Plantar Fasciitis

jjblogs
jjblogs Posts: 327 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Question: From time to time, I have bouts with plantar fasciitis. I use foot rollers, and I take magnesium since that is suppose to help. I also have a foam roller that I use to roll out muscles and tendons on other areas of my body after workouts, etc.

My question now is whether any of you have found a great tennis shoe that helps with this issue. Also, are there specific insoles or arches that work better than others. I do wear arch supports that I've had matched to my foot type, but I still have issues with PF from time to time, and just wondered if any of you have found "the perfect shoe". Any suggestions?

Replies

  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    Your best bet is running shoes designed for overproners with a hard insole. Superfeet or Powerstep are good ones.
  • kedlyo
    kedlyo Posts: 19 Member
    I do the same thing as you - I wear orthotics in my tennis shoes, roll out my feet/calves/etc. and still have occasional PF flare-ups. The only thing that makes them calm down is to wear Birkenstocks any time I'm not in tennis shoes. They sit next to my bed and go on before I even stand up, then they stay on continuously until I change into tennis shoes. The moment the tennis shoes come off - back on with the birks until I climb in bed again. I usually get gradual relief right away with symptoms completely gone in about 10 days - 2 weeks.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    I use Superfeet inserts, the green ones, in all my running shoes. Seem to help.
  • ItIsTJ
    ItIsTJ Posts: 116 Member
    Like I said in the last post on PF. Get something that supports the Transverse and Metatarsal Arch of the foot. It's more than likely due to the amount of pressure placed on either arch which isn't distributing the pressure throughout the foot and therefor is leading to the problem.

  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Yes! As two others have mentioned: Superfeet insoles. Available at any running shoe store. Before mine got better I had them in all of my shoes: running, tennis, dress, and walking shoes. That's because healing is tricky and takes a LONG time, and it is easy to over do it, inadvertently, and set yourself back on healing by weeks and weeks.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    I use Profoot inserts. http://www.amazon.com/PROFOOT-Plantar-Fasciitis-Orthotics-Womens/dp/B007S8XYAA/

    Cheap and amazing. I can and do put them in both neutral and mild stability shoes (Saucony Xodus, Brooks Ravenna). I've even put them in my hiking boots before. They turn any shoe into a "good shoe," PF-wise.

  • krysmuree
    krysmuree Posts: 326 Member
    edited January 2015
    I LOVE Profoot inserts. They have made walking/running/hiking possible for me. My left foot has the worst flair-ups and I bought Profoot inserts for work and have them for every shoe now. Great to see other recommendations here too. I'd love to try Superfeet when I can afford to; never heard of them before.
  • ItIsTJ
    ItIsTJ Posts: 116 Member
    ...or GOOD FEET. Use them in my shoes. Have seen people that were going to get tendons/ligaments cut in their feet to help with their PF only to walk out and come back and tell me how amazing they are.
  • bainsworth1a
    bainsworth1a Posts: 313 Member
    i went to the podiatrist and they made special orthotics exactly matched to my foot to wear in any shoe. they were pretty expensive and insurance would not cover them
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    edited January 2015
    kedlyo wrote: »
    I do the same thing as you - I wear orthotics in my tennis shoes, roll out my feet/calves/etc. and still have occasional PF flare-ups. The only thing that makes them calm down is to wear Birkenstocks any time I'm not in tennis shoes. They sit next to my bed and go on before I even stand up, then they stay on continuously until I change into tennis shoes. The moment the tennis shoes come off - back on with the birks until I climb in bed again. I usually get gradual relief right away with symptoms completely gone in about 10 days - 2 weeks.
    Hello, I just looked up Birkenstokes. I have been wearing klogs since I have had PF. But I will pay more if Birkenstocks work. Which styles of Birkenstocks do you recommend? Just googled and they came up on Zappos. Also, what do you pay on avg? Is the avg over $150? More or less? I am willing to try them because I need to get more active. Thanks!
  • ItIsTJ
    ItIsTJ Posts: 116 Member
    I wouldnt got with BS. After having met hundreds of people who wear them and have had no relief, I don't think the money is worth it.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    jjblogs wrote: »
    I do wear arch supports that I've had matched to my foot type, but I still have issues with PF from time to time, and just wondered if any of you have found "the perfect shoe".

    What is your foot type?
    And which activities cause flare-ups?

  • jjblogs
    jjblogs Posts: 327 Member
    Thanks for all the advise. Will try several suggestions. Cherimoose, I'm not sure what causes the flare-ups to be honest. I don't run much anymore as walking and running seem to cause issues with the knees and PF. So, I bike and use the elliptical for the most part. I do walk more in the summer. I do weights and calisthenics, but I don't think either of those should cause flare ups. I am on my feet a lot during my job, so that that might be part of it. I try to buy new tennis shoes every 3-4 months or so, and make sure my arch support is in good shape. I'll try some of the suggested arch supports. I have a bit of a flat foot, but not bad.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    Go to the podiatrist, get it seen to. It could be something else. I thought I had PF. Turns out that it might be that my hips are out of alignment, causing me to put too much pressure on one side. I started wearing supporting shoes, as suggested by the Podiatrist. It seemed to flare up the heel. Good luck with getting it sorted :)
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,709 Member
    edited January 2015
    jjblogs wrote: »
    Question: From time to time, I have bouts with plantar fasciitis. I use foot rollers, and I take magnesium since that is suppose to help. I also have a foam roller that I use to roll out muscles and tendons on other areas of my body after workouts, etc.

    My question now is whether any of you have found a great tennis shoe that helps with this issue. Also, are there specific insoles or arches that work better than others. I do wear arch supports that I've had matched to my foot type, but I still have issues with PF from time to time, and just wondered if any of you have found "the perfect shoe". Any suggestions?

    Hi,

    I had one of the worst cases of PF in the state of Texas in the left foot. Finally had the surgery in 2011 to fix it. Took a year and a half to recover, and I still have to nurse it just a touch, due to scar tissue and some nerve damage. But since the 173-lb loss, it has responded better.

    I wear the $465 doctor in-soles which were laser-scanned to my feet and they are the best. I never found any real difference in the shoes I wore, except that harder, non-foam/cheap store-bought models tend to do nothing except further aggravate the foot by allowing it to swim around in there.

    My advice is to look for a firmer, over-pronation corrector shoe in the meantime, but go to a podiatrist and get the steroid shot first, followed by the doctor inserts. If it's real, real bad, surgery may be the only option. If you let the condition get worse, nerve damage develops, and prior to surgery, I felt like every step was a shotgun blast. Had to take Lyrica for a while. But finally, brighter days came! :-)
  • needlerknits
    needlerknits Posts: 20 Member
    I wore birks to the exclusion of all else for years. I got away from them a couple years ago because my rheumatoid arthritis (metatarsophalangeal joints and toes, for pete's sake) was more painful in them, but returned to them for the deep heel cup and pressure distribution when I developed plantar fasciitis in October. Seemed to help that quite a bit. It's nearly resolved now after a couple months of chiropractic plus another month of PT.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    I went in the opposite direction. I was at the point where I couldn't hardly put my feet on the floor in the morning at times. I went to minimalist footwear and that's all I wear now. Merrell Barefoot and Vibrams. I've been wearing nothing but for the last 2.5 years, and my PF is totally gone. Once you stretch and build up all those little muscles and tendons in your feet, they'll feel great. Regular shoes constrict your feet and keep them from moving naturally, leading to contractures. Inserts compound the problem rather than help. If you go this route, gradually get your feet used to them by wearing them for longer periods each day and stretching. The only time I wear conventional shoes anymore are my dress shoes and snow boots.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    arguablysamson wrote: »
    My advice is to look for a firmer, over-pronation corrector shoe in the meantime, but go to a podiatrist and get the steroid shot first, followed by the doctor inserts.

    Caution. Chances are about 90% that the OP does overpronate and that is part of the cause of the plantar fascitis.

    But! If you over supinate and use any correction for overpronation, it is going to aggravate your condition like you simply would NOT believe!

    Easy way to check. Do you have uneven wear on your shoes? If it's towards the inside, you overpronate, if it's along the outside edges, you over supinate.

    Just in case you're a special snowflake and all...
  • always300
    always300 Posts: 1
    I have had PF pain for years. Usually, it flairs up when I haven't been wearing the right shoes or I stand barefoot in my house or somewhere else for a long time. I went to a running store to get fitted for the right customized insoles and shoes. I have started yoga, which helps immensely! There is even just one yoga-type pose that anyone can do that helps with lots of pain, including PF, but also insomnia, circulation, you name it. You basically lie on the floor with your rear end against the wall and your legs up against the wall for 5 minutes. Supposedly doing this for 20 minutes equates to 2 hours of sleep!?! Anyway, it is awesome, even if it's the only yoga you ever do. Here's the info on what I mean: http://life.gaiam.com/video/most-therapeutic-yoga-pose

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