Plantar Fascitis, omg what do I do....

sdbart

There is a boot that you can get online ore even at a CVS or Walgreen's. You sleep in this boot and it helps, SO MUCH! I know because I had to buy this boot because of my plantar fascitis. Just google plantar fascitis boot and you can find a good one for you... good luck!

emtjmac

After 2-3 weeks of inexplicable heel pain, I went to the foot doctor.... I have plantar fascitis. He made a little support thing to wear, which helps very slightly.... two weeks later I still have the problem.

Now I was never much for exercising, but now I feel like I can't even if I wanted to... and now it hurts to even WALK.

I looked up online a couple exercises to try to do to improve it, and I'm wearing good sneakers all the time.

Any other advice?

Some people use a golf ball to roll with their foot to massage away the pain. The current (April) edition of Runner's World has an add for a roller ball thing that looks AMAZING. I don't have what you do but even I want this thing. It's coming out this year.

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

i bought these sneakers called orthaheel, and my feet don't hurt like they used to

aquarius0202

I have had that + what state do you live in? I would see a good Podiatrist, who is also a Board Certified Surgeon.
There are various types of this problem. he/she can determine which type + go from there. At the very least they should
fit you with custom orthotics and go from there.

TXtstorm

I had this about 9 years ago. I had a new job and was on my feet on hard surfaces for hours per day with nowhere to sit down even if there was a lull in the work. Horrible pain in my feet, sometimes actually worst when I'd get up after sleeping. It made me walk weird which put the rest of my joints (knees, hips, back) out of alignment, so I started having pain from them too. I had been used to doing a lot of walking and day hikes over mixed terrain in mid-high hiking boots and I knew what a difference those Merrells had made over my previous Nike walking shoes (probably worn out). So I bought a pair of Merrell hiking shoes for work to the tune of $110. Support, shock absorption, and seem to make me walk with a better gait and posture. I'm on my fourth pair of Merrells for work now (only place I wear these) and my second or third pair of boots for recreational hiking. I like my current pair of work shoes so much I've been thinking of buying another pair for my regular hard-surface walking exercise. The model is call Avian Light Hiker Ventilator. I can't find it on the Merrell website currently, so I'm afraid they may have discontinued it!

I also highly recommend hiking socks from Thorlos. Again, not cheap (the particular style I wear is $14 per pair), but well worth it. Their construction includes support in the arch that feels almost like it massages the foot. I buy the Women's Light Hikers. They are breathable and come in short and mid-calf heights. I tried an "everyday light walking" style once that was supposed to be summer-weight and didn't like them nearly as much because they trapped heat and I felt like I had hot feet all of the time.

Otherwise, I agree with others... always wear shoes, always wear shoes with good support/padding, do stretching exercises and get some vigorous foot massage going on. With improved shoes my pain resolved over several weeks until it disappeared completely. I have never since, however, worn as high heels and always pay for better shoes for hiking, walking, and even casual sandals. Hope you find some relief soon... I know it's miserable!

Phrick

Mine comes back right away if I walk barefoot (or even with socks) on my hardwood floors. I always, ALWAYS have to wear shoes around the house. And not just any shoes, either my running shoes (that are really supportive - moderate stability shoes that I was fitted for), Orthaheel flip flops, or Orthaheel/Superfeet insert insoles in my shoes. Even my "slippers" which are just Croc Mammoths have Orthaheel inserts in them. Good luck!

Between SuperFeet Green insoles and night splints mine is slowly going away this time but I'm still going to look into Orthaheel sneaks or the Merrels that were also suggested in this thread. I get to go shopping tomorrow! Hubby is of course going to want me to get the least expensive thing that will still help, so we'll see what I end up with...

JessicaRobin67

I had that... it hurts! Hot soaks helped... but for me, time. My dr. made a foot guard(sole inserter) that really helped.

jdawg1105

The thing that helped mine the most was freezing a 20oz water bottle and rolling that on the bottom of my feet.

tamisarre

Heelthatpain.com. Best thing I've found, inserts for your shoes. alleviated all of my pain and even when I wear shoes without them like flip flops I have no pain. They are not expensive either.

redraidergirl2009

You do exercise that doesn't require a lot of foot work like using handweights or pilates and do low Impact cardio Wellll you feel better. It does heel I promise. I had it a couple years ago. I swear it hurt for 5-6 months though. I am back to running now if that's any help. Look up blogilates. She has some fab pilates workouts you don't need to stand up for.

megannnn15

Exercises for your feet to help you:

Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!! Your muscle is pulled tight and tearing! Scar tissue is building up making it more difficult to stretch and there you have a recursive problem. You need to stretch it out. Find a golf ball or tennis ball and roll it under your arch with your foot. Do this every day while you're sitting. I've heard of people who do this in my office when sitting at their desks. When you wake in the morning, do this before standing up for at least five minutes.

And of course, doctor, doctor, doctor. Good luck!

This is definitely amazing advise, this will help you long term! Good luck!

tracyriener

megannnn15 below said it best! Stretches are extremely important. Before getting out of bed in the morning you can use a towel, that you keep nearby to pull the top of the foot back to stretch the calf through the achilles. Do several reps of stretch and relax. Wearing good shoes for exercise and for daily activities. The ball under the foot rolling on the floor feels great! My plantar has recently flared again so I have had to go back to the stretches. It helps but takes time.

Im_NotPerfect

The show brand Danskos are the BEST for PF. They are spendy, but completely worth it! Also, don't walk around without shoes on...that can aggrivate it.

RevCO30

Chop your foot off! Just kidding, I had a bout with PF last year and I know how excrutiating it is. Unfortunately it lasts a long time. Did the doc tell you to roll your heel on a can of frozen juice a few times a day? It helps some, the cold helps numb the pain a little. It sucks but you just have to kind of wait till it goes away.

conniemaxwell5

If you can find a chiropractor or physical therapist that does a therapy called dry needling, go! I had a severe case of plantar fascitis for about a year and ended up walking with a cane for a short time. I went to a physical therapist who did several treatments of the dry needling and it was completely resolved and I've had no recurrence for about a year now. If you can't find someone who does this therapy, you might try acupuncture. They are similar but the areas they target are different somehow. The dry needling targets the actual muscles that are involved and I'm not sure what exactly acupuncture targets. Good luck - I totally understand the pain you're in and how it limits your ability to exercise!

murdie

I had it about a year ago. It is horrible!!! My podiatrist recommended some exercises and I did them faithfully and it was gone in less than 2 months! Look on the internet and you can get exercises..do them! I actually had a broken foot on the left and a heel spur on the right at the same time! good luck!

perfectionisntme

I bought a pair of orthodics to help with arch support.

flyithi

I had this about 15 year ago from not wearing shoes around the house and I agree it was absolutely horrible. I tried everything; ice, PT, better shoes, stretching and custom orthodics (which hurt and don't fit in many shoes). Then I came upon Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) at my podiatrist, It took 30 min in the office, didn't hurt and I was pain free almost immediately. I walked all over Disney World that summer without a problem. It was controversial back then and I don't know if it's still around. Right after I got it, the office told me some insurance companies stopped covering it because it wasn't researched enough but I would have paid anything. I hardly ever go barefoot now and replace my tennis shoes fairly often. I have to really limit wearing flip flops/sandels in the summer because I get a slight feeling of it with no support. Good luck to you.

ogiesmom

bump for later, I have that problem too

WVprankster

When I was diagnosed with PF, the first thing my doctor told me was to stop running. I called bull****-a reasonably fit 32 year old man can't perform the basic movement necessary to save himself from a rampaging beast? Eff that. Strapping myself into a ridiculous boot or having to use "special" shoes? Double eff that. I shouldn't need outside stuff to fix my inside. So here's what I did, and what has worked in the long-term.


I backed off. I did purchase new insoles my my daily and athletic shoes. "spenco" or something similar. They helped. I iced my foot a few times a night for a few nights a week. The real issue was two-fold: heal the damage I'd already done, and prepare for more exercise. To make this happen, I started to stretch and strengthen my calves through foam rolling and weights, respectively. I also up'd my hydration to a gallon a day- I routinely see the bottom of a plastic Gatorade bottle I use for water (One of my students called it "Ghetto-ade"). As the pain lessened and I loosened up, I took my shoes off. First, just sitting barefoot in front of the TV. Then standing for extended periods of time. A walk across my apartment complex. All reasonable. I then took the insoles out of the athletic shoes, and used the insoles only while at work. Still no pain. About six months ago I got rid of the insoles entirely, and made the jump to zero-or low- drop casual and athletic shoes. I have not had any instances of PF since at least December.

TL;DR: Ridiculous boots are ridiculous, regardless of the (apparent) success posters have had. I got rid of much "shoe" over th course of a year and half, and can now avoid rampaging beasts at a moment's notice without wincing.