Plantar Fascitis, omg what do I do....

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Replies

  • fighterwill
    fighterwill Posts: 7
    I had that when I worked long days on my feet and ran...even in the most supportive shoes. All i can tell you is that i did recover over time. And rolling a can under my foot felt amazing.
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    I had tendonitis along the outer side of my foot that wrapped up around my ankle bone. Went to podiatrist & he did the anti- inflammatory, air boot, icing, minimal walking, no exercise except swimming, physical therapy & special made orthotics. I wore the air boot for about 4 months & started to develop PF in my other foot because of the uneven height between the boot & my other shoe. I think I did physical therapy for about 3 months. I wear my orthotics 24/7 - I have two pair (one in my gym shoes & the other in my all day shoes). I buy new gym shoes every couple months & my gym shoes then become my all day shoes as they still have good wear left in them. For a while I tried wearing my gym shoes all day & the next day the shoes in my locker were worn for workout then all day - big mistake! Tendonitis flared up so I went back to one pair for gym & one pair for all day. I can only buy high end sneakers - Brooks & Aasics work best for me. Every once in a while it flares up so I immediately scale back on my TM & do something else until it is better. Rarely do I go barefoot at home.

    It will get better just don't rush it. Rest it, Ice it & if you feel it flare up again in the future - don't put off resting & icing!! The quicker you take care of it the quicker it will heal. Mine took about 6 months to "get back to normal" but mine was pretty bad before I saw the DR too. That was about 3 yrs. ago & it's flared up from time to time since then but I've been able to take care of it myself without doing therapy again.
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    Im gonna check out the "Ortha tide heel flip flops". Might be a nice alternative to sneakers all summer - thanks!
  • spike90
    spike90 Posts: 704 Member
    I am having this same problem right now!!! i have for about week in a half. I have had it before (a few years ago when I was on vacation in Washington D.C. and attempting to walk the Arlington cemetery) so I didn't bother going to the doctor this time. Mine is the worst after I try to get up when I have been sitting for a long time or especially when I first get out of bed........can't hardly walk at all and I lose my balance). I find that the more I walk on it the better it gets (until I stay off of it for awhile and then I have to restart it all). I am having to wear shoes with comfy bottoms around the house on the hardwood and tile (which I can't stand because I love to be barefoot). I know from past experience that comfy shoes (and putting things like the Dr. Scholls pad in them) will help some but it takes time. You can take a can (like a large soup can) and roll it under your foot and try it to see if it helps you. I know I sure wish mine would go away. I dread getting out of bed in the morning and having to walk across the floor to get to the bathroom!!! Every morning I wake up saying "I hope it went away during the night". One day it will.
    Good luck with finding something to help ease the pain a little and try to keep walking on it in comfy supportive shoes if that helps you (it does help me).
  • MLeigh18
    MLeigh18 Posts: 120 Member
    First of all, damn all you people who have "cured PF". I was born with PF and 25 years later, two pairs of custom orthotics, countless visits the a podiatrist and ortho, pain pills, pain creams, hot baths, cold baths, stretching, stretching, stretching. Every. Single. Day. I stretch for at least ten minutes. That's actually a really long time to stretch just your feet/calves.

    Everything I've mentioned above is all temporary pain relievers. The one thing I've found that really helps, especially first thing in the morning, a baseball.

    I roll the baseball under my feet while sitting and/or standing for about 10 minutes each foot. Oh, does it help!

    But for those of you that think PF is just an oops! I stretched my feet too much! just a temporary injury, think again. It may not be. I wasn't diagnosed with PF until I was 9 years old but with flat feet and over pronation my parents knew something wasn't quite right with the way I walked and complained about my feet hurting.

    Lastly, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT! wear sandals, flip flops, slip-ons, anything that you must grip with your toes to walk in. The only sandals I have are Tevas, yeah they're not the cutest I'm 25 going to the beach in my string bikini to sip umbrella drinks type shoes; but I have no choice. Berki's, clarks, and Saucony are good shoes too. I also wear cowboy/work boots made by Ariat "BabyPhat", those are definitely worth checking out.

    Good luck, and remember baseball!
  • lizjames1971
    lizjames1971 Posts: 39
    Physio, orthotics, tape, stretches,ice- it won't go away unless you treat it!!! Pushed thru with mine for almost a yr before treatment- 6 months later I rarely have a problem
  • lizjames1971
    lizjames1971 Posts: 39
    Physio, orthotics, tape, stretches,ice- it won't go away unless you treat it!!! Pushed thru with mine for almost a yr before treatment- 6 months later I rarely have a problem
  • misspastry
    misspastry Posts: 109 Member
    I too have plantar fascitis. It's awful and the only way to make it feel better is foot exercises, which your doctor should've given you. Ask him for cortizone shots, they will help for a week at a time. And wrap it everyday. There is also a brace to sleep with at night. Eventually you will need surgery if it doesn't get better, but it may cause nerve damage. Soak your foot in epsom salt.
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    I personally don't have PF, but I had horrible shin splints and horrible lower back pain. Thought I needed orthotics, but man, they were super expensive. Did a little research, found the concept of barefoot running/general shoes. Being of the science-y mind, I was skeptical - I've been wearing supportive shoes all my life!

    I got a pair for work, which I walk all day in, and within two weeks my lower back pain near enough disappeared and I've started running again with minimal pain. I've still got a bit of work to do to un-learn years of my foot muscles being lazy (which is what general shoes do - support the foot, making it so the muscle doesn't strengthen).

    Going barefoot re-trains your feet to walk and run the way the body was design. You're not designed to strike the ground heel first, but mid-foot, rolling into your toes. Your arch is supposed to be the 'spring' action to take the jarring action, not the heel.

    Research the idea if you're curious. I personally buy a shoe called Vivobarefoot - www.vivobarefoot.com. They've got some pretty good YouTube videos that show you how to go about running properly again.

    PF is not the same as back pain/shin splints though... and personally I think going barefoot is actually horrible advice for someone with PF. If I forget to wear shoes for even a few hours and go barefoot, my PF pain comes right back.
  • plantarhelp
    plantarhelp Posts: 1
    i have worn the brace that holds my foot pointed straight ahead while sleeping which helped my right foot repair from pf. my left foot now has it. i recently bought a pair of patagonia shoes and they have helped out with keeping my pf pain under control during the day. i wear them at home too often because of hard floors. they have a lifetime warranty and are well built. they cost a lot, but can be found online for cheaper or older styles are sold at places like the norstrom rack. good luck, i'll keep trucking with my pf pain too.
  • luvriden
    luvriden Posts: 52
    I live with this. When it first came on four years ago, and I let it get to its worst before doing anything about it, walking was excruciating and I limped everywhere I went. As you probably know, It's hard to limp with both feet!

    My mother's doctor told her and myself (both afflicted with PF) that you can't wear sneakers. You just can't. If you can bend the shoe in half, you can't wear it. You need something with a heckuva arch support and anything spongy enough to bend isn't enough. Once the pain goes away for some months you can try wearing sneakers during workouts like I do, but it took me a long time before I got to that point. My feet no longer hurt when I wear my work-out shoes and I can even walk around the house barefoot for a short period.

    I recommend Danskos if you can afford them. They're unfortunately expensive but I wear mine two years at a time. I wear them every day, nothing else. No sneakers, no cute shoes, no heels unless it's for less than two or three hours MAX. They are the only shoes I wear for any day-length period. I admit that I don't like clogs, but they work and keep my feet from hurting and allow me to stay on my feet. (I admit though, I was so far gone that even walking in Danskos was painful for a week. The hard soles take getting used to as well if you're accustomed to the cushioned soles of sneakers.)

    If you can't afford Danskos, talk to a doctor about any other brands. Some people have had luck with orthopedic inserts, but personally I was too far gone for those. Remember: if you can bend the shoe, you can't wear it.

    Exercises for your feet to help you:

    Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!! Your muscle is pulled tight and tearing! Scar tissue is building up making it more difficult to stretch and there you have a recursive problem. You need to stretch it out. Find a golf ball or tennis ball and roll it under your arch with your foot. Do this every day while you're sitting. I've heard of people who do this in my office when sitting at their desks. When you wake in the morning, do this before standing up for at least five minutes.

    And of course, doctor, doctor, doctor. Good luck!
  • luvriden
    luvriden Posts: 52
    This is good advice!

    I had PF for along time and was told to ALWAYS wear shoes and shoes with a heel. Since I started doing this, my PF is "in remission" now. Took a long time and if I try and go bare foot or wear flat shoes, it will flare up. I even put my shoes on when I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I usually wear a hard soled shoe with a soft insole that has about 1/2 inch to an 1" heel. I also make sure to stretch my feet and ankles each morning before I get up.

    Good luck, having pain in your feet really sucks!
  • Ghette
    Ghette Posts: 350 Member
    Sorry to tell you there is no quick fix. I had this in both of me feet for two years. After many doctor visits, physio, doing all the exercises recommended buying orthodics( 800.00) off of work for a year. I finally found relief with laser therapy. The cost was 60.00 a session, I went twice a week for six months. I feel for anyone who gets this, it is not fun. The net has lots of information and it will show you how to do all the exercises. I hope you find relief.:flowerforyou:
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    Laser therapy? I did the round of air boot, shot, therapy (whirlpool, ultra sound, stem (electric zap), massage, exercises) plus "no exercise" except swimming for what seemed like ages! I didn't want the shot becuase I'd heard it could cause more damage that it could repair - it didn't work for me anyway's.I certainly didn't want surgery - as it was I was out of my routine for about 6 months. Good luck

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