I have Plantar Fasciitis and it is killing me.

I am in the same boat. I walk for exercise and sometimes I can't due to the pain. I am going to try icing it. Some shoes are more supportive, but even that is not helping enough now. I am going to look for other cardio exercises that I can do cheaply and without putting so much pressure on my foot. Any advice would be great.

How are you stretching it, exactly? And can you get orthopedics for your shoes?

I have 3 suggestions for you:
1) Freeze a water or soda bottle filled with water and roll your foot over it. It will help the foot to relax but also ice inflammation.
2) Go get a massage! Have them work the calf muscles and the ones in your feet. This will help SO much to release the tension in the area. I get 2 massages a month now and it's helps a ton.
3) Don't push your stretch too much. If you keep pushing your stretches, it will strain the area more and keep the inflamed tendons from truly healing.

Hope that helps! If you still have issues, look up Achilles heel tendonitis online - there are sites that give advice on helping to heal this as well.

Been there... and still there but very tolerable right now. My best trick is to take a water bottle and freeze it. I will sit on the couch and roll my foot over it as long as I can. Also, my podiatrist gave me a "boot" to wear at night that works AMAZING!! If you can sleep with you foot dorsiflexed (meaning the position your foot is in while standing or even toes up toward head a tiny bit) you will wake up feeling GREAT!!.

That sucks that stretching doesn't help. Have you tried icing your heels? Or alternating ice/heat?

Maybe you should look into a different type of shoe, or new pair. Runners can get their gait checked at some stores to find a shoe that's right. While you are walking, maybe they can still assess you and help you find a shoe that will prevent PF

OOps, Double post. sorry.

I totally understand - I have plantar fasciitis with a double heel spur, and I got to the point where I could barely walk as well. You need to see a podiatrist, maybe get a cortisone shot to reduce swelling, a boot to sleep in to stretch out the plantar fascia, and orthotic inserts for your shoes. They're expensive, but they will absolutely make a huge difference. A few months ago, I could barely walk - with the boot and the orthotics, I'm running over a mile at a time.

Until then, freeze a water bottle, and put it on the floor, rolling the arch of your foot back and forth over it, to ease the pain and reduce swelling. And as often as you can, keep stretching by grabbing the big toe and pulling back, with the foot fully flexed.

Good luck!

All of this plus Physical therapists can use ultra sound that really helps. in fact they can dissolve bone spurs that are often the cause of plantar fasciitis. Give it a try.

I am in the same boat. I walk for exercise and sometimes I can't due to the pain. I am going to try icing it. Some shoes are more supportive, but even that is not helping enough now. I am going to look for other cardio exercises that I can do cheaply and without putting so much pressure on my foot. Any advice would be great.

I'm doing th 30DS and JM says a good form of cardio if you have lower body issues is to stand with you feet ur feet, squat down a little and bring your arms up and do punches. I can tell you that doing that is a good form of cardio lol it gives me a work out.

Ouch. You have my sympathy. I had it for months, and it really hurt, mainly when I had been sitting still for a while or in the mornings. Sadly, rest from walking/running and doing some stretching exercises is the best you can do. Hope it doesn't last too long!

Yes to several of the suggestions. Mine was so severe I could barely walk, let alone exercise. I went to a podiatrist. I had 2 rounds of steroid injections, ultrasound therapy, a stretching routine, and custom orthotics...not the kind of "custom" orthotics Dr. Scholl sells. I have good insurance, so this didn't cost me much. Hopefully you do as well. This was the only thing that took care of mine. I have gone 2 years symptom free now.

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The best is to go to a podiatrist and get the custom orthotics for your feet. Don't waste your money on soft cushy insoles for your shoes. If you can find them in your area (shoe shops, athletic stores, pharmacies) get the HARD plastic insoles...no bend in them at all. What ever you do, your feet will hurt until the inflamation goes down. Take an anti-inflamitory such as Advil or Aleve, ice the arch of your foot, and stretch it out periodically through the day. The pills probably won't make a significant dent in the pain, but it will help with the inflamation. It will take about a week to get used to the insole in your shoe. Use them in what ever shoes you wear, and if you can in your slippers around the house. Do not go barefoot if you can avoid it until the inflamation goes down. Here is a link to the ones I used before I got custom made ones from the podiatrist...

http://www.spenco.com/products/footcare/SpencoRX/arch-supports-three-quarter

Good Luck!!

My plantar fascists was so bad on my left foot that I had to go to physical therapy for it. I was the lucky one that had (still have) it on both feet but the left was by far the worse :sad: . It took me almost 2 years to be able to walk with out pain and that was after the physical therapy.

This is what helped me:

1. Stretching both feet (up /down) before I get out of bed. I've been doing this for so many years it's become habit. Half the time I don't even know I'm doing it. :laugh:

2. Get a pair of Birkenstock' s . . . they make really cute ones now. My first pair was a life saver for me. Birkenstock also sells their cork inserts separately and I put those in my athletic shoes. I was pretty much walking pain free after this but of course everyone is different. I'm not a medical expert, therefore I make no claims but it did the trick for me :bigsmile: .

3. If its really bad you should probably see a podiatrist. There are so many more options for relief out there now a days. I eventually went with custom orthotics and have no problems now.

4. Also, stretching my calf's really helps


I feel your pain . . . . I hope you find something that works for you!

Birkenstocks made all the difference in the world for me - I was in agony with this problem until I started wearing them regularly, and I tried everything - exercises, orthodics, etc. The only other type of shoe that helped me were dansko shoes. They work well for work settings and the birkies for everything else.

I had it BAD!!!!!! Tried all the stretches..ice..nothing worked. Eventually I got Cortizone shots in my feet!!! NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!!!!! It helped for a month, then wore off. I went and had microcurrent done on my feet and it was gone after the first time! And it has not came back!!! Check it out!