have had them for a year and they are still amazing and in awesome condition. They also came with a 2 week "test-drive". So if within two weeks of wearing them they didn't work I could return or exchange them for another style.

Brooks has a different shoe for everything. Also, since I live in AZ I wear mostly flip flops..this has caused me to walk on the inside of my feet. The brooks shoes help correct that for me. I can really tell a difference! With the 10's I love the arch support, and there's air cushion pockets in the sole so it's like walking on clouds!

Sorry my response was so long!

Sprootles

I didn't read through everyone else's responses but I had problems with shin to knee pain (not shin splints). I also got plantar fasciitis when I was doing a fitness boot camp!! I went on a week long journey to finding the perfect shoes...

Come to find out Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Reebok... All the popular shoes with "cute" styles are the worst for your feet!! Nike is supposedly redesigning their shoe to compete with Brooks (which are amazing shoes).

I ended up getting the Brooks 10. Which are a running shoe, but I bought them for the awesome side support for the side to side movement I do with Turbo Fire or any other high intensity workout... Basically the sales lady told me they could be used for cross-training/running/walking/whatever I needed them for. I have had them for a year and they are still amazing and in awesome condition. They also came with a 2 week "test-drive". So if within two weeks of wearing them they didn't work I could return or exchange them for another style.

Brooks has a different shoe for everything. Also, since I live in AZ I wear mostly flip flops..this has caused me to walk on the inside of my feet. The brooks shoes help correct that for me. I can really tell a difference! With the 10's I love the arch support, and there's air cushion pockets in the sole so it's like walking on clouds!

Sorry my response was so long!

Thanks for your information about shoes. My first bout with PF was last fall right after I started my new job. It hurt so much and I had no idea what was wrong. I went to the ER and they took and xray and said I had a tiny bone spur. They told me to do some stretching exercises (mostly just roll a frozen soup can under my foot) and gave me a heel cup insert for my shoe and a prescription for pain killers and anti-inflammatories. I took the pain pills but didn't use the AI's as I did not like what I had read about them. It took a long time, but eventually it did stop hurting. It even felt better when I had heels on. The worst was when I was barefoot or wearing very flat shoes.

Well, off and on it would bother me...but this week it came back with a vengeance. This is the week I also started working out, but my heel never hurts when I work out. So, I decided to do some research as I did not want another dr's visit. I found awesome videos and printouts about stretches at www.neufoot.com . I wish that dr. was local so I could schedule with him, but he is in TN and I am in IL, so no go.

Anyway, last night the pain was HORRIBLE. I could barely walk. Even my husband was telling me to go to the doctor and get it fixed. Um, no. I'm not having surgery, plzkthnks. So, when I woke up this morning it hurt so bad and I had no idea how I was going to get through the day, let alone my daughter's softball game. I immediately iced it and stretched it and it felt better. I also found some insoles at Walmart from Dr. Scholl's that were for PF and heel spurs. I didn't expect much because...well, it's Walmart, after all. But...they are BETTER than the heel cup the dr. gave me. So after stretching and icing and wearing those to my daughter's game, I had no pain! I came home and did my cardio (decided to bike as I was still a bit tender in the heel) and still no pain. Then my daughter wanted to walk around the block so I went with her...no pain!

I just finished doing some more icing and stretching: I froze a soup can and then rolled it from the heel to middle of the foot for 3-5 minutes. Then I got down on the floor, put my sore foot out in front of me and put a towel around the ball of the foot and pulled back gently, stretching (hold the stretch for 30 seconds, do it 3-4 times). It feels really good, now! It says to do this in the morning (the stretching with the towel) before you get out of bed and you can avoid that pain that you have when you first get up into a standing position.

Anyway, you might give those Dr. Scholl's a try...I was a huge skeptic at first, but they do seem to be working and they're better than the one I got from the dr. I plan to do this everyday, several times a day. I've already got a can at work and I think if I do it four times a day it will really help.

lakendawn122

I also have plantar faciatis, and I am flat footed and I a have bad knee but I am so overweight and I need to get some cardio in but I just dont know what to do to ease the pain. I've tried taping my feet and insoles and they just seemed to make the problem worse. I understand your pain man. I just want to exercise and get this weight off.

pplf2001

I also have plantar faciatis, and I am flat footed and I a have bad knee but I am so overweight and I need to get some cardio in but I just dont know what to do to ease the pain. I've tried taping my feet and insoles and they just seemed to make the problem worse. I understand your pain man. I just want to exercise and get this weight off.

Go to a running store and get fit tested - and get some custom orthotics from a podiatrist and get the shoes fit tested with them in your shoes.

A few other things that have helped me:

A boot to wear at night, I had one like this, but there are lots of styles out there: http://www.amazon.com/Active-Ankle-Dorsal-Night-Splint/dp/B0015TESE4/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1360939319&sr=8-14&keywords=plantar+fasciitis

Stretching (x1000000) - this one is critical

Also - don't wear flip flops, dress/ballet flats (my podiatrist actually suggested a 1-2" dress heel, not stilletos, rather than dress flats because it shifts the pressure on your tendons), and get some supportive shoes for the rest of the time.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info on what I went through - I always have my custom orthotics in my running shoes and I always get fit tested for running shoes before switching the type/size of shoe.

Good luck!