Foot pain...

Lots of icing, lots of ibuprofen, and look into getting a night splint.

I have plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. It's a horrible pain huh? I've been told the only thing that's going to alleviate it is custom orthotics. Get it take care of ASAP otherwise you'll develope heel spurs if you leave it untreated.

I also attribute 30 lbs of my excess weight to it

Do you have any back issues also? I thought I had the same foot thing, Plantar faciaits, in fact, I had a doctor tell me it was that... but turns out my foot pain was caused by a nerve being pinched in my back. Just wanted to throw that out there because I was SHOCKED it was being caused by my back.

in regards to foot if it isn't caused by back, you can get a night "boot"... that holds your foot in a flexed position... thus stretching out the ligaments... uncomfortable, but works....

Get custom inserts, it is heaven. I could barely walk through the grocery store without my feet killing me and now I can do a whole lot more and I think my feet are actually getting better because of the inserts. Your feet will only get worse if you just try and baby them.

Since you don't have insurance I would say try and contact who ever makes them locally directly. It might cost $200-$400 or so but it is SOOOOO worth the money. Losing weight will help but its really hard when you can't exercise like you want to because of the pain.

I agree with the idea of getting custom made orthotics (inserts) for your shoes. A pedorthotist or orthotist can make them as well, it's not just limited to podiatrists. Just an FYI, the devices can take some getting used to and may require some adjustments. If you can find a place that makes them on site, it's often a better way to go than having the centrally fabricated ones. That way, when you need adjustments, they can be done while you wait, rather than having to go a week or more while your inserts are mailed to the lab and returned, all the work being done by people who have never actually seen your feet...

My sister has the same problems. She rolls her foot on a golf ball once a day. Then she also freezes water in dixie cups and rolls her foot on them after exercising.

Cortisone shots, twice in each foot and staying off my feet for 1 week...never flared back up again....but holy cow I feel for you it hurts like heck!!

i don't have the same problems with my feet but i have fractured my left foot 2 years in a row and am working on 10 months fractured this time. at one point my podiatrist said that low impact exercices are the best for feet problems.

I have had the same problem, on and off, for years. It would come and go, and was so severe at times that I could not even walk. I went to doctors and have had steroid injections in my heels (which hurt more than my epidurals). That helped for a few weeks, but it would always come back. But please know, there is hope. I have finally gotten rid of the problem, I believe, for good. My friend is a PT (physical therapist) and she gave me a bunch of things to do that helped me to rehabilitate my feet myself. It is not an overnight cure, but if you keep at it, eventually it will go away, and not come back. The following are things that helped me. Since a major cause of PF are overly tight calf muscles, it is very important to stretch often. You can do this by standing facing a wall, put your hands on the wall, press your heel into the floor and stretch your calf muscles. Put your foot back as far as it is comfortable. Also, you could dorsiflex your feet while sitting on the floor - grab your toes (if you can) and pull them towards you - this will help to stretch your calves and feet. Stretch as often as you can. I find myself stretching all the time, while I'm sitting, in front of the tv, when I get up, just throughout the day. This is very important, even after the pain is gone, to help prevent a recurrence.

The night splint really helped as well - it holds your foot in a dorsiflexed position while you sleep - you can view one here -

http://www.return2fitness.net/supports_and_braces/plantar_fasciitis/hwl01

Some exercises to do : sit on a chair in a room that has a floor (as opposed to carpeting). Put a washcloth on the floor in front of you. Using your toes only, bring the washcloth towards you (while keeping your heel on the floor). Then use your toes only to push it away from you. Do this several times with each foot., daily.

Icing several times a day also helps. Freeze a bottle of water (personal size) - the kind that has a consistent width top to bottom. Roll the bottom of your foot over the frozen water bottle for several minutes, several times a day.

I have been doing these things and have not had a flare-up in years. It takes time, but you can get rid of it. I can now walk and run, do jumping jacks, etc. And I'm still significantly overweight. so it is possible to be rid of it before you lose the extra weight.

Do these things, keep the faith, and you will eventually get rid of it. Good luck!

My husband has the same problem & filed a claim with worker's comp because he stands all day (as a bailiff) on cement floors that are (very badly) covered with carpeting.
WC paid for a month of p/t & it really seemed to help my husband. The therapist had him do the stretches suggested by SwimKitty above & also really massaged his foot using some type of tool to loosen everything up. The sad part is, WC refuses to pay for more p/t & is now only going to send him to a podiatrist & not the one my husband has used for years.

Good luck!!!