Plantar Fasciitis is making my life miserable.

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  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    I am so sorry! That is some horrible pain! I had it years ago and at the time only steroid pills for a week relieved it, and only temporarily. Tooks MONTHs to go away. Nothing like jumping out of bed to turn off the alarm in the morning and screaming when you feel the pain and fall flat on your face.

    Now, to prevent it, I do wear good orthotics (I have very flat feet, which also contributions to some knee issues) but they were not expensive - under $30 on amazon, Protech Powerstep full length, bought a pair for all my shoes). I also do stair heel stretches (where you stand backwards on a stairstep with your heels hanging off and lower yourself below the step a few times).

    I keep a tennis ball under my desk and during the day (without shoes) I roll my foot longways and sideways over the ball for a mini-massage. It strengthens your arch muscles and can actually help you "grow" an arch over time. This was courtesy of my chiropractor - who can also use an activator thing on your arch to help get things started. The chiro can also do the Kinesic taping and a few other things to help - they dont do adustments only in your back, they can also do your ankles and a few other things that seriously help. If you have never been, find a chripractic "wellness" center and go for the full evalutation. Assuming you have ruled out medical issues for just about any kind of pain you feel, they do wonders. My son's orthopediest told us one of his legs were shorter than the other and encouraged surgery to stop the growth plates in his leg to let the other one catch up... Luckily we missed the "window" and his growth plates were too far closed, because we then went to the chiro and once she fixed his neck and back issues (ortho said he had scolosis too, should have been our first clue about the leg thing being wrong) his legs were "even" - surgery would have just messed him up worse. I was 41 when my back issues finally caused me to consider going to a chiro, but in the end she fixed my headaches, knee pain, feet issues,etc. They have a terrific understanding of how your muscles are attached and how one underactive muscle causes the others to compensate to the point of pain in a place that is not where the issue really lies... they fix the real issue - activating the lazy muscle - and the others get to relax and the pain is relieved. They are very realistic and practical and I cant speak highly enough about their whole body approach. At least the one I found is incredible! And insurance covered way more than I thought...

    Anyway, my infomercial for the day :) Good luck! I feel for you! If you want a start - google "chiropractor plantar fasciitis treatment" there is a youtube video that shows you some massage techniques!
  • jaimatjak
    jaimatjak Posts: 4 Member
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    We were just having a talk about plantars and my neighbor changed her shoes to a wider size. You can get wider sized shoes at Payless. She recommended New Balance shoes as well.
  • Nic620
    Nic620 Posts: 553 Member
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    Podiatrist! ASAP! I got cortisone shots in my foot & got orthotics made. Totally helped. Once I lost weight that helped. I got it towards end of my pregnancy and it carried until & I delt with it until my daughter was about 4 months. It was horrible! I'm so sorry for anyone who has it it's really is horrible!
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
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    That happened to me. It takes patience and time to recover. Go see a podiatrist. I had to wear a contraption on my foot at night that kept my foot tendon stretched and had to tape my foot - you can find how to do that online too, but a podiatrist will help you with that too. And I run with orthotic inserts. It took a while for it to get better. You can google exercises to help ease it as well, but definitely go see a podiatrist as soon as you can.
  • mdmorgan25
    mdmorgan25 Posts: 15 Member
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    My son is a college athlete. I had a lot of trouble with my feet when I started working out and he told me to get a tennis ball to stretch my feet. His rationale is simple, there are muscles in your feet that are being worked too. Anyway, I started using it and it cured the pain in my feet. All you do is roll the ball around under your foot for about 10-15 mins every day until the pain is gone.
    Best wishes!
  • jonibc
    jonibc Posts: 104 Member
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    I've been dealing with this for more than a year. I ignored the pain and kept doing my workouts until it got to the point that I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to get a cortisone shot in my heel, then be on cortisone pills for a little while. Had to wear a brace in the daytime, a boot at night. I've been doing the stretches several times a day and I have no more pain. But if I get up in the AM without stretching first, I still feel a twinge. I am very careful now to wear shoes with good arch supports. I had to give up yoga for now because I can't exercise barefoot. I'm hoping that, as I lose more weight, it will become less of a problem. I encourage you to go see a podiatrist and don't make it worse by ignoring it like I did. but beware, my insurance would not pay for the brace, boot, or custom orthotics. I've been able to do without orthotics by choosing shoes with good arch support.
  • bcv30
    bcv30 Posts: 2
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    Ive had first hand experience! I'm a marathon runner and last year I could hardly walk. After months of being in pain I finally went to the Dr. and was given a night splint. After wearing it every night I saw the pain start to go away. I don't wear the splint anymore unless I have a flair up. Good luck!
  • RunXstrong
    RunXstrong Posts: 73
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    Here is what works for me:
    1. Plantar Stretch three times a day. You can see how to do it online at www.runnersworld.com (video section, injury prevention sub-section, feet and ankles sub-section)
    2. ice right after run
    3. reduce running distance or intensity until it is under control
    4. keep the daily Plantar Stretch up even once it is cured
  • jaimatjak
    jaimatjak Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi there,

    Often when I am experiencing Plantar Fasciitis, it's my body screaming for 'downtime'. I go to bed early that night with a pillow under my foot to elevate it. It often occurs when I've been pulling late nights and not allowing myself enough sleep.

    You must stand a lot. Take a break.:drinker:
  • Bukawww
    Bukawww Posts: 159 Member
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    I've had PF since 2005. i didn't know it was a 'thing' until 2009. I just thought my feet hurt. I can't afford to care how much they hurt, though...I need to lose weight. I can't step into a doctor's office expecting them to fix me if I am still carrying around an extra 80lbs.

    So for now, I ice it, ibuprofen, roll it out, stretch, and wear Birkenstocks most of the time. I also wear these weird looking shoes by Terox...they are my waterproof option and great for when I need more cushion in my step. I am still walking/running, etc...some days, I have to crawl to the bathroom, other days its just a hobble. After 9yrs, I'm kind of used to the pain. I just started Stronglifts 5x5 and the squatting is not my favorite since you push up from your heels, but the stronger I get, the smaller I get, hopefully the more able I am to heal this crap.

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