Anyone know about Plantar Faciitis?

staceywillman1

How bad is it? I have custom orthotics for it and I am cured of my pain. I wear crocs around the house. Also, you can roll your arch on a frozen water bottle. Stretch your calves and loosen up enough to do a toe touch. Be careful of treadmill expecially with incline. That can send me back into pain (it clears in a few days). If this stuff doesn't work see a foot dr. They can fix it. It takes several months to become pain free.

inquisitionist

Yes I have had it. First time lasted 3yrs. Now that I know more about it I can manage it before it gets to that constant pain stage. I went to 2 orthopedic Dr.s. one sucked/ the other was awesome.

Here's the deal. It.s a fallen or exhausted arch issue. It.s painful upon getting up because muscle is fatigued and it must 'warm up' before it feels normal. Don't be fooled....it's not gone, and will continue to return until it's helped.

2 great remedies:
absolute best is 'the boot', a medical store carries it. Sometimes walmart or local drug stores. It immobilized the foot in a fixed position. Should wear it as much as possible at home. ALWAYS At night. It causes your foot to remain in a position that relaxes that muscle allowing it to heal.

Also quick ice and heat. I believe 3min interval each for 3x's each. 3-5 x's a day. This causes the muscle to contract, helping recovery it's important to do both. Heat wash cloth in microwave.

Mine was awful. Later I thought it finally healed. Woke up unable to put pressure on foot. Used a crutch to Dr. The pain was on top my foot. It was still considered P., Fhe said it's common to reoccurring years later in a different area of the foot, due to body compensating. The body can tell when it's coming back, which causes a person to re adjust the way the walk... causing such issues.

So, now whenever I exert that foot to much, I wear the boot for a day or so..and it never gets worse. The key is catching it immediately and tending to it. I seldom have full blown issues anymore, and I walk, run a lot. AMEN!
Good luck!

lrazzo

I haven't read all your responses but I am just getting over this myself. Started in September and I tried to just run and walk through it. Got so bad though I had to stop. Changed sneakers, no relief. Saw podiatrist for arch pain and burning pain in my foot through arch and heel. So awful. He gave me stretches to do, a taping regime for when I workout, icing guidelines and I eventually got sport orthodics for my sneakers. I also wore a stretching sock/brace thing every night for a month to help stretch out the arch.

I've run on them several times now without pain.

Nothing can replace rest though, I had to let it heal for a good month before I took that first run on the orthodics. Its such a frustrating thing. It took me a good 4 full months to recover.

Pelly57

Thank You for all the good suggestions. I never thought of Crocs! I have been trying to find a good pair of house slippers that dont make noise and wake everyone up when I get up in the night. I did notice that when I started stretching in the morning it is getting better. I am hoping to start working out harder and dont want to cause it to get worse. Im sure taking some weight off will help too.

FitFlop makes a pair a slippers that are awesome! A bit expensive, but they have great arch support and lots of cush. Really helped the PF and completely took the pain away from some bone spurs in my feet. I wear orthodics during the day, but my feet love my FitFlop slippers.

Silvara_11

I got it when I started running, saw a sports massage therapist and had her really massage into the knot. She told me about the tennis ball trick, but I didn't have one. My local drug store (Boots) has a roller designed specially to stretch out feet with Plantar Faciitis, now I use that regularly after I've done a long hike or run and pain is gone.

It helps to know what is causing it so you don't make it worse!

BigDnSW

I apologize, I didn't go through all the threads, but yes I am dealing with it now and have been since late November. I am finally healing up. I did go see my doc and requested blood work to be done, notably to check for my uric acid levels. Uric acid is usually associated with gout, but as I found out can cause inflammation and irritation with plantar fasciitis. I am glad I did as my uric acid levels were high thus causing an imbalance in my purine levels as well.

We decided to take a change in diet approach and for me to lay off walking for exercise for a season. I can ride my recumbent bike, which I do. But, he gave me a list of foods to avoid for a season that are high in uric acid and it has helped tremendously. I have about a month to go before I can get back to walking.

I do have great walking shoes with orthotic inserts, but it made no difference whatsoever once I injured myself. It took time off for me to heal, a light medication, 2 rounds of cortical steroid treatment, NSAIDS, daily hot/cold foot baths with epsom salts, and diet changes for this to work. I will continue the diet and therapy for quite some time.

If I repeated what others have said, please forgive. Find a good doc and do what is best for you. This is my second time around with a sports/exercise injury this year. In both cases, I got too agressive, too soon. My bad, but now, my good as lesson learned.

It is very painful. Good luck to you!

BigD

ammariona

Plantar Faciitis, It was the most painful experience I have had the misfortune of experiencing!

My husbands co-worker ( pharmacist) told him that the muscles in the back of your calf should
not be tight, to massage it until it's loose. I followed his instructions and it was so painful, but
believe me I started to feel relief so much faster than all of the other exercises I'd been given.

I bought the orthotics which are not that great and I had the cortisone shots, they did work.
It comes back every now and then but I quickly massage my calf until it's loose and it works!
I hope this helps you, . AM

jarrodburroughs7

This is off topic (sort of) and I hope not insensitive. But it reminded me of a story. There was a girl who was clearly experiencing pain and stiffness from plantar faciitis (well, maybe. I'm not a doctor.) and I told her to ask her doctor about it next time she went. This girl is kind of... not as smart as other people. So, I repeated it a few times and wrote it down for her.
Then, she comes back from seeing her doctor, all accusatory, and told me she had lost the paper, but told her doctor she had "flappin-jappin-jitis" and was told that's not real and I must have made it up to mess with her.

sher80bear

Yes, it hurts!!!

The best thing for me was to wear shoes ALL the time. Even if I got up in the middle of night and walked to the bathroom I put shoes on.
Try advil and some ice for immediate relief and wear shoes!

I had a wicke case of PF, but I was just the opposite. I started doing everything barefoot, including working out. I rarely wear shoes around the house, and I just got a pair of Merrell Barefoot shoes to wear to work. My feet are completely pain free now, and have been for 9 months. Going barefoot strengthens all the little tendons and stabilizers in your feet that go unused when wearing shoes.

I had a really bad case in both of my feet. I have to agree about the DO go barefoot part. My pediatrist stressed to never go barefoot and I was listening to him. I tried the frozen water bottle, rest (wasn't on my feet more than 10 minutes in an hour), stretching, tennis ball massage, orthotics, cortisone injection, professionaly fit shoes, night splint, cam walker (24/7 boot you wear to mobilize your foot) and none of it worked. I wound up getting an unrelated back injury that resulted in my sciatic nerve being irritated ot the point I couldn't wear shoes because of the pain. Ironically, going against the advice of my pediatrist and not wearing shoes cleared up my plantar facitiis within a week. I went from not being able to walk because of the plantar fasciitis to being pain free (well plantar fasciitis free) within a week. Going barefoot everywhere isn't really an option so I was wearing the Vibram 5 Finger toe shoes. I highly recommend going barefoot even though the pediatrist will tell you its the worst thing you can do.

Chibea

Yes, it hurts!!!

The best thing for me was to wear shoes ALL the time. Even if I got up in the middle of night and walked to the bathroom I put shoes on.
Try advil and some ice for immediate relief and wear shoes!

I had a wicke case of PF, but I was just the opposite. I started doing everything barefoot, including working out. I rarely wear shoes around the house, and I just got a pair of Merrell Barefoot shoes to wear to work. My feet are completely pain free now,
and have been for 9 months. Going barefoot strengthens all the little tendons and stabilizers in your feet that go unused when wearing shoes.

I had a really bad case in both of my feet. I have to agree about the DO go barefoot part. My pediatrist stressed to never go barefoot and I was listening to him. I tried the frozen water bottle, rest (wasn't on my feet more than 10 minutes in an hour), stretching, tennis ball massage, orthotics, cortisone injection, professionaly fit shoes, night splint, cam walker (24/7 boot you wear to mobilize your foot) and none of it worked. I wound up getting an unrelated back injury that resulted in my sciatic nerve being irritated ot the point I couldn't wear shoes because of the pain. Ironically, going against the advice of my pediatrist and not wearing shoes cleared up my plantar facitiis within a week. I went from not being able to walk because of the plantar fasciitis to being pain free (well plantar fasciitis free) within a week. Going barefoot everywhere isn't really an option so I was wearing the Vibram 5 Finger toe shoes. I highly recommend going barefoot even though the pediatrist will tell you its the worst thing you can do.

I am thinking that this will be the next thing I will try, but I have tile floors and I wonder if our feet are made to deal with that cold hard surface..? Has anyone who lives with all tile tried this?

JenNuma

Good info here, thanks!

sonyareichweinmcintosh

This is an old discussion thread, but a current problem for me. I know the issue is weight, but its really hard to lose weight when walking causes this pain. I talked to my doctor and she gave me the same advice as above: 1. stretching exercises, 2. rolling a tennis ball under my foot, 3. get better shoes, and 4. lose weight. I've had this for 6 months and it seems to get better, then gets worse. She did not put me in the night time splints, I guess that is next.

Any advice on the best shoes for this? Particularly for walking/hiking?

Nuke_64

For shoes, find a good athletic store locally that specializes in shoe fit. It typically will be a runner's store. They will analysis your gate and help you find the right shoe.

I gave up and started cycling. I first got Plantar Fasciitis when I was in the Army and not obese but overweight and never got fully heeled until after my discharge, starting a sedentary lifestyle and becoming obese. Anytime I started to get active by playing soccer or even elliptical machines, it would flare up. Fortunately, I started cycling and found that I love mountain biking.

Maybe when I get down to the Normal BMI range I will try again but with a bone spur I may be helpless. I never liked running anyway.