Plantar Fasciitis-Inflammation in the bottom of my left foot

porrasc
porrasc Posts: 23 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey everybody I am looking for some good information about exercises.

I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I can't really do any exercises that put to much stress on my foot otherwise I am in constant pain just from walking around.

Are there any exercises I could do that have little to no impact on my feet. I am currently doing yoga to help with my tight calf muscle which is causing my issue. I am looking for things I can do at home. I am going exercise crazy I guess because I can't do my 3 mile walks anymore now.

Please HELP ME!

Replies

  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    How about water aerobics or swimming? Sorry - I somehow missed the doing at home part the first time.
    I have a Pilates for Weight Loss DVD at home. You could certainly work on toning and such (crunches, leg lifts).

    I have suffered with PF before, too. Getting a really good calf stretch and icing it down really helped. Orthotics and always wearing shoes with good arch support also help (never go barefoot!).
  • WhatDoesLisa
    WhatDoesLisa Posts: 214
    If you want to clear up your plantar fasciitis, go to www.grastontechnique.com and find somebody who is a Graston practitioner. I had it for 2.5 AGONIZING years and this is the only thing that worked and with pretty quick results.

    I am in NO way associated with the website, just wanted to pass it along. It was a miracle for me.
  • recoiljpr
    recoiljpr Posts: 292
    My wife is currently suffering from it. She uses one of those elastic weight lifting bands and puts it under her foot and does stretching exercises that way while watching tv. She also immediately after exercise puts a frozen water bottle under her foot and rolls it back and forth. It's been helping her a lot, and she's probably 1/2 of the way back to normal.
  • myangel05
    myangel05 Posts: 23 Member
    I suffered for many years with it have you looked into getting orthotics for your shoes - worked for me.
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    Get good shoes!! I honestly can't explain how much different my feet feel(especially the right one) now that I have good shoes. I'm a waitress and I used to come home in such pain everyday that I couldn't even fathom going to the gym. I still have pain if I am on my feet for too long or I wear the wrong shoes becasuse the proper ones do not go with my outfit but I always pay for it later on. I know that they are cute but stay out of the flip flops and anything without support!
  • blair_bear
    blair_bear Posts: 165
    My husband has PF and he is a cyclist so he just went ahead and got the injections into his feet a few years ago and wears special orthotics. It actually worked really well.
  • XtyAnn17
    XtyAnn17 Posts: 632 Member
    I currently have it and it sucks! Even my husband doesn't believe how much my feet hurt. I just dropped 385 on prescription orthotics and they help, but first thing in the morning is still horrendous. Stretching and icing I hear helps. If u figure something out let me know. I just got the orthotics a week ago so hopefully in a few months my feet will be better.
  • porrasc
    porrasc Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks for all the advise! :-)

    I'm actually going to physical therapy currently to help with my PF its been working my right foot is all better, it's just my left foot is stubborn. I have been icing my foot when I get a chance. I might need to start strecthing when I am sitting down. I did just recently get a pair of heel supports to help. It has made a small difference but nothing to big because I realized I haven't been walking correctly until now.

    I didn't know they did injections for PF.
  • Lenindaire
    Lenindaire Posts: 12 Member
    sports or deep tissue Massage or Rolfing can work wonders for PF there are also chiropractos out there who practice a technique called active release thereapies. to go along with your PT. streching whenever you get the chance helps.
    lots of good pilates exercises out there.
  • twoboysnmygirl
    twoboysnmygirl Posts: 161 Member
    I'm a runner that can't run b/c of PF. I've had it since January of this year and although it's getting better, it just flares up if I try to exercise on my feet...so I'm cycling! No pain at all when riding a bike or stationary bike, so I just have to put the pedal to the metal until I get some weight off and my feet get totally better. :)
  • GoldSag1
    GoldSag1 Posts: 122 Member
    I had PF aslo. It took alot of time, patience and effort to get my heel back to normal. Now I don't have ANY pain. What I did was strectch the heel 3-4 times a day. Go on youtube or google stretches for PF. Also, Ice them immediatly following a workout and take Motrin. Also, as I began to lose weight, it help relieve some of the pressure on my heel. It did take time, but be diligent, you'll get results.
  • boodlelibra
    boodlelibra Posts: 74 Member
    I have PF in my left foot and metatarsalgia in my right. I went to a sports doctor yesterday thinking I had stress fractures because of the pain but he said I have gastrocnemius equinus contracture - basically my calf muscles are too short, which is leading to strain on my feet. He recommended calf stretches like these:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/195192-plantar-fascia-calf-muscle-stretching-exercises/

    to try to lengthen the muscle. I also have crazy high arches - (he walked in the room and said 'ah!' as soon as he saw my feet. Then he tried to flex my foot and said 'oh...'; I don't like when doctors say 'oh...') so I need custom orthotics too. He said to do the stretches 10 times a day. I was doing them before working out but that's not nearly enough (and it never seemed to work anyway).

    I have been in excruciating pain whenever I walk or run very far (quarter mile, often less) since I don't remember when. I'm hoping this stretching routine (it adds up to about an hour a day) will help. It was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me - never even occurred to me that all my below-the-knee pain could be connected, because they don't happen at the same time - calf pain when working out, PF in the morning, meta all the time.
  • Bufite
    Bufite Posts: 55 Member
    I have it too. I still run a bit, but mainly I do a lot of walking which doesn't seem as bad. I find yoga helps a bit, and swimming doesn't seem to hurt it. when it's really bad, I freeze a bottle of water, wrap it in a teatowel and role my foot along it lots of times. That really helps. It's a long slow recovery process though. good luck!

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