Newbie: Plantar fasciitis looking for friends

Precious1078
Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a newbie to MFP looking for friends. I have plantar fasciitis & want to workout, but it hurts & aches my feet about 5-10 minutes after starting. I was told I can't jump or run. I enjoy doing jumping jacks, jumping rope & squats. I don't know how to swim & don't have a bicycle. Any suggestions/ideas are greatly appreciated. I need help trying to keep from being depressed from not being able to workout like I want. This sucks :(

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    What do you think it's from? Do you have flat arches, or high arches?
  • scintus
    scintus Posts: 7 Member
    Fellow sufferer here i use the stationary bike in the gym.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    What about signing up for adult swim lessons? Using the down time for self-improvement might go at least part of the way towards helping you feel better about yourself as the PF heals.

    Be sure to keep up with the stretching and strengthening exercises that can help PF go away, even if it takes longer than we'd all like.
  • jesiann2014
    jesiann2014 Posts: 521 Member
    Fellow PF sufferer here too. :( It bites but with daily (hourly) stretches and the right shoes or inserts, I'm back to my usual daily activities. Do your research and get greatly informed on the issue. That's my best advice for ya.
  • canary_girl
    canary_girl Posts: 366 Member
    I had bad PF, too. I got better shoes and inserts. No more PF! I run and bike daily.
  • kaitlinrt
    kaitlinrt Posts: 28 Member
    I had PF in addition to a badly sprained ankle and bursitis. I did almost ten weeks of 2-3x a week physical therapy. Besides the stationary bike, we did a ton of things that really helped. It wasn't all 'just stretching' either. How badly does just walking hurt? Can you use an OTC pain medication for the pain? What about taking to your doctor about a prescription NSAID (I had Mobic and it was amazing for my nerve pain). I didn't use a night splint but that was also a suggestion from my physical therapist.
  • csk0018
    csk0018 Posts: 219 Member
    I've had PF for years but never got it checked. After seeing a foot doctor -- he gave me stretching exercises, icing, taking an anti-inflammatory and wearing a night splint -- it went away after two weeks.
  • carafes
    carafes Posts: 36 Member
    I have had a few flair ups and worked to gain control through stretching, ice, and supportive shoes. A great tip is filling small paper cups 3/4 way full and freezing them. You can tear off the top of cup and it works great to ice your arches.
  • brandigyrl81
    brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
    I too have plantar fasciitis. I still Zumba, line dance and take step aerobics but I don't jump around and do too much running (although, I ran a little yesterday). Here are a few things that help me:

    1. I went to see a podiatrist. He gave me custom sport orthotics and I wear them whenever I workout. If you're active, don't forget to change your tennis shoes every 3-6 months. You can also have him/her design orthotics for your everyday shoes.

    2. Speaking of everyday shoes, I get the most relief when I wear shoes with a heel. Whenever your foot is in the flexed position, it's providing that stretch you need.

    3. I purchased this device: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/human-touch-reg-ht-reflex2-foot-calf-massager/1043059478?categoryId=13150
    I know it's kind of pricey but it works WONDERS on my feet and provides the massage you need to work that pain right out.

    4. I also purchased a night time stint to keep my foot in the flexed position while I sleep.

    5. Lastly, read up about different essential oils that help with inflammation (ginger, perhaps). I believe there are lots of natural ways to rid our bodies of ailments. Remember Epsom salt baths and applying ice are good methods, as well.
  • GuitarGirl99
    GuitarGirl99 Posts: 23 Member
    So sorry to hear of your PF issues. I have been plagued by this twice over the past 8 years. It took a long time to go away - 2 years of pain and trying various treatments with each episode. I can recommend what worked for me, when I was wanting to exercise but couldn't do any type of cardio because my feet hurt too bad. I used "The Bar Method" and "Callanetics" exercise videos - they are both available on Amazon. I alternated them. The programs are similar, and are meant to help you gain strength and flexibility, and shape your body, without being too strenuous on the feet. PF is fickle, in that what works for one person may not be appropriate for the next. Exercise cautiously, and hopefully you can find something that is comfortable and will help you on the road to recovery. Good luck.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    I had it so severe, I went to the doctor asking for x-rays thinking one foot was very broken and the other possibly a fracture. I could barely walk.

    Night splints were the best thing for mine. I had some relief immediately, and almost total relief within a couple weeks. Stretches work too if no splints. I just found the sustained stretch from the splint worked better. I took ibuprofen. At first, I tried naproxen, but it barely touched my pain and then you can't take anything else for several hours after taking it, so I was stuck with the pain.

    I also keep a water bottle frozen to roll under my foot for more immediate relief. Shoe inserts and such didn't really work for me, but there are definitely some shoes way better than others. Find a good shoe for your foot type. The inserts don't do enough to fix a bad shoe in my opinion.

    I still get the splints out when it flares up and never have to wear them more than a night to get back on track.

    You might just need to lay off a lot of the exercises until you get it under control. I hike for hours now without any foot pain. Biking actually causes me a little after some time, but it's tolerable.
  • lindaanndxn
    lindaanndxn Posts: 2
    I have suffered with PF for years , shots in my feet every 2 weeks for 6 weeks ,stretching, icing and going to running store and getting fitted for high arches has helped me a lot. I also have a recumbent bike I ride daily. After losing 25 lbs I am able to walk up to a mile now before my feet start to hurt.
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    I did a shot once, but it didn't help. I really need to make time to ice & stretch more. I was going to physical therapy 2times a week, but it got expensive. I so want to workout, but my feet hurt all the time. I was going to get custom insoles, but they were not covered by my insurance.
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    @
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    What do you think it's from? Do you have flat arches, or high arches?

    My arch has fallen from wearing flip flops or heels almost everyday/all day. I do not like my feet to be closed in so I didn't wear tennis shoes much
  • Kiku10
    Kiku10 Posts: 66 Member
    Ugh, that must hurt!

    I have problem feet and chronic pain. Water aerobics if you have pool access are helpful -they did alot for my weight and strength a few years ago. Send me a friend request!
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    What about signing up for adult swim lessons? Using the down time for self-improvement might go at least part of the way towards helping you feel better about yourself as the PF heals.

    Be sure to keep up with the stretching and strengthening exercises that can help PF go away, even if it takes longer than we'd all like.


    I said I was going to look into swim lessons this summer & do better with stretching & icing. My problem is I need to make time for me.
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    jesiann2014 wrote: »
    Fellow PF sufferer here too. :( It bites but with daily (hourly) stretches and the right shoes or inserts, I'm back to my usual daily activities. Do your research and get greatly informed on the issue. That's my best advice for ya.

    It definitely sucks :( I need to really make time for doing the stretches & icing
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    kaitlinrt wrote: »
    I had PF in addition to a badly sprained ankle and bursitis. I did almost ten weeks of 2-3x a week physical therapy. Besides the stationary bike, we did a ton of things that really helped. It wasn't all 'just stretching' either. How badly does just walking hurt? Can you use an OTC pain medication for the pain? What about taking to your doctor about a prescription NSAID (I had Mobic and it was amazing for my nerve pain). I didn't use a night splint but that was also a suggestion from my physical therapist.

    It hurts to walk just a few minutes..I'm not that heavy in size, but need to lose some pounds. I was doing physical therapy 2 times a week, but it got expensive & I was limited to the amount of sessions I was able to have with my insurance so I stop going :( I been taking pain meds for a toothache that I had & haven't really noticed if it helped or not..I just know my feet always ache.
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    csk0018 wrote: »
    I've had PF for years but never got it checked. After seeing a foot doctor -- he gave me stretching exercises, icing, taking an anti-inflammatory and wearing a night splint -- it went away after two weeks.

    I need to make time to stretch & ice. I have a night splint, but I don't like to use it. I think I'm going to have to suck it up & try it longer versus taking it off after 5 minutes :\
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    I too have plantar fasciitis. I still Zumba, line dance and take step aerobics but I don't jump around and do too much running (although, I ran a little yesterday). Here are a few things that help me:

    1. I went to see a podiatrist. He gave me custom sport orthotics and I wear them whenever I workout. If you're active, don't forget to change your tennis shoes every 3-6 months. You can also have him/her design orthotics for your everyday shoes.

    2. Speaking of everyday shoes, I get the most relief when I wear shoes with a heel. Whenever your foot is in the flexed position, it's providing that stretch you need.

    3. I purchased this device: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/human-touch-reg-ht-reflex2-foot-calf-massager/1043059478?categoryId=13150
    I know it's kind of pricey but it works WONDERS on my feet and provides the massage you need to work that pain right out.

    4. I also purchased a night time stint to keep my foot in the flexed position while I sleep.

    5. Lastly, read up about different essential oils that help with inflammation (ginger, perhaps). I believe there are lots of natural ways to rid our bodies of ailments. Remember Epsom salt baths and applying ice are good methods, as well.

    Wow!! That's great you are able to do all that..I wish. I use to Zumba, but not anymore. I even wanted to be an instructor, but PF is holding me back. I do see a podiatrist..he taped my feet & even gave me a cortisone shot, but it didn't help. I have a night splint & need to put it to use. I'm going to look into the calf massager..never seen that before. I need to take time for me to really work on them to help ease this pain. Thank you for the info
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    AmazonMayan wrote: »
    I had it so severe, I went to the doctor asking for x-rays thinking one foot was very broken and the other possibly a fracture. I could barely walk.

    Night splints were the best thing for mine. I had some relief immediately, and almost total relief within a couple weeks. Stretches work too if no splints. I just found the sustained stretch from the splint worked better. I took ibuprofen. At first, I tried naproxen, but it barely touched my pain and then you can't take anything else for several hours after taking it, so I was stuck with the pain.

    I also keep a water bottle frozen to roll under my foot for more immediate relief. Shoe inserts and such didn't really work for me, but there are definitely some shoes way better than others. Find a good shoe for your foot type. The inserts don't do enough to fix a bad shoe in my opinion.

    I still get the splints out when it flares up and never have to wear them more than a night to get back on track.

    You might just need to lay off a lot of the exercises until you get it under control. I hike for hours now without any foot pain. Biking actually causes me a little after some time, but it's tolerable.

    I have a podiatrist..I brought the night splint for $100 with insurance, plus a stretch band to use & roller I can freeze. The custom insoles were not covered under my insurance so I did not get them. I need to take time to apply all the methods to get some relief. I haven't worked out in a while & it's really frustrating because I have a goal to meet. I just feel like it's not enough hours in the day to take care of me :(
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    GuitarGirl99 wrote: »
    So sorry to hear of your PF issues. I have been plagued by this twice over the past 8 years. It took a long time to go away - 2 years of pain and trying various treatments with each episode. I can recommend what worked for me, when I was wanting to exercise but couldn't do any type of cardio because my feet hurt too bad. I used "The Bar Method" and "Callanetics" exercise videos - they are both available on Amazon. I alternated them. The programs are similar, and are meant to help you gain strength and flexibility, and shape your body, without being too strenuous on the feet. PF is fickle, in that what works for one person may not be appropriate for the next. Exercise cautiously, and hopefully you can find something that is comfortable and will help you on the road to recovery. Good luck.

    Thank you for the info. I'm going to look the videos up. I have been suffering longer that 2 years, but just went to a podiatrist about last year & then again this year..the first doctor didn't help me like the new one. I'm going to work on taking time for me to apply the exercises & info I was given. :)
  • Precious1078
    Precious1078 Posts: 22 Member
    I want to thank eveyone for the great suggestions & info. I'm going to get this pain under control :)
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    I used to have PF.. now i can run barefoot. If i were in your shoes (no pun intended), i'd stretch the plantar fascia every 10-15 minutes every hour of the day, and wear a Strassburg sock at night (not a simple dorsiflexion splint).
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
    I suffered from it for over 2 years before I finally went to a podiatrist. Mine was so bad she put me in a walking cast for about a month. You can pick one up on Amazon pretty cheap (under $40). Also just stretching the foot before getting out of bed every morning. That was over two years ago. Zero pain since!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Just to reiterate what appears to have been said already. Get some good, over-the-counter, arch-support insoles, like Superfeet. And stretch, stretch, stretch the bottom of your feet.
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