Anyone else suffer from plantar fasciitis???

BurtSanchez

Hello there!

I too have suffered from the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis. It was so irritating and made my life pretty miserable. I tried all sorts of things and ended up going to the Podiatrist who as well as stretching and icing told me to get some Orthotic Insoles. I looked around and was tempted with a custom made pair but at $300 I couldnt quite afford it, Instead I opted for a pair of "off the shelf" ones. I tried a couple of pairs and they didnt really work then a friend suggested another brand she had had success with. They were only $20 so I though I would give them a go and I am so glad I did. I felt almost immediate relief and was back running in a matter of days. I couldnt recommend them enough - www.footlogics.co.uk

Cderziotis

I had a friend with the same issue, she's the one who told me about PRP. Its been a couple of years now and I haven't had any issues. I was walking within 3 days but it does take up to 6 months to correct it entirely. I didn't realize I wasn't limping until a coworker pointed it out to me. Definitely worth checking into. By the way, the rest of the advice everyone has given you is sound advice: stretching, ice, orthotics, cortisone all work but I found PRP worked the best.Good luck.

Sinnister78

Ughh. PF!

Have had it off and on for the past 7 years or so. 3 incidents caused a week of absolute bed rest while hoping on one foot to and from the bathroom.

The last of which was so severe my achilles was affected. I went for tests at emergency as I feared I had a partial tear in the achilles.

Results were not clear of a tear but the Dr. said my achilles was definitely inflamed and swollen. I was on crutches for 2 weeks.

The pain was out of this world! No amount of icing, anti-inflams or excercises helped. In fact, stretching it made it quite worse and may have prolonged it. Once it is injured enough to the point of not being able to walk all I can do is rest. Anything else makes it worse.

Now that I'm dropping weight I hope it never comes back.

amammaa4

I just found out I had PF and heel spurs yesterday. Last night was the first time sleeping with the brace and I felt great this morning. It's taking an actual step on my foot that is incredibly painful. I'm not sure if it is the PF or heel spur. It is great reading how many people were able to get back to working out. Love all the advice.

ScottishMrs

I've got it. I wear orthotics in all of my shoes except for heels and I'm good. I don't go barefoot or wear sandals. It does hurt after several hours on my feet but the orthotics are a godsend. I need to get a new pair every 2-3 years because they wear out though and they're not cheap.

ETA: I also bought a home ultrasound machine on amazon for about $80 and use it on myself rather than the $25/visit treatments from the doctor. It's incredibly helpful and the doctor said I was allowed to do it but that most people don't because they're afraid they're not allowed and because they don't know how inexpensive a machine can be. Just make sure to always use proper ultrasound gel or ultrasound lotion.

heather4132

I had it in my left foot pretty badly. I got amazing results from acupuncture, I did weekly or bi-weekly appointments for several months and the pain went away. Now I do appointments every three weeks to keep it at bay. They used needles, and then hooked the needles up to electrodes that pulsed, also heat lamps, and massage. I read an article in Runner's World a while back where acupuncture with electrodes worked for a runner with this condition: http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/can-acupuncture-heal-injury . I'm lucky in that my health insurance covers 26 acupuncture appointments per year.

I hope you find some relief, that condition can get very discouraging.

LG61820

I had a bad bout with PF when I first started running. I sometimes get twinges these days, but I know better how to nip it before it gets bad. I found really helpful information and an orthotic at http://www.heel-that-pain.com/

As soon as I got the PF down to a dull roar I went to a "running store" , not the local shoe store, and the staff there selected shoes for me. Not as affordable as the $29.99 sale special, but much relief when running or walking.

A woman I work with has had surgery on both feet. I believe I have had as much relief as she has had and no cutting involved. Just my opinion.

Clement1ne

Yup, I have that.

Skernan1644

I have PF ... hate it!!
On the advice of a co-worker who suffers from it as well, I now (1) take ibruprofen, (2) ice my foot for about 15 - 20 minutes after I workout, and (3) massage my foot before I go to bed at night.
The mornings are much easier when I do this ..... on those days when I'm rushed and don't bother with it, I can definitely tell when I step out of bed onto my foot the next morning!
Good luck!!

GaJavaGirl

Stretch your legs, ankles & feet for a few minutes before getting out of bed -- rotate ankles both directions, straighten legs while flexing feet, point & flex. Like another poster mentioned, freeze a water bottle and roll your foot over it a couple times per day. Get a massage and tell them about the problem -- they worked up my calves to some pressure points and it helped. Reflexology totally helped!

ETA: got fitted at a foot/ankle wellness center for inserts (I have really high arches) and got fitted at a running store with new running shoes (with my new arch supports).

Dwells9496

My massage therapist recommened rollong my foot over a golf ball a couple of times a day. That cleared it up really quickly when nothing else had worked.

runRobin01

just had this at the beginning of this year. Brought my running to a screeching halt....I quit completely and rolled it with a frozen water bottle and a tennis ball. Some people get cortizone shots. Mine lasted about 6-8 weeks. Hope yours is over soon.

dalemckeown

OP, how are you getting on?

I have successfully got back into my exercise over the course of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday i did 1 mile runs. Thursday a 10 mile bike ride. Friday I had a rest. Today I ran 5k, and tommorow i'll likely do another 10miles on the push bike.

I have been stretching my calf/soleus as well as the plantar facia a couple of times a day and massaging my foot. It's infinitely better.

I'm so glad to be back exercising again. I missed it dearly.

Jcsmith5210

I also suffer with this painful condition,interesting how every body else copes,i also wear gel insoles lots of stretching and wear crocs as slippers.Podaratist says it takes about two years to heal.I go out walking but sometimes it's so painful.i will some of your tips .

LiberatedDoe

I have dealt with it in the past. I stopped walking/jogging and just focused on rolling a frozen water bottle under my foot. I stand up a lot for my job and the water bottle exercises made it go away. I even had stitches in my foot for a week after Easter and last week I was able to walk a 4 mi trail with ZERO foot complaints.

amammaa4

Are the orthotics everyone is talking about the ones you buy at Walmart between $50-$100? Or do you need to get these from a doctor?

Cockney365

I've had PF for a few years now. When I started running in 2006 I had awful shin splints (my feet turn inwards like a bandy legged pigeon, I was 5st heavier than I am now and I had rubbish trainers on). I went and saw my friend who is a pod and he said I needed orthotics as my arches were virtually non existent, just Orthaheels from Boots, they were about £28. Since then I have worn them in all my shoes.

However, a few years ago I did some exercise (netball or running) and my heels hurt, thought nothing of it. Until I got out of bed the next day and found I couldn't actually stand up, had to crawl to the bathroom and literally drag myself around for the first few hours of the day. Since then I have kept replacing my running trainers (from a proper running store AND asking my pod), regularly replacing the Orthaheels and rolling my foot over a tennis ball after exercise. I find this bit helps the most, and I will do the same when I get out of bed in the morning after exercise. I play a lot of netball as well as running amd treadmill etc at the gym and my feet can hurt all day if I don't roll over the ball. The biggest flare up came during London Marathon last year, meaning I had to walk/shuffle from Mile 11 until the finish (devastated but glad I finished it!) I looked into the overnight boot but thought I would try and manage the problem with tennis ball rolls, stretching and occasionally resting it (my least favourite part of recovery). I am a student during the week so being on my feet isn't too bad, but on Saturday when I work, the 8 minute walk to the bus stop is agony. However I am not allowed to sit down behind the counter so I might have to find a new job!

kiki40

Hi there,
Just noticed that you had the cortisone injection three years ago. I had an injection about two years ago and was told that I could have it repeated 4 times a year. Thankfully, I have never had to have a repeat injection but maybe you could talk to your doc about having another injection? If its been three years, that was a good amount of time without pain so it may be worth a repeat.

sarahf3092

All I can say is alot of this advice works, spent the last 3 days with my foot up - ice , massaging, stretching etc & my insoles arrived and it really is feeling alot better today. Still a bit sore but nothing like it was 7 days ago....

Thanks for all the tips / sharing guys! Hopefully I'll be able to keep on top of it and not let it hinder my exercise for too long!

llener

I have been suffering with this since August. It is horrible. I've been on crutches, cam walker (it's like a ski boot for those who don't know - acts like a cast), physio, injection (only one too painful), and steriods. What is finally giving me relief is wearing the Strasbourg sock (you can order at amazon - it's hard to get use to sleeping in but I promise it helps 80% in the morning) at night and when sitting around, steroid course (pills not injections), stretching on the stairs (dropping the heel down of the affected foot until you feel the pull and hold for a minute) 3-4 times a day, and frozen water bottle to roll underneath. I was getting so desperate I was ready for surgery but since my husband is deployed and it's just me having to drive our teenage son around it was a last ditch effort. But it has been that better. It is probably 90% better and most days I can be nearly pain free with the odd painful day (no where near as bad as it was before the sock or the steroids). The steroids will tear up your stomach so take with a good meal! Spinning is also what I do for exercise as well as yoga.

P05T5CRIPT

I got it in December (last year) and it put an end to my running, I had to pull out of a planned 5k and 10k because of it, no exercise for weeks and lots of pain. I still can't run, Doctor has told me to give it up or I'll do more damage. I do spinning now instead, much less stress on my heel. I found stretching it out with a belt in the morning and rolling my feet on a tennis ball really helped. I also got an insole for my trainers when I'm at the gym, which was made to measure by a Podiatrist. I'm lucky in that I don't get any pain unless I run, so while I was gutted not to be able to run anymore, it was worth it to be pain free.

Even though I don't get much pain now I still really stretch well in the morning and before and after exercise.

MiniJudy

Nice site for stretching and strenth - thanks!

MiniJudy

I've been dealing with PF for a couple of weeks. Kinda brought it on myself by walking too long too fast straight out of a long winter indoors. Add to that I've had both knees replaced. Doc said I'll have to give it a couple of months to see any noticeable improvement (really?!). For now, therapy includes heat, ice, arch supports in my shoes, a 'boot', rolling, stretching and massage. I use the treadmill for only 10-15 minutes, but I can stay on the elliptical (zero impact) for about 30 minutes before the pain is intolerable.

smantha32

I have it. Sketcher shape ups help it a LOT.

they don't do **** for working out, but they have very high insteps and a lot of support. my foot and leg pain are way less than they used to be.