Anyone know about Plantar Faciitis?

LisaGirlfriend

I think everyone has said it above, but it's great you are seeing a doctor and getting orthotics. I did that and they've made a huge difference. I move my orthotics insoles to whatever shoes I'm wearing and am getting a second set made to go in sandals this year. If anyone hasn't mentioned it, and if you don't get relief, acupuncture with a real chinese practitioner really helped me with my foot issues. I also had to give up Zumba and other side-way motions. Good luck and don't worry. It will eventually go away if you take care and do everything everyone is suggesting.

XXXMinnieXXX

Cortisone injections can really change your life with this condition. It did for my father. I had this really bad, and the cure was losing weight! Simple as that. I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask for cortisone injections though that will help in making you more comfortable whilst your reducing your weight.

I went from not being able to walk with it, to walking 5 miles every day and running with no problems. I didn't have the cortisone I jections, but looking back i should have. Would have made life a lot easier.

Getting some good footwear helps. I've found asics to be great whilst exercising. If it's troubling you too much go back to the doctor.

Zara

Lupercalia

I suffered with Plantar Fasciitis for some time. Some stuff helped temporarily--stretching my feet (especially first thing in the morning, before even getting out of bed), rolling my feet over tennis balls or frozen water bottles, wearing those night time "splints" that support your muscles/tendons, wearing different shoes, wearing shoes in the house, etc.

What finally eliminated PF in the end was reducing/eliminating internal inflammation via dietary changes. Once I did that, it completely vanished, along with all sorts of other issues I struggled with as well.

Libraryluo

I didn't read through all the posts, so I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but "Strutz" pads really helped me. I developed PF about 10 years ago and bought orthotics to slip in my sneakers and wore them ALL the time, it got better after a few years. Now I developed it again a few months ago and started wearing Strutz. They really help me, and now I can get up in the middle of the night without being in terrible pain. Oh, and I agree, losing weight, definitely helps. Good luck!

bbbbb33333

Agree with most stated above.

Stretch with towel before you get out of bed every morning. Stretch before and after exercise. Roll foot over frozen bottle of water. Ibuprofen for a little while to take care of infamation. The most important thing for me was getting running arch support replacement inserts for my running shoes (yes, I have flat feet too). I use powerstep (only $30-$40 vs Dr. Orthodic). Like them a lot! After I run in them for a fairly long time, I move them to my dress shoes. Helps a lot.

a778c466

I have it really bad but can't afford new shoes right at the moment, so I bought these profoot plantar faciitis inserts for my shoes off of amazon and wear them in my shoes and I haven't had any pain in my heels since I have been wearing them. I can only speak for myself though. They have been amazing.

kkmonroe79

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. I saw a foot Dr, and received injections in my tendon (which were awful). I also wore a brace on my foot at night, had to do stretching exercises every day, and had supports for my shoes. I have no pain at all now, but it took about 6 months for it to go back to normal. I'd highly recommend seeing a Podiatrist.

detroitcupcake

excellent tip about the birkinstocks :-) that worked for me as well!
:drinker:

Sherrim13

I had this and it was so painful. I remember crawling up the stairs one morning when I went to wake my children up for school. Awful! I went to a general doctor and was given gel heel inserts to put into my shoes. Within a month or two my feet felt so much better. You can find the inserts on Amazon.com, just look for gel heel inserts and try to get the thick gel ones, not the Dr Scholls ones.... Other than that, I used advil to reduce swelling and iced my heels quite a bit.

kali31337

You have to have good shoes. No flats, no heels, nothing but good shoes. This time last year, I was practically immobile. I saw a podiatrist and I had lifts put in my shoes and stretches but it wasn't until I got a pair of GOOD sneakers and a pair of Dansko sandals that I actually saw an improvement. I can now wear flats and flipflops but if I wear them too long I start to hurt again. I also can't run yet without having some pain but hopefully getting rid of some of this weight will lighten the load on my arches. Go get GOOD SHOES!!

redraidergirl2009

I had it and got xrays just to be sure I didn't have a heel spur. It was a slow healing process that took several months for me not to have pain. Basically you just have to take it easy. I think it took about 5-6months for it to heal.

JustJennie1

Go to a podiatrist. PF isn't something to mess around with. My husband had it and it was over a year before he was pain free. Even now it flares up. A podiatrist can give you cortizone shots and pain killers.

kimberleymk25

My sister has very painful PF. The stretches, chiro & orthodics mentioned earlier helped her. She had the most relief when adding Tumeric to her diet daily to reduce inflammation. It takes a few weeks but made a huge difference for her. Good Luck!

Goldenwoof

The thing that helped me most was a tennis ball. I kept one on the floor at home and one on the floor under my desk at work. Periodically throughout the day, I'd kick off my shoe and roll my foot over the tennis ball. Not too gently, but not too much pressure, either. Just do it and you'll feel when it's the right amount of pressure. That gently stretches out the area and, over time, loosened it up and I was good as new.

I know from experience just how painful this can be, so best of luck to you in getting past it!

bbelles1

You need to get inserts for your shoes. I went to an orthotics store and they made custom inserts taht I use all the time in every pair of shoes I have. It will eventually go away. They were not cheap though. They cost around 300 dollars but last for 2-3 years.

moseler

I had it a few years ago and my doctor suggested freezing a bottle of water and then rolling my arch over it to stretch it while icing it... I also stopped wearing flip flops or other unsupported shoes. It went away... excruciating... I feel your pain. Good luck!

Amazon_Who

I had this a while ago and bought Birkenstock sandals and Alegria sandals. I think any of the heel lower balancing kind of sneakers are probably good too. When it is bad, don't walk or stand in bare feet as it will make it worse!

Birkenstocks help me too. I wear them instead of slippers and most days. Just to reemphasize... Do Not Go Barefoot, wear flip flops or slippers!

meaningful99

The nurse at my podiatrist's office told me to stretch my calves and hamstrings six times a day, and doing that totally worked! I do my first set before I even get out of bed. I also wear some orthotic inserts with good arch support - got them off the internet for about thirty bucks.

perfectionisntme

I was told that once you have, you are proned to it and It's cause from poor arch support and heel striking. I do my stretches regularly. It works out that I do yoga that helps. I spell out the alphabet with my toes, I also were a foot brace at night, and I got a pair of orthodics that give me more arch supports and replace my shoes about every 6 months.

As a runner, I purchased a pair of the barefoot shoes. Love them and the heel doesn't hurt.

HartJames

I started wearing crocs at home and got an arch insert for other shoes. No flats.