Horrible heel pain. Is one type of Doctor better?

chedges9090
chedges9090 Posts: 208 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Horrible Heel Pain. Initially went to Urgent Care. Xrays... shows nothing. Went to my Orthopedic Surgeon (who I knew from prior foot fracture).. and the "Practitioner" said Plantar Fasciitis.

So, here's the thing. I don't reallly think it's Plantar Fasciities. I have horrible heel pain.. at the bottom of my foot --AND the back of my foot. (so, if you grabbed the back of my heel.. the place where you put your fingers is super tender and sore). And, I do like the office, but felt like the diagnosis was just an easy answer...

Do I get a 2nd opinion? If they did say it was something else.. is there really going to be any different treatment anyway? I am scheduled for a Cortisone shot next week--but, YIKES I sure don't want that if its being diagnosed wrong

Should I go to a Podiatrist? Someone who practices Sports Medicine? Just stick with the Orthopedic Surgeon's office ?

Oh... I have been running for the past 4-5 months and am up to 3.4 miles. Or .. I was. Running outside.
Not sure if that makes a difference to anything I have said.

Would love to hear if any of you have suggestions or knowledge reagarding this.

Replies

  • iryshjones
    iryshjones Posts: 79 Member
    i have Plantar fasciitisor rather i did . Find yourself a good foot clinic ... it affects everyone differently but there are simple exercises that help as well as orthotics. There are also different splints to wear at night. physio therapy and massage help. Some chiropractors also deal with this. mayo clinic has some good info as well ( http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/plantar-fasciitis/DS00508/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs ) Good luck!
  • StarIsMoving
    StarIsMoving Posts: 437
    Orthos are great for bone specialist issues only. I would definitely go to a Podiatrist. They specialize in the foot as a whole and will be able to be sure. I would call it a 2nd opinion though and continue treatment through the Podiatrist though. If you had a break of the ankle, then the Ortho would be better. Make sense? Good luck to you though, nothing worse then having issues when trying to workout through pain. If it's bone related though, having that pain alleviated will make a huge difference for you.
  • paulstone1967
    paulstone1967 Posts: 2
    I had the same thing it was killing my golf game I tried the shots ONCE never again. it worked for about 3 months and i had to go back and then the doc brings up surgery which i had a friend have and it worked after a lot of money and almost a year to get back to 100%. My sister told me about a local place here that did custom inserts Ideal Feet. I went not for sure what to think but 300 bucks later and 3 months and I feel great , now it did take about a month to get used to and was not the most comfortable things but I'm glad i tried it I'm not sure if you have Ideal Feet near you but I would at least look for a place and give it try, does not cost to check out and NO MORE SHOTS
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    I worked for a podiatrist for years. If you can find one that is a hollestic practitioner, the ones that want to avoid cortisone shots and surgery, they are amazing to look beyond just resolution of immediate pain, but also support recovery and rehabilitation.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
    There's research to suggest you're right to be careful about who you pick - that surgeons emphasise surgical solutions, podiatrists orthopedics, etc, and that this bias has to do both with their specialties and the populations they regularly deal with.

    I think that since it's an activity-related injury, seeing someone who sees a lot of weekend warriors is best, i.e., a sports med physician. S/he can refer you to a physio, surgeon, etc if you need it.
  • ultim8fury
    ultim8fury Posts: 42
    I've had PF for 7 years. Your pain location sounds like classic PF. Your choices are:

    Night splints - tension the foot whilst you sleep in an effort to reduce first step pain (in morning).

    exercises - using a tennis ball or squash ball roll it gently under the sole of your foot and stretch the muscle.

    Orthotics - I personally found them to be fine for a while (~3 months) before becoming uncomfortable and eventually painful. Factor in that you will come to rely on them and need them forever and it's not a solution I was willing t settle for.

    rest - useful in short bursts but very quickly becomes all too easy to not do anything.

    Ultrasound - This will reduce inflammation in the affected area and aid recovery since the pain is a direct result of tearing in the fascia caused by inflammation. Buy a second hand ultrasound machine off ebay for a couple of hundred quid and you won't regret it if you use it every 3-4 days. (by far my recommended solution, ultimately cheaper than most of the other options especially since you can sell used ultrasound machines for almost as much as you paid)

    Cortisone injections - If you don't have a reaction to the cortisone which can make things worse then you'll get maybe 3 months of relief from pain.

    surgery - current surgical techniques have a low probability of success and surprisingly high incidence of nerve damage resulting in being worse off than you started.

    Most importantly of anything you do is be mindful of how you move. Running and landing on your heels will result in ****ed heels and knees. Learn to walk and run properly get some lessons if necessary.

    overall the vast majority of stuff on the market is a total scam. Podiatrists are the biggest scammers of the lot. They have one tool in their bag and it's orthotics. From their perspective everything looks like a problem that could be solved with artificial arch support.


    This advice is based on the personal experiences of me. I hold no medical training although I can name all the major nerves in the foot. Taking this advice is at your own risk.

Categories