Anyone know about Plantar Faciitis?

13

Replies

  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    I think everyone has said it above, but it's great you are seeing a doctor and getting orthotics. I did that and they've made a huge difference. I move my orthotics insoles to whatever shoes I'm wearing and am getting a second set made to go in sandals this year. If anyone hasn't mentioned it, and if you don't get relief, acupuncture with a real chinese practitioner really helped me with my foot issues. I also had to give up Zumba and other side-way motions. Good luck and don't worry. It will eventually go away if you take care and do everything everyone is suggesting.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Cortisone injections can really change your life with this condition. It did for my father. I had this really bad, and the cure was losing weight! Simple as that. I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask for cortisone injections though that will help in making you more comfortable whilst your reducing your weight.

    I went from not being able to walk with it, to walking 5 miles every day and running with no problems. I didn't have the cortisone I jections, but looking back i should have. Would have made life a lot easier.

    Getting some good footwear helps. I've found asics to be great whilst exercising. If it's troubling you too much go back to the doctor.

    Zara
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I suffered with Plantar Fasciitis for some time. Some stuff helped temporarily--stretching my feet (especially first thing in the morning, before even getting out of bed), rolling my feet over tennis balls or frozen water bottles, wearing those night time "splints" that support your muscles/tendons, wearing different shoes, wearing shoes in the house, etc.

    What finally eliminated PF in the end was reducing/eliminating internal inflammation via dietary changes. Once I did that, it completely vanished, along with all sorts of other issues I struggled with as well.
  • Libraryluo
    Libraryluo Posts: 11 Member
    I didn't read through all the posts, so I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but "Strutz" pads really helped me. I developed PF about 10 years ago and bought orthotics to slip in my sneakers and wore them ALL the time, it got better after a few years. Now I developed it again a few months ago and started wearing Strutz. They really help me, and now I can get up in the middle of the night without being in terrible pain. Oh, and I agree, losing weight, definitely helps. Good luck!
  • bbbbb33333
    bbbbb33333 Posts: 1,107 Member
    Agree with most stated above.

    Stretch with towel before you get out of bed every morning. Stretch before and after exercise. Roll foot over frozen bottle of water. Ibuprofen for a little while to take care of infamation. The most important thing for me was getting running arch support replacement inserts for my running shoes (yes, I have flat feet too). I use powerstep (only $30-$40 vs Dr. Orthodic). Like them a lot! After I run in them for a fairly long time, I move them to my dress shoes. Helps a lot.
  • a778c466
    a778c466 Posts: 141 Member
    I have it really bad but can't afford new shoes right at the moment, so I bought these profoot plantar faciitis inserts for my shoes off of amazon and wear them in my shoes and I haven't had any pain in my heels since I have been wearing them. I can only speak for myself though. They have been amazing.
  • kkmonroe79
    kkmonroe79 Posts: 71 Member
    I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. I saw a foot Dr, and received injections in my tendon (which were awful). I also wore a brace on my foot at night, had to do stretching exercises every day, and had supports for my shoes. I have no pain at all now, but it took about 6 months for it to go back to normal. I'd highly recommend seeing a Podiatrist.
  • detroitcupcake
    detroitcupcake Posts: 33 Member
    excellent tip about the birkinstocks :-) that worked for me as well!
    :drinker:
  • Sherrim13
    Sherrim13 Posts: 12 Member
    I had this and it was so painful. I remember crawling up the stairs one morning when I went to wake my children up for school. Awful! I went to a general doctor and was given gel heel inserts to put into my shoes. Within a month or two my feet felt so much better. You can find the inserts on Amazon.com, just look for gel heel inserts and try to get the thick gel ones, not the Dr Scholls ones.... Other than that, I used advil to reduce swelling and iced my heels quite a bit.
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    You have to have good shoes. No flats, no heels, nothing but good shoes. This time last year, I was practically immobile. I saw a podiatrist and I had lifts put in my shoes and stretches but it wasn't until I got a pair of GOOD sneakers and a pair of Dansko sandals that I actually saw an improvement. I can now wear flats and flipflops but if I wear them too long I start to hurt again. I also can't run yet without having some pain but hopefully getting rid of some of this weight will lighten the load on my arches. Go get GOOD SHOES!!
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I had it and got xrays just to be sure I didn't have a heel spur. It was a slow healing process that took several months for me not to have pain. Basically you just have to take it easy. I think it took about 5-6months for it to heal.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Go to a podiatrist. PF isn't something to mess around with. My husband had it and it was over a year before he was pain free. Even now it flares up. A podiatrist can give you cortizone shots and pain killers.
  • kimberleymk25
    kimberleymk25 Posts: 7
    My sister has very painful PF. The stretches, chiro & orthodics mentioned earlier helped her. She had the most relief when adding Tumeric to her diet daily to reduce inflammation. It takes a few weeks but made a huge difference for her. Good Luck!
  • Goldenwoof
    Goldenwoof Posts: 535 Member
    The thing that helped me most was a tennis ball. I kept one on the floor at home and one on the floor under my desk at work. Periodically throughout the day, I'd kick off my shoe and roll my foot over the tennis ball. Not too gently, but not too much pressure, either. Just do it and you'll feel when it's the right amount of pressure. That gently stretches out the area and, over time, loosened it up and I was good as new.

    I know from experience just how painful this can be, so best of luck to you in getting past it! :)
  • bbelles1
    bbelles1 Posts: 19 Member
    You need to get inserts for your shoes. I went to an orthotics store and they made custom inserts taht I use all the time in every pair of shoes I have. It will eventually go away. They were not cheap though. They cost around 300 dollars but last for 2-3 years.
  • moseler
    moseler Posts: 224 Member
    I had it a few years ago and my doctor suggested freezing a bottle of water and then rolling my arch over it to stretch it while icing it... I also stopped wearing flip flops or other unsupported shoes. It went away... excruciating... I feel your pain. Good luck!
  • Amazon_Who
    Amazon_Who Posts: 1,092 Member
    I had this a while ago and bought Birkenstock sandals and Alegria sandals. I think any of the heel lower balancing kind of sneakers are probably good too. When it is bad, don't walk or stand in bare feet as it will make it worse!
    Birkenstocks help me too. I wear them instead of slippers and most days. Just to reemphasize... Do Not Go Barefoot, wear flip flops or slippers!
  • meaningful99
    meaningful99 Posts: 174
    The nurse at my podiatrist's office told me to stretch my calves and hamstrings six times a day, and doing that totally worked! I do my first set before I even get out of bed. I also wear some orthotic inserts with good arch support - got them off the internet for about thirty bucks.
  • perfectionisntme
    perfectionisntme Posts: 205 Member
    I was told that once you have, you are proned to it and It's cause from poor arch support and heel striking. I do my stretches regularly. It works out that I do yoga that helps. I spell out the alphabet with my toes, I also were a foot brace at night, and I got a pair of orthodics that give me more arch supports and replace my shoes about every 6 months.

    As a runner, I purchased a pair of the barefoot shoes. Love them and the heel doesn't hurt.
  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
    I started wearing crocs at home and got an arch insert for other shoes. No flats.
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
    I had it and the doc said it would just keep coming back. Saw a physiotherapist, tried inserts, better runing shoes and also repeatedly plunging into ice water/warm water (ice/heat therapy). Nothing helped. When I stopped running for good, it went away. Had some terrible times with it though, dragging my leg after a run so I know how you feel. Not the worst damage I've had to my legs but definitely forced me to change my workout regime.
  • jcamer12
    jcamer12 Posts: 12 Member
    Had it really bad for about 18 months. Ended up wearing night splints and getting custom orthotics. Those were the only two things that really got me past the pain. As another said, ALWAYS wear shoes, not just flip flops or house shoes. Rolling your foot on a frozen juice can will help healing as will immersing your foot in a tub of warm rice (zap in microwave). Some running stores sell sock-like splints that are much more comfortable than the older Lexan type. Good luck with your healing. This injury (actually micro-tears in the facia) takes a long time to heal...
  • jenns1964
    jenns1964 Posts: 384 Member
    I had it too along with major crippling back pain. I decided to see a chiropractor for my back where I found out my hips were extremely out of alignment. After one adjustment my foot pain just went away. I can always tell when I need my hips adjusted because my foot starts hurting again. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
  • sjanney007
    sjanney007 Posts: 42
    I am the office manager at our local physical therapy clinic. We see patients with this condition from time to time. There are things you can do at home (I'm not a PT), but ask your doctor about seeing a therapist. That way, you will get your exercises in and some additional procedures to help with comfort.
  • gg24
    gg24 Posts: 58
    FitFlops! I had this and couldn't walk for months. Put on a pair of FitFlop sandels that my friends in England told me about and that was it. (FitFlops is an English company). I keep them by my bedside and put them on first thing in the morning. I keep them on around the house. I rarely go barefoot anymore. I got some FitFlop clogs for work and finally they're coming out with a bit more fashionable styles. :) Now I can wear other shoes for special occassions with no problems including tennis shoes for working out. You can buy these at Macy's or online.

    The shoes have been life changing for me as I also turn my right foot in and it's helped with that. I have never been able to walk all day without pain and now I have no problems.

    Good luck and as others have said see your doc!
  • pumalama
    pumalama Posts: 140 Member
    It happened to me twice and both times the doctor told me to avoid walking on it (no cheating, very imp) and prescribed Naproxen for a week (it was a prescription drug here until recently) 3x/day with an initial high dose to get started right away. Worked like a miracle, and the pain never came back in more than 10 years. I also got some exercises with a tennis ball and scarf but I did not do them much. Good luck, there is hope for you there!
  • glbragg
    glbragg Posts: 77 Member
    It is possible you have Plantar Faciitis but you could very easily have a Sesamoid Fracture. Most people will describe a deep achy and sharp pain in the ball of the foot behind the big toe with every step taken. It will be difficult to perform many weight bearing activities. Most patients do not have pain when at rest.If you are act with running, sports or anything that involves pounding on the ball of your foot I would get an x-ray. I play basketball and one day I was having a hard time walking. I waited weeks but the pain never went away. So I fianlly went an saw a podiatrist and the doctor didn't see anything wrong and diagnosed me with Plantar Faciitis, I was told rest and stretching would heal me. Eight months went by and I never got better so I went to a different podiatrist and he knew right away what it was. The doctor told me they are very common and can easily be overlooked. It does require surgery to get it fixed but now I'm back to being active. I would recommend finding a good podiatrist and having it x-ray and evaluated.
  • Getyourshineon
    Getyourshineon Posts: 114
    Been dealing with this issue off and on for 5 years... Have had several coritsone shots (OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!) and physical therapy... Do the recommended exercises, the tennis ball thing works well... Switching to Crocs for awhile helped me, although they are truly ugly they feel sooo good.. You need a good pair of athletic shoes with an insert. I had them made from a cast of my own feet. Surgery was the last option for me and luckily I didn't have to have it. I have a flair every now and then when I really wear the wrong kind of shoes.. Flip flops are the absolute worse and high heels are a close second (I have a very high arch). Orthopedic shoes were recommended to me also, but they are ugly too and very expensive, but your feet are incredibly important and you need to do what is necessary to keep them working. I keep a coke bottle in the freezer with ice also, because it's usually the inflammation that causes so much pain and icing down willl help after a long day! Do the exercises above all... And wear the brace at night if they tell you to..it's a little discomfort, but at least you will be able to walk to the bathroom in the morning... it keeps your foot from moving and aligned straight while you sleep. I was lucky in that I did all those things without having surgery and am much better. Once the weight comes on off it will only get better.

    Good Luck!!!
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    I developed this after wearing very flat sneakers (Sketchers) for a few months. It really is crippling in the morning!

    I never wear shoes that flat with no arch support any more. I got inserts and they were helpful once I got used to them, but that was over five years ago and now I no longer use them. I rarely have pain now as long as I wear athletic shoes with a built up heel and arch support (don't have to be expensive). Unfortunately I have a tough time with any sort of cute shoe or high heel and rarely wear them.
  • SkinnyBubbaGaar
    SkinnyBubbaGaar Posts: 389 Member
    Had a terrible case about 8 months ago. Made it almost impossible to get around w/o pain and had me scared that it was going to be a long-term issue.

    The good news is that it is reversable and does get better if you take the advice of many of the previous posters above and make efforts to correct the issue.

    For me that meant stretching at night and in the morning and, most importantly, getting inserts and making sure that I was always using footware with proper padding and support. Used cushion inserts and, additionally, a second gel heel inserts as well.

    The heel support insert was great because it had the double-effect of giving extra padding plus also helped massage the sore spots while I was walking.

    It does take time for this to heal, took me a few months or so, but if you take care of the situation it will definately get better.

    Problem is 100% gone from me at this time.
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