Foot pain

There are some devices you can wear at night to help stretch your foot out while you sleep. I saw a guy selling one at a running expo a few weeks ago. You might do some web searching and see if you find one you like.

Stop putting weight on that foot. Seriously. It will NEVER go away if you don't treat it. I triggered mine in June after a 12 year silence, and I am just now starting to run once a week. Putting weight on it for anything (just walking around to get through your day) will aggravate it. Do some research online. There are loads of things you can do to make it feel better, but don't be fooled by "better." "Better" and "all better" are two different things. I stopped all weight bearing fitness (took up water aerobics and lap swimming, and I'm a crappy swimmer) and it's still in the back of my mind all the time.

Some things I did that helped:
*Buy Crocs. Yes, you'll be wearing plastic shoes and they're ugly as sin, but your feet will thank you. Choose carefully. Not all Crocs are created equal.
*Do NOT for any reason at all, go barefoot or wear flip flops.
*Freeze a bottle of water to roll your foot over. Do this 3x a day.
*Roll your foot (arch) over a tennis ball.
*Roll your foot over a golf ball.
*Invest in a boot for sleeping. Pay for a good one. You'll want it even when your foot is better because it's a great way to set up your foot the night before for a good day.
*Flex and point before you even put feet on the floor in the morning.
*Do calf raises on a step so that your heel goes lower than the step. Work up to 12 every other day. A tight calf leads to a tight fascia.
*Find fitness activities that don't put ANY impact on your foot. I haven't been to my fitness class since June. I'm returning tonight for 1x a week. I'm still swimming, as crappy as it looks...

There is lots of information out there. Just know that if you ignore it, or work through the pain, you're only prolonging it. It can take 6-12 months to go away. I finally got fed up in November when the improvement stalled. I had been doing everything I could to baby this thing and help it recover. I finally went and got the cortisone shot. Then I stayed off it for another THREE FULL WEEKS, even though it felt so much better. I cannot believe how many people I talk to who have it, and have had it for years. Because they never stopped doing things that aggravate it. Just getting through your day is going to aggravate it enough. Don't make it worse by exercising. In the long run, it's worth it to just change course for 6 months or a year. If you don't, guess what you'll be dealing with in a year anyway?...

Good luck,
~Curly

SueInAz wrote: »

There are some devices you can wear at night to help stretch your foot out while you sleep. I saw a guy selling one at a running expo a few weeks ago. You might do some web searching and see if you find one you like.

Here is a good website to find some of those things: footsmart.com/

I got rid of my PF by ditching the orthotics and doing exercises instead. The one that worked for me was to stand on a step facing upstairs. Move back so that you are only holding on with your toes and a small amount of the ball of the foot. SLOWLY drop your heels as far as you can and hold the stretch for a count of ten. SLOWLY raise you heels so you are standing on your tippy toes and hold that stretch for a count of ten. Lower again. Do this for ten times, 3 times a day. I had no pain after about 3 weeks of doing this and the PF has not returned in the intervening 15 years.

To prevent it from happening again, wear a variety of heel heights for everyday wear and good quality athletic footwear.

earlnabby wrote: »

I got rid of my PF by ditching the orthotics and doing exercises instead. The one that worked for me was to stand on a step facing upstairs. Move back so that you are only holding on with your toes and a small amount of the ball of the foot. SLOWLY drop your heels as far as you can and hold the stretch for a count of ten. SLOWLY raise you heels so you are standing on your tippy toes and hold that stretch for a count of ten. Lower again. Do this for ten times, 3 times a day. I had no pain after about 3 weeks of doing this and the PF has not returned in the intervening 15 years.

THIS. There was an article in the New York Times about this. It will hurt, and you need to work up to 10-12, but if you do them every other day, consistently, it should help. My PF is gone, and I still do these.

My husband had a bad case of PF in both feet 16 years ago. Orthotics didn't do anything for him. A new doctor suggested rolling a frozen water bottle under each foot 15 minutes 3x a day for a month. He hasn't had any problems with his feet since. When my daughter started having problems with her feet, she did the same thing, and she hasn't had any more problems either.