plantar fasciitis

I'm not a physician, but I had/have PF in my left foot since early July 2019. I'm to the point where I can self-manage and improve without the therapy visits, so here's my experience. My Doc sent me to a Physical Therapist that does Astym therapy for this. PF can take a l-l-long time to get over, as it's pretty hard to get any rest for your feet when you're using your feet every day. And, as mentioned above, that tendon does scrunch back up when your toes are pointed for any time and that can "un-do" any progress you make. The general idea is to stretch and strengthen both the foot and calf. In addition to Astym, other excercises and stretches were "toe yoga" (entertaining as heck to start...everyone should try this), using therapy bands to stretch the calf/foot and for toe/foot presses and abduction/adduction (rotate foot all 4 directions against band), stretching the calf with straight-leg and bent knee incline boards. As things progressed, they added in walking around the gym on my toes with dumbells, standing body weight toe presses to strengthen the foot/calf. And always ice! I found a more-cylindrical pop bottle and keep it in the freezer for daily use. Works better than a bag and never leaks. By the end, they got me to where I could pick up a hand towel off a smooth floor with just my foot. Finally, maybe the most useful thing to keep that tendon loose during the day if you're at a desk is to get a hard ball (mine is a Lacrosse ball), and just roll your foot around for as much as you can stand it. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Go back to your doctor and ask. Also ask for a referral to a physical therapist who can help with possible exercises/stretches and/or ideas for exercise while you heal.

The internet is overflowing with anecdotal cures for PF which range from random supplements, assorted foot products, barefoot/zero drop shoes, all manner of different exercise programs, compression, probably aliens too.

I’ve been able to manage mine with insoles, eliminating all barefoot & zero drop shoes, SLOW progression in activity and extensive stretching.

When mine was really bad, I wore a sleeping boot for a time until I could get to the point of managing it with regular stretching and arch support insoles.

I have to say it's all different for every body. I lost 86 pounds and my feet felt fabulous for bout 3 years. Then the pain came back. I worked for a year trying different shoes, inserts, levels of exercise and walking. Then my right foot went down for the count. I couldn't even work through the pain. It affected my foot, ankle, and calf. No amount of stretching and exercise could fit it. The podiatrist gave me a list of inserts and shoes and stretching. None seem to work. I was on crutches around the house and a rolling scooter out in public. I saw massage therapists of all kinds. I saw a nutritionist. I saw a chiropractor.

Finally, after about a year it started easing up and I'm now able to fully exercise again, but it's not back to pre fasciitis state.

I've also had it for over 20 years and thought I was an expert on managing it until it my foot just felt broke.

Don't give up. Keep trying anything and every thing.

girlwithcurls2 wrote: »

"When i do this stretch every day, my PF goes away, completely in 1-2 months."

I'm not sure how 20 years of dealing with it and "goes away completely" go in the same sentence. This is something that in my experience, never really goes away. The symptoms can lessen significantly, but it lurks.

OP, you need to see someone and get a good routine to sort of rehab it. Whatever you do, don't work through the pain. You're only delaying recovery. There are things you absolutely SHOULD do and things you absolutely SHOULD NOT do. Find out what is on those two lists and follow them religiously. I am still doing most of the PT for mine, just as prevention. It's been gone for 5 years. But it meant a total change of my fitness routine and daily care.

I simply did not go into the details.
As I said, I run 6-8 miles at a time, play tennis, and, most importantly, used to play soccer, where you experience a lot of turning, torquing and sprinting.
For the longest time, I did not know about this stretch. I wore Superfeet, My PF would start to get better. I'd play a really hard soccer game, or go for a really long run, and I would re-aggravate it.
I presume that over time I just developed scar tissue, which wasn't strong, which made me prone to recurrence.

The problem with PF is that the plantar fascia is really tough, sturdy tissue. Because so much pressure is put on it, and it needs to be so strong, it heals very slowly.
This is part of the explanation of why the night boot works. The night boot idea originated in the military. Back before physical therapists became versed in this condition, the PF experts were boot-camp, drill sergeants. Why? Because they took often sedentary, overweight kids and made them march with a heavy pack on their back. Miles and miles. Not surprisingly, PF was very common.
The drill sergeants' solution was a new pair of stiff boots, worn at night in bed. They recognized that the plantar fascia heals quite slowly. It also tends not to heal much during the day, because you are always moving around and stretching and contracting it. This does not allow the new, healing tissue to knit and grow strong.
Healing does occur at night, when your weight is off your feet, however. Unfortunately, in part because you are under covers, which curl your feet, the healing occurs in a shortened position. So, when you stand up, and your weight is suddenly on your feet, the feet get stretched out, and much of the healing that took place over night gets torn and undone. This is why those first steps in hurt the worst.
The stiff army boots -- and the night boot -- hold the foot in an elongated position, which allows the foot to heal in an elongated position, which prevents that reinjury every morning, which over time adds up to more, better healing.

That's the problem with PF. The healing is slow and very fragile. It is hard to make progress and really easy to take a step back.

PLEASE, try the stretch. It is super effective! If you don't believe me, read the research reports.
Below are links to the second study Dr. DiGiovanni did on his stretch. I cannot find a link to a full copy of the original study. But the press release (first link) to the second study mentions that the first study found that, using the stretch, patients who had found little relief before had a 75 percent chance of being pain free and/or returning to full activity within three to six months.
And, as you will see, when 82 of these patients were followed up at two years, ninety-two percent were totally satisfied or had only minor complaints. Ninety-four percent reported a decrease in pain. And, 77 percent reported having no limitations in recreational activity!
It doesn't cost anything, either.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061101150739.htm
http://uppercanadasportsmedicine.com/documents/Plantar Fasciitis reading.pdf

I suffered from this last year on my left foot. It was awful to the point where I couldn't walk in the am.
Then I discovered Boost by Nike. OMG, these sneakers aren't cheap, but they come in a million colors and I wear them daily. My foot stopped hurting within a few days and I haven't suffered from any pain since. When I have to be dressed up or have an important meeting, I use inserts by Dr. Scholtz and that works! But Boost by Nike are a life saver!! Give them a try!!!

I started wearing cowboy boots with a tall hill. It help tremendously for me. Stretching and losing weight helped me too

Here is the link
https://heelthatpain.com/

Thank you too all that have commented .. on ways of relief for Plantar Fasciitis!!

I saw a PT and started doing the exercises prescribed- toe scrunching, toe yoga, the pf stretch, standing on one leg with eyes closed, ramp to stretch calves... but THE BEST THING was dry needling for my calf muscles! So weird, but so effective!