Grrrr... Plantar Fasciitis

Options
245

Replies

  • jdennis719
    jdennis719 Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    oh, I so feel your pain. And its excruciating as I remember so well. I went to a podiatrist as well; did the stretching, the rolling my feet over a frozen water bottle, then used warm water bottles, used the wraps and then got orthotics for my shoes. Very little relief. Then someone told me about acupuncture. I thought they were crazy but I tried it anyway because I also had a bone spur. After about 3-4 visits to the acupuncture to specifically work on my feet, everything resolved. I'm constantly in flat sandals or flipflops in warmer weather and even barefoot around the house. (knock on wood) and the PF never came back.
    Sounds crazy I know, but I walked alot too and I was trying to start running...I didnt want to lose that because of my stupid feet.
    It was amazing how quickly it all went away. It's been almost 3 years now and I'm still pain free.

    I wish you luck.
  • TexasTroy
    TexasTroy Posts: 477 Member
    Options
    "MissNations" , above had a great idea..."Swimming". you could even walk in the pool-low impact and with the resistance the water provides it will be a great calorie burner-the best of both worlds.

    Good luck
  • lilteepot
    lilteepot Posts: 97
    Options
    When I had this, my doctor told me to buy those pharmacy-sold dr. sholl arch support inserts for every pair of shoes I owned, and even to purchase a pair a slippers that I could put inserts into as well. Then I was never to put my feet on the floor if I didn't have shoes on. I did what he told me, along with some easy exercises to strengthen my feet/ankles (the rolling cans/bottle with the feet, thing) and it took a little while to get back to normal, but I haven't had any problems since.
  • BarbellBlondieRuns
    BarbellBlondieRuns Posts: 511 Member
    Options
    I feel your pain. LITERALLY. I am experiencing another round of PF myself right now. It's a real bummer because I was just getting very into running. I love my walks too but at the moment I am taking some time off to heal my foot. I do have to wear orthodics and I wear them all the time. Every once in a while I will become an idiot and think that PF is a thing of the past and I'll quit doing my prevention care and then BAM, it's back.

    Please, don't walk or do anything that hurts your foot right now. Wear shoes with a great big arch support all the time. Stretch your calves daily, especially first thing in the a.m. for a few min at a time. A 20 oz bottle of ice is a great way to massage your foot (roll back and forth) while you decrease the inflamation.

    As far as your weight loss success - Do not let this stop you! Calorie counting is what drops the pounds off. Since my favorite types of cardio at off limits at the moment, I am finally getting back into heavy lifting. I know I'll be back to walking within a couple weeks and then I'll slowly build my running program back up. Don't let this stop you!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Options
    Rolling your arch on a golf ball is also good. Because it's small, it can really get in there. The cold pop can is probably good too, but is a little larger.
  • KeepGoingRhonda
    KeepGoingRhonda Posts: 527 Member
    Options
    Oh gosh I feel your pain...I suffered with it for years! ...and tried EVERYTHING!! Unfortunately nothing helped it , until I got Cortizone shots in each heel. Ouch! I hope that with help early on you will get relief quickly! Do lots of stretching, icing, really good shoes. I rode bike and did elliptical and swimming when it was at it's worst. Good luck to you!
  • DarthCeltic
    DarthCeltic Posts: 1,274 Member
    Options
    you planted what?
  • BarbellBlondieRuns
    BarbellBlondieRuns Posts: 511 Member
    Options
    @jdennis719 - You got my attention! I've never tried accupuncture (sp?) but that is awesome that it helped you so much! I wonder if I can find a practitioner near me. Definitely worth a shot! I've had PF on and off for years. The first time I got it, I thought I could just work through the pain. WRONG. I ended up with PF that lasted over a year! These days I catch it quickly and heal it quickly but it's still a recurring problem :(
  • TerrieBNLWECHANGED
    TerrieBNLWECHANGED Posts: 27
    Options
    I have and HATEEEEE PF. I was on my butt for a year with it. Finally went to a podiatrist. He made me buy and wear orthodics. He said "I want you to have these on at all times unless you are in the shower or in bed". I did so and it fixed the problem pretty quickly. No harm in having to wear orthodics. Especially if they are an aid for your arches. :)
    Here's a photo of my sexy spurs LOL.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Alz7skuCEAA4Y82.jpg
  • JBApplebee
    JBApplebee Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    I suffered from plantar fasciitis for about 5 years. I did all the exercises, had a couple of cortisone shots & I have the orthotic inserts, but nothing really helped & it got so bad that I had back & hip problems from it & could barely walk upright. Then last summer I went to a place called Synergy Chiropractic Spine & Joint Center. They perform Active Release Technique (ART), which means they actually work on the tissues surrounding the affected areas. It took about 3-4 months of treatment, but I am pain free. I feel like a whole new person. I've lost about 40 pounds this year & I actually ran my first ever race (a 10K). I cannot recommend ART highly enough! Here's a link to find out if there are any ART providers near you.

    http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp
  • treechic93
    treechic93 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    Best thing I've found to help my feet was to keep a golf ball in the freezer and roll my foot over it in the evenings and before and after I exercise. I used to have rigid orthotics and they made my feet worse. My chiro recommends ONLY insoles called FootLevelers. The bad thing is they are not covered by insurance and rigid orthotics are. Good luck and I hope you find relief. A good sports massage therapist could help a lot too but first get the inflamation down with ice and ibuprofen.
  • calimari
    calimari Posts: 202 Member
    Options
    I have this as well - it used to be so bad I had to get a handicap parking pass as the pain was so awful. You can get a lot of good help from www.heelspurs.com. My tips for you:

    1/ the pain is worst when you first get up from sleeping or sitting for a while. This is because you are re-injuring yourself by tearing it again when you put pressure on it. So, before you get up, stretch the foot first. In the morning before getting out of bed, do foot circles. Write the alphabet or your name with your foot. Pretend your bit toe is a pen and just move your foot to form each letter. By the time you are done w/ the alphabet, your foot will be loosened up & it won't hurt so much to walk on it.

    2/ I went through physical therapy, custom orthotics, custom orthotic shoes made for me, wrapping the foot (this helped the most). What finally made my life normal again?

    3/ birkenstocks. I replaced all my shoes with birkenstocks. You may not want to go to such extremes (now, several years later, I can wear other brands again). I have told co-workers and my brother the same - and as soon as they got a pair of birkenstocks to wear, at least around the house, they improved a lot. Another good one to try is orthaheel brand shoes. These shoes have a high arch, and they help to support the foot to ease the pain. Birks have a hard footbed, which works great for me. Orthaheel has a softer footbed. Go to a QUALITY shoe store and get fitted with one of those.

    In the meantime, bike or swim.
  • springsgranny
    springsgranny Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I was also diagnosed with Planter Faciatis a couple of years ago. I was bowling when I first felt the pain and had to stop immediately. My podiatrist told me the worst thing I could do was walk barefooted. She gave me a cortisone shot and it relieved most of the pain. I picked up some arch supports from the drug store and put them in all my shoes. I was fine in a couple of weeks. I still use the supports but I have to admit, I do go barefoot occasionally in the house. You just need to be careful for a couple of weeks and then you can continue your walking. Just a blip on the screen is all!
  • fatboy_no8
    fatboy_no8 Posts: 6
    Options
    I had this horrible condition for quite some time and was "diagnosed" by a friend who had suffered it when a professional rugby league player. The "cur" for him was cortizone/pain killing injections - kept him playing but didn't do much.

    However, his experience and his post retirement career as a physiotherapist helped him find somethjing of a cure - MBT shoes. I bought some and....bingo, pain gone.

    The only issue is the price - MBTs are not cheap. They do, however, work. Skechers Shape Ups (I think even the mens version is the same name?) work just as well too.

    I've worn out one pair of MBTs and the Skechers are never off my feet - plantar fasciitis.....gone.

    Losing weight helped a lot too though....I lost 140 pounds 4 years ago, pain went. Piled weight back on and...pain started to return.

    30lbs loss in last five weeks - pain going away again.

    Good luck in getting rid of the pain - seriously folks, try the shoes!
  • Babygirl928
    Babygirl928 Posts: 378 Member
    Options
    I have the same thing and it has been flared up really bad the last couple of days. I can honestly say that when I walk and get through the pain, it does help it. My doc said walking was the best, in addition to rolling it on a tennis ball. I haven't walked in 2 days and I am in severe pain, so tonight I am going walking and it will help stretch the tendon. i hope you feel better and find what works for you
  • Fat2Fit4Life
    Fat2Fit4Life Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    Mr. Peanut is all I can say.
  • BadgerSensei
    BadgerSensei Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    I did this running barefoot on the treadmill, because A), I hate shoes, and B), I'm an idiot. I've since stuck to the elliptical; without slamming my feet down repeatedly, the elliptical gives me a good workout without stressing my tendon.
  • WhatDoesLisa
    WhatDoesLisa Posts: 214
    Options
    I suffered from plantar fasciitis for about 5 years. I did all the exercises, had a couple of cortisone shots & I have the orthotic inserts, but nothing really helped & it got so bad that I had back & hip problems from it & could barely walk upright. Then last summer I went to a place called Synergy Chiropractic Spine & Joint Center. They perform Active Release Technique (ART), which means they actually work on the tissues surrounding the affected areas. It took about 3-4 months of treatment, but I am pain free. I feel like a whole new person. I've lost about 40 pounds this year & I actually ran my first ever race (a 10K). I cannot recommend ART highly enough! Here's a link to find out if there are any ART providers near you.

    http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp

    I agree 100%. I did this and the Graston Technique and it helped my PF immensely. I had a nasty case and had it for about 2.5 years. If you get Grastoned, make sure the practitioner does it all the time. I go to a sports physical therapist because they do it everyday. You can also find a practitioner on the site.

    Here is a link to learn about Graston:

    www.grastontechnique.com

    Oh, and I have 3 pairs of orthotics in rotation.
  • gaj87
    gaj87 Posts: 53 Member
    Options
    I had this about two years ago. I bought a pair of skeetchers. I only wore tham for about a month. The curve in the shoe kept my foot spread. It has been over two years and I have not had any pain in that time.
  • Kussanna
    Kussanna Posts: 3
    Options
    Hi! I struggle with this problem myself and I am training for my fifth half marathon and first full marathon in Feb 2013. I have some good tips for the pain:

    1. Get a tennis ball and a golf ball. While you are sitting on the couch watching tv simply roll the tennis ball under your foot applying gentle pressure. You will be amazed at how much this works. The golf ball can be used for more condensed pressure. It will hurt at first, but the more you do this the greater it feels!

    2. Get a foam roller and really stretch out your achilles and calf muscles. You can find great demos online for specific exercises like this: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--11556-0,00.html

    You can work through this pain! You really can. Don't let it stop you.

Categories