Plantar Fasciitis?

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candistyx
candistyx Posts: 547 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have an appointment with my doctor on the 10th but in the mean time I wanted to ask a few things.

So I started having pain in one of my feet about a year ago which occurred when waking up or when getting up from a seated position. After walking for a bit it went away and I figured it was just me getting stiff in my old age (28).

Then a few months ago I went on a day trip to a hilly city and walked about 40k steps during that day, in shoes too big for my feet (crocs to be specific).

Since then both my feet hurt any time I walk more than a mile. Sometimes the get a bit better, I feel like "sweet I can walk properly again" but eventually I hit a point at maybe 3-4 miles when my feet become agonising. My arches feel like they're tearing, my heel burns and my ankle feels like I am smashing the bone or something. I used to be able to walk for a lot further than that and not feel agony. Maybe dull aching, but nothing like this. Invariably at this point I'm far from home so I have to keep walking to get back.

Now when I thought it was just stiffness my attitude was just ignore the pain. But now I am worried it's plantar fasciitis I am worried doing that will only make it worse and prevent it recovering. After a 5.8 mile walk on the weekend, today midweek I am still finding myself limping around and I can't even begin to get my steps up which is really really frustrating. I feel full of energy, I want to get up and bounce around but as soon as I do my feet - especially my arches and heels - start feeling painful and I get paranoid I am damaging them more.

So questions:

Am I damaging my feet when I make them hurt by walking/bouncing/running about?
What kind of "energy release" exercises can I do without damaging my feet more?
How long will this take to go away if I start taking care of it instead of ignoring it?
What should I do while waiting to see the doctor to try and encourage recovery?

Replies

  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
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    The main thing is stretching. Try to stretch your feet before getting out of bed, and do a few stretches every hour or so. Get some arch supports for your shoes. You can also roll feet on tennis balls or frozen water bottles. At night don't let your feet be weighed down by covers if your a back sleeper ( put pillows under your knees so feet are in a natural position).
    As for the walking....the pain can be agonizing. Cortisone shots can help for a short while but are extremely painful to get. ***** I ended up running in an emergency situation which tore mine ( which is what surgery does essentially). Concrete floors are the worse. Maybe a treadmill or an indoor track would be better. Perhaps riding a bike for exercise (stretching without the pounding) could work well? Mine rarely acts up anymore after 10ish years.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Some stretching exercises- mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/multimedia/foot-stretches-to-prevent-plantar-fasciitis/img-20008230
  • Chad1117
    Chad1117 Posts: 6 Member
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    Crocs are the absolute worse shoes to wear if you have plantar fasciitis, especially if they are too large. What happens when you wear crocs is that your toes automatically curl to grip the show when you walk. This keeps the tendon in a position that will cause a lot of pain. Stretching is the key to lessening the pain. If you use a water bottle I don't recommend freezing it although this is common advice given. The problem is that you are trying to stretch the tendon, heat helps to stretch as wear cold causes tightening. Tennis balls, water bottles (unfrozen) are the two I mainly use.
  • Follow_me
    Follow_me Posts: 6,120 Member
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    I had it for 2 yrs! It hurts like hell but I learned to constantly stretch and massage it with a tennis ball. The cortisone shot didn't do too much for me. Definitely get those arch supports in ALL your shoes. I wish you well with it!
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
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    What has helped me a lot are Superfeet insoles. You can get them on Amazon. If you have high arches, the "green" version works great. I put them in all my shoes. I also do the stretches and icing. I am now able to walk 5 miles again and feel OK the next day.
  • Chad1117
    Chad1117 Posts: 6 Member
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    Quick follow up: When I say not to use a frozen water bottle I meant strictly for stretching. Once you have stretched out the ligament icing definitely a good idea. I was just saying don't ice before you stretch as this will tighten the ligament.
  • GuitarGirl99
    GuitarGirl99 Posts: 23 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I have had it twice...each bout lasted a couple of years. I would not wish this kind of agony on anyone. I am sorry to hear you are dealing with it.

    You may want to consider, along with all of the other good suggestions you are receiving, to add a few minutes of massaging your calves and feet before bed each night. Takes only a few minutes, but you may be surprised at the little knots and sore, tender spots you find on your calves. I was, and I gently worked at loosing up those spots and it gave me some measurable relief from the PF pain I was experiencing.

    Oh, and keep some shoes by your bed that you can slip into if you have to get up during the night. At least while you are in the early healing of this. It helps reduce that "ripping" sensation when you first stand up.

    Every piece of advice doesn't work the same for everybody. I wish you the very best and speedy healing.

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