Plantar Fasciitis

Make sure you stretch your feet fully before you get out of bed in the AM and go right into supportive shoes. I had it in both feet at the same time and was on prescription Naproxyn for months. Basically, you want to pull the top of your foot toward your leg. The pain is from the tendon, connecting the ball of your foot and your heel, tightening when there is no load on your foot and then actually tearing itself from the heel bone when you put weight down on your foot.

Oh and of course get a good shoe with a good arch. Don't invest in custom orthotics. You just need a good arch support.

Please listen to your doctor. Every person is different and so is every person. This is just not enough to help the problem. I have custom orthotics and I love mine.

I had plantar fasciitis in both feet that was really painful for years. It rarely bugs me anymore, and here is what i did to get rid of the pain:


1. Stretching. There are good stretches that you can do to help your plantar fascia grow stronger. I still stretch daily.

2. Exercising. Not just general exercise, but specific exercises for the plantar fascia, like calf raises. I do these daily.

3. Proper support. Get better shoes, or use orthotic inserts. I got better running shoes for my days off, and inserts for my work shoes

4. Avoid carrying heavy things. My job requires a lot of lifting and carrying heavy items. I use equipment to do the work whenever possible, and i'll carry less items per load, and make more trips if need be.

5. Proper diet. A lot of vegetables. The body has the ability to heal itself, but my body does that job a lot faster, i've found, when i fill it with fresh fruits and vegetables.

6. Lose Weight. It wasn't until i lost a bunch of weight that the heel pain REALLY started disappearing. It's practically gone now. I lost most of my pounds with minimal exercise! Losing weight is mostly about proper diet.

These are what i did to get rid of the pain, and i went from walking with a limp to regularly jogging by doing this. Good luck!

(PS I also should mention cycling: A great form of exercise that doesn't put a lot of weight on your feet. Swimming, too, if you have access to a pool.)

I have it as well and really set it off when I jumped from too of a height. My doctor put me in an "Air Cast" that I wear all the time, even when it does not hurt that much. It supports the arch and tightens around the Achilles tendon. I love it! It works very well. I had a co-worker who was having the same problems and she got one on line and it has really helped her as well. Also, a Steroid injection in the heel can help but it HURTS! The injection hurts but in about three days it's much better.

Does anyone else suffer from this? It's very painful for me to exercise or even walk for that matter. I'm going to the Dr. on Saturday, but I don't want to give up before then. I feel like I could easily use it for an excuse. What are some other ways I could burn some calories and not hurt myself?

I have it due to high arches. My custom orthodics help 100%. I know when they are starting to get worn down b/c my hips will start to hurt again. Luckily my insurance covers them. Mine got so bad that I got to the point where I was hobbling. I had to get cortisone injections in my heels. If your feet hurt, everything hurts.

Swimming doesn't require being on your feet. Chair dancing. Or that machine at the gym that's like a bicycle but you "petal" with your arms.

My insurance paid 100% of my Air Cast from the doctor. Also, I recommend you try swimming if there is an indoor pool anywhere around you. I've started swimming each day and you burn a LOT more calories swimming than you can walking or even biking.

Wow, I didn't know what that was but sure enough. That is what my pain is! I have been just sucking it up but bet it's way worse because I've been living in flip flops for months now... Oops! Hope you feel better soon. Pilates is great, not a lot of standing.

I read through all the answers, and didnt notice anyone mention chiropractors. My 11 yr old had what was right before full blown PF....Went to a conventional doctor who didnt do anything but want to refer her to a sports medicine doc, which was fine, but she couldnt even walk! (She was playing basketball when this came about)....My husband brought her to his chiro from that appt....he does shiro work, but has a sports medicine background. Long story short, she WALKED out of the office. He showed my husband what to do to help her. And it worked. This coming from a recommendation of a friend, who's wife suffered for a year with it in both. He said in one week, he had her 90% better than she was. I swear by my chiro for keeping me lined up, but I had NO idea what they could do. VERY pleased. Worth a shot??

I tried everything from insoles, icing, and stretching. I finally had it checked by a podiatrist after my GP's advice was just not helping. It turned out I had a combo of PF and Baxter's Neuritis. I got a steroid shot in the bottom of my foot and bought 2 sets of Pro-Step insoles. I laid off running, long-distance walking, and elliptical, stuck with biking and swimming only. One month later I was totally back to normal.

I got a steroid shot in the bottom of my foot

Was that really horrible?

I read through all the answers, and didnt notice anyone mention chiropractors. My 11 yr old had what was right before full blown PF....Went to a conventional doctor who didnt do anything but want to refer her to a sports medicine doc, which was fine, but she couldnt even walk! (She was playing basketball when this came about)....My husband brought her to his chiro from that appt....he does shiro work, but has a sports medicine background. Long story short, she WALKED out of the office. He showed my husband what to do to help her. And it worked. This coming from a recommendation of a friend, who's wife suffered for a year with it in both. He said in one week, he had her 90% better than she was. I swear by my chiro for keeping me lined up, but I had NO idea what they could do. VERY pleased. Worth a shot??

I mentioned my chiro and definitely second this. I still get regular adjustments on my feet and ankles but I swear by my chiro for a million different reasons.

It wasn't fun, but it was temorary compared to what I was enduring every morning.

Right now I am dealing with what seems to be Plantar Facitis in my heal and top of foot pain which may be tendonitis. Do you think the stretches for the PF help the top of the foot problem or make it worse. When I pull my toes towards my knees the top of my foot hurts more.

Right now I am dealing with what seems to be Plantar Facitis in my heal and top of foot pain which may be tendonitis. Do you think the stretches for the PF help the top of the foot problem or make it worse. When I pull my toes towards my knees the top of my foot hurts more.

if it's tendinitis the stretches shouldnt hurt anything but icing the area will help drastically. ice seems to be a good "go to" but you gotta ice it for a decent time... not just a cold compress for 5 minutes.