Plantar Fascitis anyone?

Joniboloney

I have PF in my right foot. I have being seeing a podiatrist to get some relief for the pain but have found alot of the exercises I used to do (step aerobics, running, Zumba) are too painful now. I can use to elliptical and walk for 30 mins. Does anyone else suffer from plantar fascitis and have found success with other cardio exercises. Thanks.

diaryoffatdad

i have terrible PF. it was debilitating this summer, there were days i could not walk. i had to get physio, but for me the only thing that really worked and allowed me to get back to running was getting new shoes. with PF the most important thing in your shoes is extra padding. not support, but padding, the more the better, so i got new asics with lots of gel cusioning and even got heel pads to place under the insole. this virtually fixed my problem, i dont notice the pain when i run, and i only hurt when i push on it after a long day on my feet. stretching is also very important.

if you need something to do while you heal, try swimming, no pressure on your feet, a bike could help, spin classes, mix it up stretch a ton and ice.

Barneystinson

I have it. It sucks. Wearing proper shoes and lots of stretching, icing, and massage keep it at bay.

RedRage00

padding in your shoes. In the past I would massage the hell outta my foot after a run. It hurt like hell but eventually went away.

12skipafew99100

I got rid of my PF by stretching the foot (toes to shin) before I even got out of bed in the morning. This is essential. Stretch frequently during the day too.

mlb929

My podiatrist has a great article on his website www.nwfootankle.com that really talks about this. He is a holistic DPM, so doesn't just treat symptoms, he addresses the problem.

natersmama

i myself dont have PF, but my dad has it in both feet. his dr gave him his "space boots". lol. its what he calls them. he has to sleep in them at night and they basically keep his feet flexed so the tendons cant tighten up on him. he has inserts for his boots through the day to that help. and since he's a marine he still has to be in good shape. so he still runs at least 3-4 miles at least 4 days a week. he said he couldnt do it without his inserts and "space boots" tho. maybe you could talk to your dr about them.

CVALGAL

I have had this since the summer. It's slowly going away as I lose weight and walk for exercise. A couple of things that my doctor told me to do that has helped has been to sit down and roll a tennis ball around using the bottom of your foot or a frozen bottle of water underfoot. It helps to relieve some of the pain for a little while. The best thing is to keep moving though. Try some of the cardio exercises that others have mentioned. The less weight you're having to put on your foot the better!

rileamoyer

Stretching, padding, ice, rolling the tennis ball, all of those - especially the padding. Suffered with it for about a year. You have my sympathy.

DietingMommy08

Definetly get good walking shoes and insoles with extra arch support.

I bought some dr schols (sp?) that had the gel padding in the heal section of the shoe already in them and then bough insoles and its made such a big difference in my walking.

upsidedownpear

its gone with some weight lost!

sweetptgrl

As a physical therapist I treat a number of patients with plantar fasciitis. The best way to get rid of it, like a number of people have said, it to stretch. What also helps is to freeze a bottle of water and then roll your foot over the ice for 3-5 minutes. This helps with the inflammation and also stretches out the plantar fascia. Good shoes are much better than going barefoot.

cabaray

Mine got better with a steroid injection and custom orthotics from the podiatrist. I tried the boot, the stretching, the tennis ball and ice. Ultimately, it was the shot and the orthotics that helped. It's been gone for 3 years now!

anaranjo39

I had the same problem when I started running 3 months ago. Try changing shoes to some that offer more support, stretch often and fully and a small trick: Place tape across the end of the ball of your foot, not around the foot, but only to the bottom of the foot to create a "support." Make sure the tape is not too tight, but do make it "hold" the tissue up. Sorry, I dont have a picture. This took care of my problem within three days. I got this trick from a professional marathon runner who suffered fromt he same problem.
I kept running through the pain, but I don't recommend it. I tend to be a bit obsessive. Good luck!!

meadowmail77

I had it really bad a few years ago after my daughter was born. My doc had me alternating heat and ice, wear proper shoes and stretching. I think you can google search stretches that are good for it. Took a few weeks but it went away. Oh and he had me take motrin every day. Now once in a while I start to feel it coming back I just start stretching again and it goes away

sunnybrunette126

I have PF in my right foot. I have being seeing a podiatrist to get some relief for the pain but have found alot of the exercises I used to do (step aerobics, running, Zumba) are too painful now. I can use to elliptical and walk for 30 mins. Does anyone else suffer from plantar fascitis and have found success with other cardio exercises. Thanks.

Mine is pretty bad even after several of the shots which I screamed in pain at getting. I found that after three few weeks of icing it with a bottle of frozen water that I rolled my foot over (standing) before I went to bed and ibuprofen every six hours that the pain subsided significantly. I also stretch my calf muscle alot and I stretch my foot out every morning before I get out of bed to walk on it. This regimen helped me and now I just came from NYC a few weeks ago where I walked constantly. It did not bother me. I also have orthotics in my shoes that help. Also, the type of sneaker you wear is important. My doctor told me something that isn't too flexible... you don't want it to be able to bend in half. I workout now (Zumba, 30DS, P90x all those dvds, Cardio Kickboxing) and it doesn't affect me. Hope you find some relief!!

cwojo

Yes I have that as well as the spur. It sucks. I just got into running and this has put that at bay. I do more biking. I wear a boot at night to keep the tendon from getting stiff. I did go to a doctor and am under his care now. He wanted to do a steriod shot but people tell me not to do that as that covers the pain and you cause more damage. So I suffer for now but it does seem to get better with the shoe inserts and boot I wear at night. Good luck.

JPsFunkyMojo

What also helps is to freeze a bottle of water and then roll your foot over the ice for 3-5 minutes. This helps with the inflammation and also stretches out the plantar fascia.

I wish I knew about the water bottle trick when I had this problem. Same goes with the tennis ball (although I'm sure that would be difficult with my dogs, haha). Stretching did help me a lot, as did the boot. It's not the most comfortable of things, but it helped. I wish I had more advice for you, but it looks like everyone else covered it. I hope you're able to get some relief soon, I know how miserable they are.

UsedToBeHusky

There are some exercises that you can do that I learned from my physical therapist that can actually help you recover from it. I don't have probs with it anymore myself.

Take a belt and put it around the ball of your foot. Hold each end and while keeping your leg straight, pull your toes toward your body. Repeat for 3 or 4 reps. You should do this every day before getting out of bed and anytime it bothers you. Should improve in a couple of weeks.

LJGmom

I was a cosmetologist and had to quit because of plantar. It is extremely painful! I have it in both feet. Stretching is key, and rest until the inflammation goes down. I could barely walk for months, but after 6 to 8 weeks of rest, meaning only standing and walking when necessary, it went away mostly. I still get very sore when standing in one spot too long, or wearing high heels. I stretch my achilles tendon constantly by pointing toes upward. I tend to stand on outside of my feet to keep weight off my heels, which has started giving me knee problems. I buy shoes that roll my feet inward to help. Runningnis out for me, every time I try to start back up the pain is too intense! I can do about anything else now though. Just rest and stretch and let it feel better. Don't overdue it!

MLeigh18

Yep. I'm PFer. Flat feet and severe over-pronator.

I've learned there's nothing that can be done to essentially remove the problem. I will always have PF. I wear orthodics in my shoes. Only wear sandals that have straps around my ankle because gripping the thong flip-flop with my toes hurts too bad but I can still only wear sandals for a couple of hours before the pain is unbearable.

The best thing I've found is taking a golf ball on my kitchen floor (or any hard surface, it works on carpet just not as well) and rolling the golf ball along my Plantar Fascia in a sock. I do it for about 3 minutes on each side, sitting down of course, and trying to push a little bit harder each time. It stretches out the PF and it feel AH-MA-Z-ING!! A baseball works too, but i prefer a golf ball.

Some people run in their orthodics but I can't it hurts too bad. However I still run some, short distances and at a relatively slow pace. I would never recommend you to take a step class, I know how bad my feet hurt after a one hour class and I doubt i'll be going back.

I also wear Saucony Pro-glide sneakers. They're as close to minimalists we PFers can get. Good cushioning and decent arch support.

dubist

I was chair bound for 3 years from severe PF felt like i was getting stabbed in the foot with every step. I was prescribed orthopedics by 3 different american doctors all of which made the matter much worse.
after 3 years i saw a specialist in hong kong got a treatment called extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, which uses energy pulses to induce micro-trauma to the tissue of the plantar fascia. worked wonder was walking after 3 treatments i did a total of 10 treatments.
the treatments are quite painful but well worth it. now everyday i roll my foot on a tennis ball to stretch it out and haven't had an issue since. ask your doctor about ESWT for your PF.

cattracy0829

bump

Shirley61

I agree with Cabaray: I had the problem for years. I am now wearing Orthodics and I also
started taking Omega 3 supplements and that helped with the inflammation.

Good Luck, it can be very painful. :flowerforyou:

amerrill1

I have it in my left foot. It is much better now that I have lost almost 50lbs, but I still have it. I was walking 3-6 miles a day when mine flared up. Too much too soon I think. I switch to low impact exercise...mostly cycling. I ride my mountain bike (both off and on raod) and that has really helped keep the stress off my foot (I use my stationary incumbent on bad weather days). I have done many of the things people here have done. I bought good shoes for walking around in and bought the most comfortable dress shoes I could find and then added gel inserts. My doctor told me to stay off my feet as much as possible until it heels. Use shoes with alot of padding when I am on my feet. NEVER go barefoot. I have a pair of Nike flip flops with gel inserts that I use around the house when I don't have my shoes on. I am not a runner...dont enjoy it and know how hard it is on the joints...so I will always do my cycling. Having said that, I would like to get a little running/sprinting in sometime just to be able to do things with my kids....but I have to heel completely first. It has taken too long to get this far. I do need to do better about stretching, icing, and taking advil. Hope this helps.

dubist

I was chair bound for 3 years from severe PF felt like i was getting stabbed in the foot with every step. I was prescribed orthopedics by 3 different american doctors all of which made the matter much worse.
after 3 years i saw a specialist in hong kong got a treatment called extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, which uses energy pulses to induce micro-trauma to the tissue of the plantar fascia. worked wonder was walking after 3 treatments i did a total of 10 treatments.
the treatments are quite painful but well worth it. now everyday i roll my foot on a tennis ball to stretch it out and haven't had an issue since. ask your doctor about ESWT for your PF.

I am now totally pain free and i had the worst case my doctors had ever seen. Don't get surgery get the ESWT no down time no invasive surgery. hopefully you don't have to go to a foreign country to get this simple procedure like i did..

loriannmartin

well for me it was bad... i did the stretches and exercises then had shots then had cryotherapy (freeze)nothing worked !!! then i had the surgery for it... couldnt bare weight for a month... it feels better now but i do need to wear my orthotic insert for my shoes.. it is uncomfortable walking when barefoot.

Mustangsally1000

I've had it for years! The only thing that really helped mine..was yoga. Who knew? Shoes didn't do it, PT didn't do it, strecthcing didn't do it, total rest when I had hip surgery did..but can't sit all the time). But yoga! It was fabulous for my PF.

emyback68

I have had it when doing a lot of step aerobics. What worked for me was buying a new pair of sneakers with arch support (New Balance), and then just taking a break from the step. I bought some of the stretch wraps that go on your foot, but they really did not help much. Cleared up in about a week.

I am now suffering from pain in the tendons on the top of my foot to my toes. Pretty sure it was caused by the step (added another riser, perhaps too much impact). Giving the myself another break from step aerobics.


Hope you find relief soon. PF is sure painful!

DrPepperLeigh74

Don't have it anymore but when I did the Dr. told me to wear good tennis shoes from the time I got up till bed time and when I did take them off to roll my sore foot on a frozen water bottle to soothe it. It must have worked. Hope that helps you

_VoV

My doctor told me that PF runs its course, with or without special exercises. I opted to wait it out, and as he predicted, it took several months to go away. I never felt I would get back to a point where it feels like my heels have proper padding, but I have gotten there.

One thing that helped: shoes and inserts by Orthaheel.