Heel pain/Plantar Fasciitis - Home cure suggestions

I have active Plantar Fascitis and my doctor has me on Anti-Inflammatory's and is telling me to use a baseball or something round that is hard like a baseball and to roll the entire bottom of your foot on it with a great deal of pressure to work out the stresses. Also stretching helps a lot. You can look up foot stretches regarding PF on google. [Also, doc said golf ball is too small to affect the right sized area, so to use something similar to the size of a baseball]

Also, she recommended getting properly fitted at a shoe store (like the Running Room or a shoe store for runners) and explain to them your condition and they can help you chose out the best curved, wide and thick insoles for your shoes (or new shoes all together).

Hope that helps!! [But I know how much it hurts to wake up and step down onto hard floor... ugh. I can't wait for it to be gone!]

Here are a few suggestions. Stretch and stretch often. Stretch your calfs. Perform exercises to increase strength of your intrinic foot muscles including towel scrunches with your toes or picking up small objects with your toes. Massage the bottom of your foot throughout the entire arch and heel region. Also rolling a golf ball or frozen waterbottle under your foot works well too. Also, very important, wear shoes with good arch supports or add a firm arch support to your shoes! Hope this helps!

I had it years ago and now it is back for me too. Great thread. I'm going to try the frozen water bottle. The problem I have now is from limping from my right heel problem, now my left knee hurts. I don't walk, I wobble. Maybe icing my knee will help too??

Get orthotics for your shoes. Superfeet are good. They are available at most running stores. And, stretch, stretch, stretch the bottom of your feet. I like to sit down on my knees, with my toes on the floor and the bottom of my feet pointing backwards toward the wall behind me -- best sole stretch you can get.

I had a similar problem last year. I stayed away from the gym for a little while and then went to a specialty running store and got fitted for an awesome pair of new gym shoes. My feet felt a billion times better, and I haven't had any problems since. Good luck!

this! New shoes made the world of difference to me. After about 8 months of wearing my gym shoes and sandals with arch support, I can now go back and wear my other shoes occasionally without pain. I have noticed that if I wear my regular shoes too much then I start to have some flare ups so I just go back to my good shoes. Good, quality shoes are a must!

I also suffer from Plantar Fascitis. I make sure to stretch before getting out of bed in the a.m. I also wear Birkenstock shoes most of the time. These shoes mold to your foot and take some of the pressure off your heels. I stay away from totally flat shoes, slippers, etc. because they have no support and tend to irritate it more.

I had this condition for a few years in my late 30s and early 40s. I even developed heel spurs. However, since wearing Merrill shoes, I no longer have that issue. Do some research and find some shoes that will work for you. I tried all the home remedies and special orthotics. You really just need good footwear. Now that I have lost weight, I can wear other shoes without any problems and my feet haven't hurt in about 5 years.

My husband has it and has for several years now. Rest did not help. Actively working it did. He sees a chiro who "works it out" through rather painful massage.

He wears these at night.

http://www.amazon.com/Strassburg-Sock-Regular-Size-Around/dp/B001AW3O00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357574418&sr=8-1&keywords=plantar+socks

Uses this kit

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Performance-Myofascial-Instructional/dp/B003ZJSXKC/ref=sr_1_10?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1357574440&sr=1-10&keywords=plantar+rolling

as well as this

http://www.amazon.com/The-Stick-Original-Massage/dp/B000YDO1NA/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1357574467&sr=1-6&keywords=leg+roller

He has found the most relief with working it out.

I had this as well, I went to 2 Foot Drs. I Did Most of the Above, the end result for me was Surgery about 3 weeks ago, The One and only thing that really helped me was a ($10.00 pair of Struts) My Daughter bought at Walmart in the only as seen on T.V. Section, I Suggest you Invest in some Really Good Shoes........Also I feel I should Tell you that I let this Hinder all My Hard work and Really just Gave up on all Exercise and Diet, So Now I'm Back to Below Zero on my ticker. I hope this Helps.

You should probably see a doctor (preferably a Sports Medicine Podiatrist, I got lucky and found one easily). They can take X-rays and verify that your problem is Plantar Fasciitis. I say this primarily becasue I once posted a big long advice thread telling someone they almost certainly had PF, and it turned out to to be an Achilles problem :blushing: The doctor may recommend the Cortisone shot, but you don't have to take it if you don't want to. Mine told me that the shot would likely hurt more than the PF, and it probably wasn't worth it unless the PF was really bad.

If you absolutely cannot go to a doctor, then here's some non-medical advice. PF hurts in the heel, and feels like something is digging into the inside of the foot. The pain is worst first thing in the morning, after the Plantar Fascia has been stiffening all night. Similarly, it hurts more after you've been sitting for a while (though usually not as much as first thing in the morning). Walking or running makes it *feel* better in the short term, but actually make it worse and the pain will come back. The disorder is caused by your foot (your arch specifically) spreading out on impact with the ground, forcing the connective tissue between the front of your foot and your heel (the Plantar Fascia) to stretch more than it is capable of. This causes it separate from your heel and hurt like hell.

Things like frozen golf balls or water bottles, NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like Asprin or Tylenol), and stretching the calves before getting out of bed can make it hurt less, but don't actually address the root problem. Sometimes rest will take care of the root problem, but not always. I'd recommend arch supporting insoles like Power Steps or Super Feet. These support your arch and prevent your foot from spreading out. This treats the root of the problem. For a long time after I first got PF I wore these insoles in all of my shoes, but these days I find it's enough to just wear them in my running shoes. A Podiatrist can also prescribe custom insoles. These are very expensive ($450 was what I was quoted), but my doc said they were probably not necessary for most cases. Some people need them though. By all means use the golf balls, water bottles, and NSAIDs if you need to, they won't make the problem worse and make you feel better.