Tendonitis is ruining my month.

I had foot problems also and they convinced me to do cortisone shots. I wish I hadn't because it actually depleted away some of my tissue in my foot. I had a huge sunken in spot. Luckily after I changed jobs and could wear tennis shoes to work things got better for me. NOW I have a ganglion cyst on my knee. Had it removed once and the pain left. Lo and behold it grew back in 2 yrs. Guess they didn't get it all. I went to an outdoor mall today to do some routine shopping and just that amount of walking makes it hurt so much. I am on my feet all day at work, but standing in one place for the most part. I only wear good tennis shoes, and reef flip flops to keep my feet/knees from hurting too much, but believe me I know how you feel. It sucks! Some good vitamin supplements and joint complexes have helped me a lot. That and the chiropractor.

I have heard horror stories with the cortizone shots in the feet...but I tell you when I had developed a neuroma in my left foot...it was totally my saving grace because before it i was unable to put any weight on it. I did have surgery to remove the neuroma but still have some pain...Try resting for a while.....really watch what your eating...and do UB lifting/cardio....Also...check with your dr. and see if He can prescribe "Mobic" for you...it is a much stronger anti-imflamatory that has helped me so much! You just have to be careful because you can't take motrin while Mobic! Keep Positve...I've delt with pain since my last baby was born and he is now 20 months...Just think the less you weigh the less stress and pain on your joints! Also...you may look into getting a better pair of tennis shoes...that could be a root to your problem!

I have plantar fasciitis in both feet. I wear supportive shoes so my feet don't hurt. I stick with Birkenstock & Earth and have no foot pain. I found a Birkenstock insole that I can put in/out of shoes. i keep it in my nike running shoes & I can speed walk & zumba w/o pain. My knees keep me from running

Its worth a try. I did to custom inserts first, much more expensive and the current shoes are pain free for less than half the cost. I had shots in my back a few years ago & i hope to never have shots like those again!

good luck!

Hi Sara -

I have tendonitis and plantar fasciitis in both feet, so I know what you're going through! I have a couple thoughts...

Is the doctor you saw a podiatrist? If not, you should ask your regular physician to refer you to one. The podiatrist should be able to take molds of your feet and order you very specific inserts for your shoes. I did this about a year ago, and they have made a HUGE difference. (Shoe shopping has become a bit more of a pain - but I can also give you great recommendations for the best shoes to go with inserts)

Along with icing your foot, you should be giving your calf muscle a good stretch several times throughout the day. This will help keep the tendons and muscles in your foot (and there are a lot) from become incredibly tight, which causes pain and irritation.

For your plantar fasciitis, place a tennis ball under your bed - before you get into bed at night, and before you get out of bed in the morning, roll the ball around under your foot - this breaks up the adhesions under the skin and can relieve some of your pain.

Wear good tennis shoes most of the day. This can be a pain in the summer, and inside the house, but your foot needs the support to continue healing and maintain once it feels better.

Get a massage Aside from just being really wonderful and all around relaxing, massage - specifically on your injured feet and around the calf muscles - can break down harmful build up in the area and increase circulation to the area, which will repair the tendon. Be sure to ask your massage therapist ahead of time if they have experience with injury work, and be sure to tell them you are there specifically to work on your feet problems. Often times health clubs and chiropractic offices, (or individual massage offices) are better to go for these sorts of things than spas because of the injury experience level the therapist will have.

Be aware that resting the injury is vital to it's repair. I know that you want to jump back in to your activities, but many times people deal with the same injury for years because they jump back into things as soon as they feel better. Just because you don't feel all the pain anymore does NOT mean that the injury is completely healed. 'Doing nothing' while your body heals can be frustrating, but in the long run, it will be so much better than the back and forth of re-injuring yourself constantly.

I hope this helps! If you have any questions about anything, please let me know! And congrats on your 45 lb loss! That's awesome! I hope you heal quickly and continue your awesomely healthy life style!

jess

I know what you are going through. I have tendonitis in my left ankle area. I am wondering if other MFPs have used prescribed inserts and if they were helpful? I have yet to fill my prescription because I have heard mixed reviews and the inserts are very costly.

I don't know what kind of tendonitis you have but I have chronic achilles tendonitis which means it flares up every so often (generally when I overtrain).

I've spent quite a bit of time with orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors over the years (I've had this problem for at least 10 years) and this is the best rehab I've found to be me back into running/training in a short period of time (typically 10 days to 2 weeks -- again, though, I am always catching it at the first sign of ankle pain or stiffness).

I do a series of eccentric calf raises every day (most of the time with a backpack on with some books in it for weight -- but you can do it without weight). Here is a training video that I refer people to that is pretty close to what I do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJPfzTHpbAM&feature=related

I also ice it and massage it. However, you should always do whatever your doctor says -- he/she knows your condition best. Good luck!

All this talk about foot problems. Just within the last few weeks I've developed something strange with my left foot. Sometimes, when I'm stretching, it feels like my Achilles tendon is really tight, and it feels numb down to, and around, the bottom of my heel. Does this sound familiar to anyone?