Experiences with plantar fasciitis?

applejacks1552

Anyone successfully overcome plantar fasciitis without surgury or spending a fortune on custom orthodics and/or a podiatrist?

Did you find that weight loss helped?

One of my feet has been painful with plantar faciitis for over 6 months now, although it seems better now that I've been stretching religiously and wearing running shoes with Dr. Scholls supports. But it does make exercise a lot less fun. And although I love to swim, it's not a convient or cost effective option for me in the winter.

I'm really hoping significant weight loss will help! And I'd really like to be able to wear "pretty" shoes again.

grapemint

I did go to a podiatrist and have recovered. I think the steroid shot really helped me along with wearing Mephitos sandals "Helen". They have a cork soul with arch support.(expensive but worth it) I did the stretching exercises too!

Good luck....I know it is painful....I really think the sandals helped soooo much. I have them in several colors. On my doctors advice I stopped wearing flip flops and walking barefoot which is is bad for arch support.

Butterfly3730

I did have it and it was very painful so I went to a podiatrist and got custom orthotics. I also followed his advice on types of shoes to wear. He also gave me a few stretching exercises to do after walking (exercise). And it healed completely! I no longer have the problem. Also don't wear orthotics anymore either.

LisaRN9

I bought arch supports in the grocery store and have religiously stretched. Rolling a frozen can of juice on my arches helps with pain too.

Collinsky

I got PF this past July, doing more running than I was ready for. In my case it was doing "too much, too soon" in my barefoot running, instead of taking it slower and giving my feet time to adapt to the new demands I was placing on them. I should have stuck to the C25K running plan, instead of getting excited that I *could* run and way overdoing it one day.

I decided, after a lot of reading up on it, to go a slightly different route than many will say is the Only Way To Deal with PF. What I agree with, as far as the usual advice is (in no particular order):

1. Rest the injury. This might mean taking a couple weeks/month off entirely. It might mean cutting back on activities as much as possible, and/or moving to alternative exercises for a while.

2. Stretch your calves and feet often - several times a day, every day.

3. Try to maintain a 90 degree bend in your ankle, rather than letting the foot dangle/point. Every time your foot points at all, the fascia, etc, are shortened, and then when you flex your foot again, it HURTS because you are *retearing* the plantar fascia every single time you lengthen it again. This is why with PF, it tends to hurt horribly with the first steps in the morning (because your foot in relaxation is not flexed all night long, and also after you've been sitting for a long time. Keeping your foot flexed/foot flat on the floor is very important until it's healed. A "night splint" can keep your foot in the correct position while you sleep - they run about $30-40 and can make a huge difference in recovery.

4. Massage of the fascia to break up scar tissue and promote healing -- you can do this with your fingers/knuckles, but getting a hard ball like a golf ball to roll under your foot is wonderfully helpful.

5. Ice your heel! Ice at least a couple times a day, 15-20 minutes. Many people like freezing a water bottle, and rolling that under their foot/heel.

Where I diverge from the conventional advice is that it tends to include something about "never go barefoot ever again; always wear a supportive shoe!" I wholeheartedly disagree with this. Wearing a shoe with a heel (which shortens the fascia and can provide a feeling of relief from the pain) is something I decided to actively avoid when dealing with PF. My feeling is that keeping my fascia/etc as lengthened as possible - in that flexed position - was important for longterm recovery. The last thing I want to do is encourage my plantar fascia to shorten and tighten, making me more prone to reinjury later on. I chose to deal with my PF as barefoot as possible. I stopped wearing any shoe with a heel, and after not running for a month, I started back on my running plan barefoot.

I totally get that barefoot running isn't for everyone, but my point is that if you are following all the other advice it may not matter if you wear shoes or not, or what kind of shoes you do wear. There are some PF sufferers who have it so severe and so chronic that shoes, shots, and/or surgery become the only options... but I think that for many others, following th *other* advice religiously can and will provide a great deal of relief, if not complete recovery. It can take a while for it to stop flaring up, because unlike muscles, the fascia, tendons, and ligaments tend to have little bloodflow and they can just take a long time to heal, regardless of what you do.

Another thing people will say is that you must stop all running, and any activity like that, until you no longer have PF. However, that blanket advice is not necessarily best for everyone. If your case of PF is quite severe, or is a recent injury, then I agree 100%. However, if your PF is fairly mild, it is absolutely okay to continue running or other activities if you use good sense. Perhaps cut back on your mileage, and if it still hurts, cut back even more. Don't do speedwork. If it starts hurting during your run and does not get better after a short while, STOP the run. Frequently take a moment during your jogging to stretch your calves, and stretch them well after. Massage your feet (with the golf ball or something like it) for a while before and after every single run.

Excess weight does increase your risk for PF, because it places more stress on the feet with each step -- while losing weight reduces that stress, you may find that you still probably still have to do the other stuff: exercises, stretches, massage, icing, and keeping your foot flexed.

http://tao-fit.com/self-treatment-for-plantar-fasciitis is a helpful starting place, IMO, for understanding and treating PF at home. I didn't do many of the exercises he suggests (didn't use the roller for my hips, for instance) but it's a good article and worth reading!

My main suggestion is look at all the advice that you receive, and take what works for you and leave what doesn't. Almost all podiatrists are in agreement about the approach to take with PF - and like I said, I agree with it wholeheartedly up to a point. I don't think that shoes are necessary (or even helpful) for everyone, and I agree with those that say that avoiding running is not always necessary. I also think some podiatrists are too quick to jump to orthotics, cortisone shots, and even surgery, when a little patience and a lot of PT and TLC would do the trick. (And I also am glad that podiatrists are there when shots, orthotics, and/or surgery are the only viable options, don't get me wrong! LOL)

Good luck! I hope you find relief... it can be awful to deal with!

pinkdawn72

It has bothered me since last summer. The things I had done that helped is not wearing flip-flops or going barefoot. I wear skeecher shape ups outdoors and house slippers with a memory foam heel indoors. Ice packs when it acts up and massaging my foot.
I hate it! Not wearing cute shoes is bad but now it's kept me from exercising as much as I would like to. I am hoping when I lose 20-30 pounds it will not be so painful and I can work out more.

Micheller1210

I had the steroid shots and do the stretching all the time ...it took me 3 years to completely heal from it.

mamatoboys6219

I had it...went to the podiatrist, got the insoles...and never used them. I went to physical therapy and lost some weight and never had a problem since. Stretching and losing weight helped me a lot.

evandmegsmom

I lost 25 lbs. and haven't had it since.
:-)

MisterDubs303

I got the hard plastic part of the Good Feet Store system. Wore them all the time (though that's not how they're intended to be used). They were extremely uncomfortable at first, but I got used to them. Between that and weight loss, my feet are fine now. I don't wear any arch supports anymore.

seasonalvoodoo

I have it but it has been much, much better since I started exclusively wearing shoes with "zero drop" (no raised heel) and since I stopped running in raised heel running shoes.

This is a helpful link:

http://sock-doc.com/2011/03/plantar-fasciitis/

Like an earlier poster said...wearing raised heel shoes only cause your plantar fascia to shorten. Going barefoot and wearing shoes without a raised heel can help. I do all my running in either Vibrams or Nike water shoes...no arch support, no foam, no heel support.

The only time I can "feel" the PF is if I actively press on it with my finger or thumb. Otherwise, it is a non-issue whether I am walking or running.

janetlsexton

Sorry to hear about your pf. I have suffered with this too, it's unbelievable how painful it can be. In addition to the stretching exercises and wearing the proper shoes, taping REALLY helped me. Make sure to tape at night before you go to sleep, it keeps that ligament from shortening. Here's a video that shows you how. I only did the "X" and one additional strip around my entire foot to support the "X". This person demonstrates using three or four extra strips, you should experiment to see what works best. Hope this helps! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy1ZEJ-kKTg

vicnan

After almost 2 years of physical therapy, it just was not doing it for me, nor the steroid injections, orthodics, wrappings, massages. I did opt for surgery and afterwards continued therapy and that was the last that I had difficulty. I'm still losing some weight and it has helped both my feet and knees

vicnan

I must also add that I do stretch regularly to avoid reoccurrance.

Collinsky

This link was VERY helpful to me when I first started out with PF, it shows the exercises to do to strengthen and stretch:

http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofeet.com/plantar_fasciitis_exercises.html

porcelain_doll

Go to your local running store and tell them about your problem. They will suggest you buy this contraption that you wear while you sleep on your foot which stretches the muscles slowly. You can adjust it to stretch more or less. How long you have to wear it depends on how bad it is. I did this as well as roll a tennis ball under my foot throughout the day at various times, and eventually it went away. My case was pretty bad. I could hardly walk on my foot when I'd first wake up before I tried the stretching thing and tennis ball rolling. Those two things would be my suggestions. Good luck!

tmzana

I had it and did PT for it. They had me do alot of calf/foot stretches. I also iced it everyday and took motrin. It took almost a year to get rid of it. I have lost some weight too and they say that helps. Hope you get better soon. It is so fun!!

cwalters1540

I had it and the podiatrist recommended custom inserts. It was too expensive so I just bought inserts at the store. He also suggested I wears sneakers constantly which I did. I never set foot on the floor unless I had my sneakers on. Not very fashionable, I know, but it worked! I think that's what really fixed the problem. From the moment I woke up in the morning until I went to bed at night I wore sneakers with my inserts. The constant arch support is apparently what I needed. I wore the sneakers for 3-4 weeks and haven't had a problem since and it's been years.

My mom also had it and she wore inserts and rolled the arch of her foot over a cold soda can--someone mentioned this in their post, too. It worked for her. She still has the occasional twinges, but on the whole it doesn't bother her anymore.

ckdub428

I got PF in 2002 and tried everything $300 dollar orthodics, no flip flops, everything. It would still flare. Then in 2007 I broke the same foot and was put into a walking boot. Best thing that could ever have happened, but I'm not suggesting you break your foot.
At my local running store they sell a "night splint" and it looks like a walking boot without all the extra weight to protect meaning bones. You sleep in it every night and it stretches your foot as you sleep. After a week or so you'll find that your foot feels amazing and you may never need it again or you may be like me (I love 4 in heels even though they are so bad for my PF) and I bring out the boot every few months and let it heel again.

Hope that helps!!!

gregpack

I had it for about four years. It's practically gone now, and attribute the majority of that to weight loss last year.

My family did give me an electric shiatsu foot massager last year. I put under my computer desk and used it a couple times a day. It helped a lot also.

hbrittingham

I had it, in both feet, lost 36 lbs and haven't had a problem since.

pauljsolie

Got the Exercisers and Relaxers at the Good Feet Store, love them. Haven't had a problem since and that was over 5 years ago. I feel for ya, PF was the absolute worst pain I'd ever been in.

Enigmatica

I'm another one who managed to recover without medical intervention - unless you count massage therapy as medical. My daughter-in-law is a massage therapist and when she found out I had PF she had me start regular stretching exercises, rolling a hard ball or frozen water bottle under my foot, and she worked on my legs and feet quite a bit. It absolutely KILLED me the first few times she dug into my feet but then it would feel so much better it was worth it. I also started walking as much as I could as soon as I could, after stretching real good in the morning. The PF went away over the course of about 2 months and I haven't had any trouble with it in about 4-5 years now.

pg1girl

I had it badly too but custom orthotics have reduced the pain to almost nothing. Running again with no problems.

lauristewart

I have had it off and on for 10 yrs....I did get insoles for my shoes and still wear them in my workout shoes. Stretching is essential....anti inflamatory meds....it took about 10 months for it to go away and I still have flare ups every so often. I also was told to not run on a regular basis....I spin a lot, do Insanity, Asylum and other dvd workouts....But I wear my insoles in my workout shoes every day!! It does take a while to go away.....good luck! I did go to a foot doctor and he helped me a lot!

TaraMN

I had Pf as well and saw our Podiatris at work (I work at a hospital). He recommended SuperFeet (http://www.superfeet.com/. Can usually find them at a sports store like REI). He said for 90% of people they work, without spending $$ on custom inserts. One week after wearing them (I mean wearing them all the time, in every shoe!) I was 100% better. I still wore my SuperFeet faithfully because I didn't want to go back to the pain. Then I saw a Rolfer, for different reasons, and through those sessions and improving my body alignment, my PF is gone. I don't have to wear any inserts anymore. I probably sound like a SuperFeet commercial , but they worked for me!!!

rvagnoni

I have something similar but I am not quite sure if it is PF or something else since I have not yet been to the doctor yet about it. My problem usually occurs during intense exercise such that comes from running or jumping. I am doing P90X right now and any movements where I have to land on my feet hurt. starting at the bottom of my feet and radiating to the back or front of my shins. Very painful. Does this sound like PF for those who have been diagnosed? Thanks!

rvagnoni

Hey TaraMN. What's a Rolfer?

jmankin2012

I suffered from PF when I was taking martial arts. I was at the sporting goods store and found something called KT Tape. I was very skeptical how this tape running from the bottom of my foot and up the back of my ankle could help at all. What it seemed to do is take the pressure off and the pain subsided which gave me a chance to heel.

i was able to do three 2 1/2 hour martial arts classes a week using this tape. Without it in the beginning i could barely walk.

http://www.kttape.com/index.php

hope it helps

jdm

TaraMN

I'm not very good at explaining it.... they work with your muscles... a Chiropractor focuses on bones, a Rolfer focuses on muscles. Here is info on it if you want to check it out..... http://www.structureforlife.com/about_rolfing.html. It really is a great way to optimum body alignment.

TaraMN

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