Plantar Fascitis anyone?

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  • dubist
    dubist Posts: 279 Member
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    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
    cattracy0829 Posts: 177 Member
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    bump
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
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    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
    amerrill1 Posts: 38
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    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
    dubist Posts: 279 Member
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    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
    loriannmartin Posts: 209 Member
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    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
    Mustangsally1000 Posts: 860 Member
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    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
    emyback68 Posts: 89
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    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
    DrPepperLeigh74 Posts: 236 Member
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    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
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    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.
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
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    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.

    I have a similar routine of morning stretching that has relieved *all* symptoms of PF for me. It takes me only 2 minutes a day. It took about 2 weeks of this routine for complete relief.

    I think it's important that the stretching shouldn't hurt at all.

    This does not apply to PF with heel spur, which a doctor should evaluate.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    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 :)

    I did the frozen water bottle thing too.
  • vinylscratch
    vinylscratch Posts: 218 Member
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    I had it! Mine was so bad I was using those little power scooter things at the grocery store... at 20 years old. I was in tears at the end of a 3 hour shift at the record store.

    I went from 250 to 215 in one semester and it COMPLETELY disappeared. What brought me relief was keeping a tennis ball in the freezer, and rolling my feet over it when I got home. Then I'd leave it by the bed and do it first thing in the morning. It will disappear with the weight.. and you will get your life back!
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
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    buy some MBT shoes. ugly as heck, but you're feet will be better in a week.
  • Joniboloney
    Joniboloney Posts: 127 Member
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    Wow, wasn't expecting such a response! Thanks for all the advice. I am going to take some of your recommendations and try some different things. Here's hoping. :smile:

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