plantar fasciitis

quesdadjanet
quesdadjanet Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Any one out there have any quick fix tips for this painful problem?

Replies

  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    Mine wasn't cured until I rigged up a device that kept my foot flexed while I slept. I used Ace bandages, and after a couple of weeks it was one and it never came back.

    Rolling the bottom of your foot back and forth across a frozen water bottle, or a golf ball can help with pain at the moment, but in my case they did nothing to cure it.
  • Zieskej
    Zieskej Posts: 33 Member
    When you sleep at night your foot relaxing. When you wake up in the morning and step down you are essentially breaking or stretching out those muscles that healed in a relaxed position all night. I went to my dr as I had it for 2 years. I had a big boot that I had to sleep in. On the weekends if I was not going anywhere I would wear the boot around the house all day long. Frozen water bottle or tennis ball to roll your foot on provides temporary relief.
  • Mbrowne55
    Mbrowne55 Posts: 42 Member
    I have had it for more than a year but it is slowly getting better. I have found that using insoles, or orthotics, in my shoes helps a bit. Also make sure that you have good running shoes and that you change your footwear often. That seems to help.

    It is an aggravating problem. Hope this helps!
  • suewestcountry
    suewestcountry Posts: 35 Member
    when I had it I was sent to a foot specialist who showed me an exercise which involved stretching the leg muscles it cured me. You can google the exercise
  • rwhawkes
    rwhawkes Posts: 117 Member
    Four things for me:
    1) I bought a night splint for around $80 to keep foot flexed at night.
    2) I got some Birkenstocks to wear whenever I would otherwise go barefoot around the house
    3) I got custom orthotics, for which my health plan "footed" much of the cost.
    4) Stopped running.

    From what I understand, overpronation, aging and obesity make one at risk for pf. It's one nasty condition.
  • 93634
    93634 Posts: 7 Member
    I worked for a company called medi-dyne a million years ago and they had a few products that could help with plantar fasciitis, I know the Prostretch Plus is sold to athletic trainers on professional sports teams in order to assist with stretching the foot and preventing injuries such as you are experiencing. I've had it before as diagnosed by a doctor and was told to always wear supports and never go barefoot again, even to use the bathroom at night and I did not heed his advice and have never had a reoccurrence. But it was painful! Best of luck to you.
  • quesdadjanet
    quesdadjanet Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks Folks xxxxxxxx
  • TheKevman05
    TheKevman05 Posts: 1 Member
    I have been dealing with PF for over 15 years. I have had 3 injections in each foot, orthotics for all of that time and it would come and go. When it would return it would really incapacitate me until I got another injection. I went to a running store and asked what they would recommend and I was told about Trigger Point Therapy and the foot baller kit. Abby at Running Wild in Pensacola then proceeded to work out my foot and leg with the kit and I went to lunch. I immediately returned after lunch to purchase the kit because I noticed the pain had disapated alot. That was 2 yrs ago and that period is the best my feet have been in ages. So please look at Trigger Point Therapy and the Footballer kit. Good luck

    Kevin

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5uJpVTpusM

    Trigger Point.
    http://www.tptherapy.com/Shop-Online/All-TPPT-Products/Foot-Lower-Leg-Kit.html
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    Stretch calves, foam roll them and stretch some more. Bromalein supplements help. I have a "rubz" ball for my feet that is amazing. Walk barefoot more and work on flexibility in your feet. Getting weight off will help if overweight. I worked for a DPM for several years, IMO Orthotics are a bandaid and not a fix. www.nwfootankle.com has a great article on their website on PF. The product correct toes they offer on that sight has really been helpful too. Mainly, IMO... foot flexibilty is so important.
  • perdie7
    perdie7 Posts: 266 Member
    I lost 50 pounds, and now it's pretty much gone
  • LG61820
    LG61820 Posts: 372 Member
    http://www.heel-that-pain.com/ I have posted this before and will continue to post it. Between the self-help info and the reasonably priced heel inserts they have you covered. I started C25K in bad shoes and suffered with PF for awhile. Even if you choose not to buy anything, the self-help info is valuable.

    I am pain free most of the time, with short mild flare ups from time to time. I don't wear my heel inserts most of the time now, but do use them with flare ups. Good luck to you.
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
    I bought really expensive shoes with orthotic inserts. They were about $200 but lasted me nearly 2 years before they started to fall apart, and I went from having excruciating foot pain during my cashier job to none at all. Definitely worth every penny.
  • SarahSmilesCA
    SarahSmilesCA Posts: 261 Member
    What a lot of people won't tell you is that once you have plantars fasciitis lesions (you know if you have them, you have lumps in the arch of the foot) the only way to get rid if them is for the scar tissue to be broken up.You can do this many ways through exercise and/or therapy. Laser therapy and Graston therapy, are both effective, and expensive.

    I found a lot of info on line by just typing in "breaking up platars fasciitis scar tissue". There are rollers and trigger point devices that help, but you have to break up the scar tissue consistently for weeks and the bad news is it hurts and it will affect your ability to exercise. Your foot will hurt more for a while before it gets better, maybe even a lot more if you have a bad case of it.

    But I found a great video here that has helped me a lot to break the scar tissue up on my own:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_512173&feature=iv&src_vid=GiXl-zm42sI&v=_dw2w3mUYBo

    Don't be fooled by how young the kid is on the video, the technique works. My foot killed me though for two weeks but the lump in my foot is nearly gone. If I was a runner I would not be able to run at all. I am a cyclist though so it was ok, but it has modified my ability to climb because I can not put too much weight on the foot right now.
  • smaihlee
    smaihlee Posts: 171 Member
    I had injections in both heels over the course of a few years, and found them to be very helpful. Last time I saw my podiatrist, however, he told me the next step would be a fitting for orthotics. This really wasn't an attractive option for me, as I wear a women's size 12 shoe and have a hard enough time finding those.

    I did lots of research and tried a few different things, including a hard plastic rocker thingy that is supposed to help stretch everything out, but the one thing that seemed to help most was rolling my heels and feet on a tennis ball. I put several around the house and one at work, and any time I had pain I would roll it out on the ball.

    The ball has provided a lot of relief, but I also think losing weight hasn't hurt, either :)

    As you've probably found, the pain can be pretty awful right after you get out of bed, and also after sitting for long periods. I started using a small plastic cup for water at work, and making myself get up once an hour or so to get more water and walk around.
  • eva512
    eva512 Posts: 92 Member
    bump
  • MsBobLoblaw
    MsBobLoblaw Posts: 171 Member
    New running shoes. Unbeknownst to me, my old ones were worn out.I was a beginner runner back then and didn't know you had to replace them!! :embarassed:
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    There is an exercise where you stand facing a wall, then sort of back lunge with one leg, and heel down, pressing heel to the floor, counting. I did this for just a week and mine released. It had been flaring for a month and would not resolve with rest, staying in great tennis shoes all the time, and anti-inflammatories.
  • ShelliePAwesome
    ShelliePAwesome Posts: 42 Member
    Bump
  • Absterdam
    Absterdam Posts: 50
    I was wondering if anyone out there with plantar fasciitis experienced decreased toe movement? I've had plantar fasciitis for almost four years now and I've done everything. Foot brace every night, stretches, icing, taping, cortisone injections etc. NOTHING has helped permanently. The cortisone injections help for about six months but once they wear off it's HELL again and this time I've lost my insurance so I can't get them done. Anyway this time around, going so long without the shot I've noticed that as the pain has gotten worse and worse, I've been able to move my toes less and less. I can just barely move the pinky toe and the one next to it. Is anyone else having this problem??? I'm so tired of limping, I've actually thought about buying a cane and I'm only 28.
  • thechimes
    thechimes Posts: 6
    Re: toe movement loss.

    Cortisone injections actually eventually cause your tendon/foot tissue to corrode (I'm not a doctor and that is so not the right term), which could explain why your injury keeps getting worse.

    I've tried everything and my last resort was a podiatrist. I am usually against western medicine because it treats the symptom, not the cause. I was put in orthotics that not only didn't work, they raised my heel more making my legs tighter and causing more pain. The one thing she did prescribe was an antiinflammitory / muscle relaxer cream (I don't like taking drugs w my GI probs).

    I've tried the following treatments:
    Consistent stretching
    Strenghthening other muscles to take stress off
    Yoga
    Chiropractic
    Graston technique (helps the most)
    Deep tissue massage
    Rolling on a icy water bottle
    Epsom salt soaks
    Bio freeze
    Arnica gel (omg this works better thank the scrip cream)
    Super old lady walking shoes 24/7 with orthotics
    Stopped running (FYI it made no difference)
    And I've been wearing the orthotics for weeks. I feel like my muscles might need strenghthening after all that and the orthotics made it way worse (and have me knew and hip pain)
    Foam roll legs to relieve tightness

    I used that foot stretcher thing ... No difference. Do it at work when I have breaks.

    I just ordered a night splint. We shall see ...
  • Kyle47BC
    Kyle47BC Posts: 7 Member
    Plantars Fasciitis is from an overused/overstretched plantar ligament which can be caused by poor shoes, running or even walking a lot on concrete, overweight... Stretching the calf works but DO NOT stretch the plantar ligament itself. Those roller balls and water bottle techniques too just make it worse. It needs rest. You can get it the blood flow it needs with something like a blood flow stimulator, I used this one: http://www.kingbrand.com/Plantar_Foot_Treatment.php?REF=52PV107. It will heal with rest. Cold techniques will help with pain (not the frozen water bottle, it's too rigid and rough) by getting rid of inflammation but it won't heal it.

    Good luck!

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