Nurse with plantar fasciitis. Help?

My husband (a mechanic) went to the podiatrist. The doctor recommended some shoe inserts which my husband said really helped.

Finding a massage therapist with solid knowledge on trigger point therapy and myofascial releases techniques would help. Clair Davies wrote a book called "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook " that does an excellent job describing self care techniques for all sorts of pain issues. Hope you can find some relief!

Stretch and rest helps with mine. I get a flare up if I fall back into old habits and don't stretch. Not just stretching through the feet, my calves, hamstrings and archilles get super tight sometimes and it makes the pain in my feet worse.

I know that sounds impossible as a nurse - and it probably is.

See a podiatrist. Off the shelf inserts might work for you and help, otherwise you might need custom made orthotics. A costly option, but last longer. The way my feet roll I can destroy an off the shelf pair in a few months, my custom made orthotics last 3-4 years. My podiatrist also did some dry needling on my locked calf muscles. It is like acupuncture, but she wasn't aiming for nerves/pressure points. The needle goes into the muscle and "resets" it - I was amazed at the instant relief as mu muscles loosened up instantly as the needle hit the right spot. I could have stretched my calves for months to get the same result.

If you do have any time off soon, you need to spend time on the couch properly resting it in conjunction with icing and stretching.

Sorry - it is a horrible thing to have to deal with - hope you are feeling better soon.

Braces ARE sexy. Just like compression stockings.
Lol
Seriously though, ice, stretch, rest. Repeat. I had flare up of it a few times...I did some yoga stretches with my feet and it helped really stretch the toes/balls, which seemed to be my "trigger" for relief. Ibuprofen to reduce aches and swelling a bit. (If your doc gives the ok) and podiatrist is a good idea if you can get in.
Hugs...been there. Maybe your coworkers will take sympathy on you and give you assignments closest to the nursing station.
Lol
Rach

Stretch, stretch, stretch!!!!!

mystgrl1604 wrote: »

Does anyone know of anything that can help relieve the pain of plantar fasciitis without the near constant stretching and icing? Could barely get to sit down on a shift. I'm always limping around the minute I get out of bed until I get back to bed.

Any help would be much appreciated!

I was issued some arch supports which helped, and I roll my foot over a tennis ball while watching TV and such.
That helps too.

Ortho heel brand shoes. Don't go barefoot. Keep up the stretching and icing.

I'm a nurse and had this in both feet a few years ago so I know your pain. I ended up having to get steroid shots as the home remedies weren't enough. The shots worked wonders and I've been able to maintain by stretching , icing, and the occasional naprosyn for pain control. The tennis ball works great too. The shots were a little uncomfortable but I literally limped in in severe pain and walked out of the office with barely a twinge of pain to work a 10 hour shift running up and down the halls of the hospital.

mystgrl1604 wrote: »

Is there a cure? I've not done a lot of research and just sort of fallen into treating the symptoms and not the underlying cause

The underlying cause is usually arch degeneration (according to studies) which is usually from wearing shoes that are overly supportive and/or from not walking enough. Arches, being avascular, require regular movement to stay healthy, but the rigid insoles of most shoes reduces the amount of movement the arch gets. So try to do your arch stretch as often as possible throughout the day, and also wear a Strassburg Sock, to stretch it while you sleep. If you can walk pain-free in shoes with a more flexible sole, like skateboard shoes, that will speed recovery. I used to have PF, and now i can run barefoot.