Nurse with plantar fasciitis. Help?
mystgrl1604
Posts: 117 Member
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!
Any help would be much appreciated!
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Replies
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My husband (a mechanic) went to the podiatrist. The doctor recommended some shoe inserts which my husband said really helped.0
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I think Profoot PF insoles are pretty darn awesome (and for $7, why not give them a shot?) You can buy them at most drug stores/general purpose stores, or on Amazon.
Other things to try are more supportive shoes in general.
You can also sleep with a night splint to stretch out your feet/calves *overnight*. It might help you go into each day a little fresher. The splints or braces take some getting used to, but they help a lot of people who are able to stick with them. Some options here:
Strassburg sock 1
Strassburg sock 2
Back of leg brace
Front of leg brace
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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!0
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Make sure you stretch before you get out of bed, this has helped me a lot. Invest in a good pair of shoes as well.0
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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.0 -
Hmm...been putting off going to the podiatrist or GP but maybe I should. Been treating it myself with stretching and icing on my days off lol. It's not too bad when I'm walking and I do use supportive shoes but the minute I stop walking and then resume again, I'll have a noticeable limp until everything stretches out again. It's frustrating!
I've sort of accepted that I'll have to deal with this forever haha. 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, except trying to lose weight, of course. If I go to my local GP or podiatrist, I might try those braces. They look effective, though not very sexy. Lol.0 -
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
Rach0 -
Be careful. Take care of yourself and your feet. I have a nurse in my family with the same issue. She can't work and needs surgery0
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Stretch, stretch, stretch!!!!!0
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The BF just went to podiatrist today and was diagnosed with this. He got a cortisone shot, prescription anti-inflammatories and insoles from the doctor his work shoes. Get it treated and then do your best to keep up with the at-home treatment. Don't let it go, it will only get worse.
You're a nurse-you know better!!! 0 -
musthavescentscanada wrote: »Maybe your coworkers will take sympathy on you and give you assignments closest to the nursing station.
Hahaha. No such luck. Plus the heaviest patients are the ones nearest the station and I don't really want to have all my assignments to be bedbound. Lol.
What kind of stretches are you guys doing? I've been stretching my arches first thing in the morning (by pulling my toes up towards my shins) before getting up else I won't be able to walk to the bathroom at all, but otherwise that's it. Plus ice when it gets really bad.0 -
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I was issued some arch supports which helped, and I roll my foot over a tennis ball while watching TV and such.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!
That helps too.
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mystgrl1604 wrote: »
Girl, you know you need to take care of yourself!
Give yourself the care you give your patients. 0 -
Ortho heel brand shoes. Don't go barefoot. Keep up the stretching and icing.1
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mystgrl1604 wrote: »musthavescentscanada wrote: »Maybe your coworkers will take sympathy on you and give you assignments closest to the nursing station.
Hahaha. No such luck. Plus the heaviest patients are the ones nearest the station and I don't really want to have all my assignments to be bedbound. Lol.
What kind of stretches are you guys doing? I've been stretching my arches first thing in the morning (by pulling my toes up towards my shins) before getting up else I won't be able to walk to the bathroom at all, but otherwise that's it. Plus ice when it gets really bad.
This stretch/massage is painful but helpful. Sit with one leg folded across the other. Use one hand to pull back your toes. Use the other to massage your arch. You can call in the aid of a spiky massage ball if you want--I do. You can also roll the ball under your foot as you sit. Or roll a frozen water bottle.
ETA: In bed, I'd suggest modifying the stretch you already do to stretch your calf muscle, too (tight calf tightens the plantar fascia). Loop a hand towel or rope or something around the bottom of your foot and give it a nice stretch like so. (I did this while lying on my back, FYI).
You should also work on *strengthening* your calf muscle and plantar fascia. For your calf, do calf raises and heel drops (off a stair). For the PF themselves, there are a couple options. I like picking up and putting down objects with my toes--a towel, the massage ball. Some people like to trace the alphabet on the ground or in the air with their toes.0 -
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.0
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I had this last year for such a long time. I know how excruciating it is ... I had steroid injection in heels and literally the next day it was gone miracle!!! This year I felt a flare up on holiday so got some strong painkiller with anti inflammatory and some cold gel as couldn't get to doc and that worked pretty brilliantly and by time I got home symptoms had gone... The steroid injection does hurt a bit but only for couple of seconds.0
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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.
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Google the stretches for plantar fascia. They are the same that my podiatrist told me to do. Then I went to a site store that evals how you walk. I am in a Brooks sneaker and can tell you my passion is finally relief. Not totally gone but getting there. I've had severe plantar fascia for over a year and half. Best of luck.0
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cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »mystgrl1604 wrote: »musthavescentscanada wrote: »Maybe your coworkers will take sympathy on you and give you assignments closest to the nursing station.
Hahaha. No such luck. Plus the heaviest patients are the ones nearest the station and I don't really want to have all my assignments to be bedbound. Lol.
What kind of stretches are you guys doing? I've been stretching my arches first thing in the morning (by pulling my toes up towards my shins) before getting up else I won't be able to walk to the bathroom at all, but otherwise that's it. Plus ice when it gets really bad.
This stretch/massage is painful but helpful. Sit with one leg folded across the other. Use one hand to pull back your toes. Use the other to massage your arch. You can call in the aid of a spiky massage ball if you want--I do. You can also roll the ball under your foot as you sit. Or roll a frozen water bottle.
ETA: In bed, I'd suggest modifying the stretch you already do to stretch your calf muscle, too (tight calf tightens the plantar fascia). Loop a hand towel or rope or something around the bottom of your foot and give it a nice stretch like so. (I did this while lying on my back, FYI).
You should also work on *strengthening* your calf muscle and plantar fascia. For your calf, do calf raises and heel drops (off a stair). For the PF themselves, there are a couple options. I like picking up and putting down objects with my toes--a towel, the massage ball. Some people like to trace the alphabet on the ground or in the air with their toes.
That first stretch is what i do first thing in the morning so I can walk to the bathroom. Lol. I do calf stretches about 3x/week when I go to my exercise classes but I'm guessing I should do them a lot more often eh? I'll start doing that with my arch stretch first thing in the morning as well then. My calves are already pretty strong, I do weighted calf raises as part of my leg day, but they are prone to muscle cramps so I try not to stress them often. Stretching sounds good as they're always a bit tight. Plus, being a particulary lazy girl when I can find some other easier way to do things, I already pick up a lot of stuff with my toes
i have dexterous toes hahahaha!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.
Giiiiiirl! Hello fellow nursey! I haven't even thought of steroid shots, was just looking for home remedies, but sounds like it's done you and others a load of good! Sometimes, I'd ask my SO to massage my arches for me and I'd be screaming in a pillow coz of the pain, they're that painful. Maybe it's something I can ask my GP about. I've got an inkling that home remedies might not work for me too, coz I'm pretty much doing everything I'm supposed to do but the fact that I can't do them while I'm working a 12.5hr shift on my feet just beats the effect of those stretching, I think. I already wear very supportive shoes.Cherimoose wrote: »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.
Lol I don't think not walking enough is the problem. I usually hit 10-20k steps on a regular basis. The pain normally hits once I've had a little rest (e.g. lunch break) from being on my feet for 3-4hrs before that and I'd be very slowly and painfully limping back to the ward until my arches stretch enough for me to walk normally again.0 -
Mine has finally resolved. I'm a nurse also and I can thank standing all day while learning to scrub for the misery I was in. I had noticed that the pain and limp were much worse when I first got up in the morning or whenever I first got up after sitting down. I found the key was to keep my feet flexed. When you sit do you pull your feet back under the chair where only your toes touch the ground?? If so don't do this. Keep both feet planted firmly on the floor. Someone recommended wearing the braces at night, the braces will do the same thing. I wrapped my ankle in an ace bandage at night and it worked for me.
It took almost 4 years to get rid of mine. I was working as a travel nurse and took some back to back jobs in much slower cath labs. I was able to sit down more and rest my feet. I always had to wear supportive shoes during that time, so no flip flops on the weekends.0 -
A friend of mine has plantar fascitis and says that when she exercises regularly (I think on an elliptical, mostly) the pain goes away. Maybe the increased blood flow or something? I hear you that you are doing lots of walking already, but maybe actual, intentional exercise is different somehow.0
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Nothing much helps, but a good resource is The Sock Doc. His videos are online and they are amazing. He recommends trigger point massage, that you can do yourself!! He says to NEVER stretch. Check him out!
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Going to go against the grain of many of the comments. I am not a doctor, but this is what helped me. 1) Lots of self massage - calf, Achilles tendon, hamstrings, and glutes. 2) Switch to a more minimalist shoe, something that is lower to the ground and does not have any heel lift, and has minimal cushioning and a flexible sole (Nike Free or something similar will do). The special socks, and many of the stretches involve pointing your toes upward. Zero drop shoes prevent your toes from dipping below your heel while you are standing. My experience was that the muscles and tendons were tight and putting "slack" on my plantar fascia allowed everything to tighten up more, which is why the symptoms are worse when waking up or after resting off of your feet. Since I switched to minimalist shoes and began regularly massaging, I haven't had a flare up in 2 years. Oh and 3) Use and NSAID (Aleve is my go-to) to relieve swelling/pain temporarily, but of course long term use is a bad option (not good for the liver and kidneys).0
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I don't know if anyone recommended them yet but Zionic brand shoes are wonderful! They have orthopedic soles and have everything from flip flops to boots. I started wearing them and my foot pain was greatly reduced.0
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Solution is Superfeet insoles, available at any running store. They give you support all day, so that you are not continually re-aggravating the condition, so that it can heal.
Worked for me. I put them in every pair of shoes I had, and I stretched, and I got better fast -- while still running quite a bit.0 -
see a podiatrist and in the mean time stretch and roll a frozen water bottle on the bottom of your feet when you have a chance0
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slinke2014 wrote: »I don't know if anyone recommended them yet but Zionic brand shoes are wonderful! They have orthopedic soles and have everything from flip flops to boots. I started wearing them and my foot pain was greatly reduced.
and I meant Vionic shoes....not zionic LOL0 -
Hello nurse, I got that from running overweight, do you have a strong hands husband, ask him to massage your feet while you stretch them, pointing your toes at you, he must apply some pushing with his knuckles, it hurts as hell but the pain will subside with days, also apply some muscle soar aiding roll on at nights, fascitis is the layer of the feet plant too tense.
Or, go to a therapist, they will put electrodes and relax it.0
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