Plantar Fasciitis

AlichiaMJohnson73

I have the same issues...I use the elliptical machine as well as cycle daily. When my feet arent bothering me I try to walk 3 miles a day! I sleep with my feet hanging off my bed while laying on my stomach. I went to get fitted with insoles and my doctor said to do a search on youtube for exercises to use when you 1st wake up to stretch your feet out. I have this in both feet! It's awful :explode:

KarCall

I've got that too... been sleeping in a boot for the last couple of months. It's helped a lot. Cardio is now swimming and biking.

ebaymommy

I won't reiterate what others have already said (lots of good suggestions) but also wanted to add that you should keep your tennis shoes by your bed and put them on first thing in the morning before you even get out of bed. Wear them all day until you get into bed at night. Do this while you are still having pain. Also (I didn't carefully read through all the responses so not sure if this was mentioned) a brace to sleep in at night to keep your foot flexed can be really beneficial as well.

I had PF in my left foot in 2009 and thankfully have been pain-free since. I can wear flip-flops now *if* they've got arch support. I live in my Chaco HipThong flip flops all summer, they've got superb arch support and they make my feet feel gooooood!

Overboard_Eater

I had this too and it was very painful. I switched to wear sneakers all the time and that helped some but nothing worked until I got Dr. Scholl insoles. They cost about $50 but the best investment ever! I have no more pain but still wear sneaker 80% of the time.

wolfiesgirl

I had this and after trying everything I ended up having a cortisone injection in my foot, it done the trick after months of suffering.Very painful....

wendyrvp

I too have this. I have not been "cured" yet. Good shoes, inserts, and not being on my feet for long stretches helps a TON. But it comes back very quickly and easily if I wear sandals, flimsy shoes, or walk too much. I hope one day it will go away completely.
Good luck.

MinnieInMaine

My gym buddy has a pretty severe case of recurring PF and her chiro told her to do the stationary bike only for cardio. She can do pretty much anything for strength but has to watch her calves because if they get tight, the PF gets worse. She tries using the elliptical from time to time but can only do about 10 minutes before the pain kicks in. Not all cases are the same so please do get medical advice for your particular situation.

I had it when I was much heavier and for me, like a lot of replies above, just getting the right shoes worked. For the summer, I found TheraSandals which are pretty much the same concept as those ShapeUp shoes - contoured heel. Thankfully it's never come back!

SherryR1971

Best thing for Plantar faciitis is to get and arch support for your feet. Preferably a custom one. You can go to http://www.footsolutions.com/problems/plantar-fasciitis

I had plantar fascitis and I could NOT afford the custom orthotics for my shoes ($300.00/pair). I was able to invest $60-$70 in a good pair of New Balance shoes and wore them and only them for a year and now, I don't have any more pain. Stretching the foot through various exercises (you will have to Google it, I don't remember what stretches I did) helped, too...I always said the podiatrists are in cahoots with the New Balance company, because that is all they recommend, but now I am a believer...New Balance all the way!

SherryR1971

I too have this. I have not been "cured" yet. Good shoes, inserts, and not being on my feet for long stretches helps a TON. But it comes back very quickly and easily if I wear sandals, flimsy shoes, or walk too much. I hope one day it will go away completely.
Good luck.

Mine did... I wore my good shoes daily for a year, stretched the foot religiously, and that was about 5 years ago and it has not come back at all...

jharb2

Several things to do, but have to do frequently and consistently. Ice the heel where the muscle attaches to heal. This is where the inflamation is. couple times a day-freeze ice in dixie cups and use this. Keep it on there and rub around until goes numb like 5-7 minutes
If you are able 800mg ibuprofen twice daily x 2 weeks
Use tennis ball and excercise arch and heel.
Stand on edge of a stairs and let heel drop down
All these I went to dr and physical therapy for. As well as cortisone shot which helped for approx. 3 days. It will eventually go away , be patient. You can always lift , swim, bicycle

jharb2

Oh and of course get a good shoe with a good arch. Don't invest in custom orthotics. You just need a good arch support.

boston6

Make sure you stretch your feet fully before you get out of bed in the AM and go right into supportive shoes. I had it in both feet at the same time and was on prescription Naproxyn for months. Basically, you want to pull the top of your foot toward your leg. The pain is from the tendon, connecting the ball of your foot and your heel, tightening when there is no load on your foot and then actually tearing itself from the heel bone when you put weight down on your foot.

Wangenstein

I found that stretching, as well as rolling a wooden dowel under my foot in the morning as well as before and after exercising (or whenever it felt sore) helped a lot. It used to be a big problem for me, but doesn't bother me anymore.

mom22qties

Oh and of course get a good shoe with a good arch. Don't invest in custom orthotics. You just need a good arch support.

Please listen to your doctor. Every person is different and so is every person. This is just not enough to help the problem. I have custom orthotics and I love mine.

stinkystinkykitty

I'm surprised no one has mentioned streches- you can find a lot of differnt sites explaing differnt foot streches for this if you google it, here's one:
http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/footstretch.htm
also basic calf streches are great for streching the plantar facia

Rocbola

I had plantar fasciitis in both feet that was really painful for years. It rarely bugs me anymore, and here is what i did to get rid of the pain:


1. Stretching. There are good stretches that you can do to help your plantar fascia grow stronger. I still stretch daily.

2. Exercising. Not just general exercise, but specific exercises for the plantar fascia, like calf raises. I do these daily.

3. Proper support. Get better shoes, or use orthotic inserts. I got better running shoes for my days off, and inserts for my work shoes

4. Avoid carrying heavy things. My job requires a lot of lifting and carrying heavy items. I use equipment to do the work whenever possible, and i'll carry less items per load, and make more trips if need be.

5. Proper diet. A lot of vegetables. The body has the ability to heal itself, but my body does that job a lot faster, i've found, when i fill it with fresh fruits and vegetables.

6. Lose Weight. It wasn't until i lost a bunch of weight that the heel pain REALLY started disappearing. It's practically gone now. I lost most of my pounds with minimal exercise! Losing weight is mostly about proper diet.

These are what i did to get rid of the pain, and i went from walking with a limp to regularly jogging by doing this. Good luck!

(PS I also should mention cycling: A great form of exercise that doesn't put a lot of weight on your feet. Swimming, too, if you have access to a pool.)

Raynne413

I've had PF in my left foot for over a year now, and in my right for about 4-5 months. Not excrutiating anymore, but definitely still noticable. What helps the most is sleeping in something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Y2SAF4/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00

UWWYellowbaby

Thanks for all the support and ideas. I really like the biking ideas - stationary or not. All the stretching techniques are good too. I just want the pain to end!!! Who knew something like this could be so horrible? I don't know if I could afford a brace, but if I went to my doctor, I wonder if it would be at least partially covered by my insurance or something? I'll have to look into that.

Thanks everyone!!!

Peggb

I am suffering from it as well. The dr told me they can do ortho inserts for my shoes to help or do cortisone shots...ugh Makes it hard to excercise - mine hurt all the time.

kimharper13

I have it as well and really set it off when I jumped from too of a height. My doctor put me in an "Air Cast" that I wear all the time, even when it does not hurt that much. It supports the arch and tightens around the Achilles tendon. I love it! It works very well. I had a co-worker who was having the same problems and she got one on line and it has really helped her as well. Also, a Steroid injection in the heel can help but it HURTS! The injection hurts but in about three days it's much better.