plantar fascittis

joann
joann Posts: 624 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Wow was diagnosis with plantar fasciitis ..man that hurts. I just tried doing a small walk after having orthotics made I only made it a half a mile and burning only 68 calories....anyone have any suggestions? For now I think I will try it again tomorrow and try a little further every day..Might get the bike out later and burn some calories that way..

Replies

  • trapitt
    trapitt Posts: 93 Member
    Why not hit the swimming pool? If you don't swim you could try water running - basically you wear a band around your waist that keeps you vertical and you run in place in the water. People who have running injuries often train in the pool until they heal - and often come out of the pool a better runner than when they went in.

    I have the same problem with my feet about 5 years ago - it took about 6 months before I could take those first few steps of the day without pain. But it did pass. Good luck!
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
    :wink: Being an ex-ballroom dancer ...I feel your pain ...( plantar fasciitis )...did not go down to well with heel turns ..ouch !
    I found when my feet hurt the most ...regarding walking , best to ovoid up and down grades ...( hills ) ... Wear sports shoes with Gel inside ...especially on hard flooring .

    They do come and go ... but dam painful ...I use to sleep with my feet hanging off the side of the bed ....They wont operate as they can grow back again i was told .

    Asic Joggers with gel were my quick fix ... and haven't had a bout of pain for a long time ...Hope that helps ! Cheers ....
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Two pieces of advice:

    1. Before you get up in the AM, stretch the tendon with a belt or a towel.

    2. Before you go to bed in the PM, roll a frozen bottle of water under your foot (or feet).
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
    Unfortunately, I've experienced this too. Walking is going to just reaggravate the condition. If you can't rest them (and who can when you are trying to lose weight!), pool work is best. Wear a brace at night (you can buy them at Target). Also, Google how to tape up your feet (with athletic tape) and wear it all day long. It really helps support your feet and allows them to heal - this was what put me on the road being pain free. And, start stretching them too (you can Google this as well). Be patient, it takes some time to get better. Good luck!:smile:
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    All excellent advice! What helped me was a GOOD pair of shoes. My podiatrist suggested New Balance, and they were pretty pricy but I wore them daily for a year and they really helped! I can wear other brands now, but I have to have a good arch support. Definitely stretch the foot every day, morning, night and through out the day, also.

    Hope it helps, that is definitely a horrible pain!!
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    Unfortunately this is something I know quite a bit about myself. A few key things to try, ice, compression wraps and not just the ones that wrap around the bottom of your foot but go around the ankle also. I have literally spent a couple grand over the years on different orthotics. Most were custom made by a Podiatrist. Typically those are very hard, the best ones I found that are form fitting came from a running store called Sports Medicine. If you can tolerate wearing night splints it will help but it's only a part of the total solution. Stretching is a great way for relief and can be done several times throughout the day. Also the inflamation in your body will hinder it's recovery and often cause the re-flare ups. Use ibuprofen or a diet in non-acidic foods. Dr Axe's website gives great info about that. But one thing you have to do is always wear foot protection, going barefoot is not a option when having this. Orthotic slippers or house shoes are very in-expensive. Hope this helps.
  • joann
    joann Posts: 624 Member
    Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I will certainly try as many as I can. :)
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Stretch your calf and soleus often.
    Roll the foot hard on frozen water bottles and golf balls often. It should hurt a little.
    Use a night splint every night.

    Those three things cured mine in about a month.
  • IslandRider
    IslandRider Posts: 244
    In addition to the othe suggestions, you may want to look into a pair of night splints. They have made a HUGE difference for me, I have something similar to this: http://www.nationalbraceandsplint.com/Dorsal-Night-Splint-wachilles-plantar-strap_p_375.html
  • JoniM205
    JoniM205 Posts: 9
    I agree, surgery is not the way to go. For over 10 years, mine was relieved by a combination of
    1) good athletic shoes. You may not realize you need to get new ones at least every year since they break down. Grasp the shoe at the toe and the heel and give it a little twist. If it's flexible, it's not a good shoe. It should be firm and have good arch support

    2) ice. I kept frozen sponges in ziploc bags in my freezer. 2-3 times a day, sit down with ice on the soles of your feet. The water bottle suggestion is good too since it massages those tight, swollen tendons.

    3) stretching. Find a place where you can stand with your heels slightly lower than the ball of your foot, like the edge of a stair, and stand there for a few minutes. You can also roll a towel and use it like a stirrup under the ball of your foot.

    4) orthotics. Custom made orthotics - don't walk without them! I never bought shoes that wouldn't work with them. No heels!

    Eventually I had surgery on one foot for a different condition which cured the plantar fascitis! I was laid up for about 4 months and now I have 4 pins where joints were fused. But that fasciectomy surgery does not have good statistics. It's a miserable recovery and may not cure the problem.
  • dawnp1833
    dawnp1833 Posts: 264 Member
    The thing that helped me most was the wall stretch. You put your hands on the wall and feet a little apart. Then step back with your bad foot. Then bend the knee of the leg with the bad foot. There are videos on youtube of several stretches for PF, but this particular one that my doc recommended really helped me.
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    Nothing to add but wanted to thank you all for your responses. I've had this since I started hiking regularly a few years ago and it can be painful!
  • cuarrech
    cuarrech Posts: 118 Member
    I did the stretching and rolling thing and mine got better as well. If I remember right, (one of?) the reason it develops is a compensation in the foot for overly tight calf muscles, and the rolling helps with stimulating the area to heal and toughen.
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    I have lived with PF and heel spurs for years. Orthotics help. Look up "taping for plantar fascitis" on Google. There are also some YouTube vids on the subject. Taping can help you endure walking for exercise. Take an anti-inflammatory before and after any workout. This will help with pain.
  • rhinesb
    rhinesb Posts: 204 Member
    #1 is a good pair of shoes.

    I bought Women's Nike Dual Fusion Run 525752 001

    (I've bought others to no avail)

    I had bought a Kelly Rippa walking shoe that was supposedly for foot pain and heel issues but let me tell you they were the ABSOLUTE WORST SHOES EVER!!!! I gave them away and they ended up wearing them for a day and bringing them back to me. I don't want to spend a lot of money so I decided I really needed to be careful on my next pair so I spent a long time trying to figure out what worked for me.

    Also since I've started wearing better shoes and since I lost 35 lbs my pain has disappeared with only small twinges every now and then.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    I had PF for a couple years until I upped my thyroid medication and it magically went away.
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    I had PF for a couple years until I upped my thyroid medication and it magically went away.

    Really? I'm also hypothyroid, but didn't think the two were related.

Categories