Running, plantar fasciitis, custom orthotics?

[katalaska]

The podiatrist now tells me I need custom orthotics. As in "durable medical equipment" due to "medical necessity" (he has to use all those phrases to deal with the insurance company).

 

Anyone out there have custom orthotics? I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. Will I be able to run again? (At this point I'll even take walking without pain!) Can you tell me why you have them and what they are like?

 

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The background story if you want to read it:

 

So...last July 1 I started to exercise "for real." I had already been on the treadmill faithfully three days a week since the previous October. As of July 1, 2007, I started adding "running" (jogging?) to my treadmill workouts and added the exercise bike on the other days. So...I was up to six days a week of exercise.

 

I never lost any weight (which was part of my goal). But I did improve my cardiovascular endurance. And I could almost run 3 miles at a time without stopping.

 

This past winter I was moving toward both increasing my speed (I'm really slow--my "running" speed is as fast as some people's fast walking). I got an inhaler because I have exercise-induced asthma. I was working toward entering an actual, for-real, outdoor 5K race (planned for after my transition from the treadmill to outside).

 

Then, in April, I started having pain in my feet. It didn't get better; it got worse. After reading the running books, etc. I self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis.In May I went to the running store and got brand new running shoes (my others were exactly one year old and had about 250 miles on them--mostly walking miles). My feet felt like they were in heaven but I couldn't run.

 

I haven't run since April. I finally got in to see the podiatrist last week. I told him everything I've done...new shoes, drugstore inserts, internet-order arch support (dh told me the kind the podiatrist always recommends but we couldn't find them at either local running store), arch wraps, a Foot Rubz ball, ibuprofen, stretching.

 

And now I'm waiting for August for my appointment for orthotics. I'm on the cancellation waiting list but it is unlikely I'll get in before my appointment.

[JFSinIL]

You may well benefit from the orthotics. BUT time and rest are also needed before you can run, much less walk, with comfort. The plantar fasciitis has to heal (I almost typed heel - bad pun!). I have been there, done that - although did not get the custom orthotics. My neighbors do run, and she has had to have the orthotics made. After a period of a few months to let her feet heal, she now runs again, with the orthotics in the running shoes. She has to wear the orthotics with everything, too.

[Snickerdoodle]

I don't have them but it's not a big deal, don't worry. You'll stand on some foam to get a mold of your foot and then in a couple of days they will have a specially made insert for your shoes. IIRC you can choose inserts for sporty shoes or for dress shoes.

[elegantlion]

I don't run but I have had plantar fascitis. It took several months and daily stretching for it to heal completely. I used an ace bandage to keep my foot stretched, that was the only thing that helped me.

 

I can't help on the orthotics, but I feel your pain. Congratulations on your running!! I have exercise induced asthma as well. I'm sure you'll be able to get back to running in no time.

[Bev in B'ville]

and spent a month in a cast. I now have custom made orthodics. My experience in having them made was different, though. I went to a place that had a running track about 15 feet in length. It had a computerized pad underneath that took measurements with every stride. I had to run this track several times. The computer took measurements and came up with "my" style of running. The computer designed my orthodics; it took a couple of weeks for them to be made.

 

I agree with the other posters though that it takes time to get it better. If you wet a tennis ball and put it in the freezer you can roll it with your foot and that will help with the pain (this works with a water bottle, too, just be sure not to fill it all the way before you freeze it). Be sure to stretch every time you think about it during the day. Oh, and my doctor told me to never go barefoot - this will aggravate your injury. Wear shoes that have good support (he recommended Mephisto's which I now wear almost all of the time - great shoes).

 

HTH.

[Greta]

My husband has plantar fasciitis and manages to run virtually painlessly with custom orthotics. But I have to point out that in his case, I really mean "custom" -- he made them himself! He did the whole podiatrist thing, and the overpriced orthotics that he got were worthless. He knew that they would be because he'd had such a bad experience with this doctor. He had some pain in his knees years before (when he lived in another state) and the doctor that he saw then really talked with him about the mechanics of his body and what kind of support he needed in his shoes. Those orthotics had worked brilliantly, but eventually of course they had worn out. So he tried to describe to this new doctor exactly what he needed and the doctor argued with him and said "no, this is what we're going to do" and not surprisingly it didn't work. So, since he knew what he needed and he's a DIY kind of guy, he made his own out of cork and foam, and he is now running 10-11 miles every other day with no pain.

 

I guess what I'm getting at is research your podiatrist first. If there are any local running clubs, or a locally owned running shoe store (not a chain store in a mall) with a knowledgeable staff, they will probably be able to recommend a podiatrist who really knows how to help. That is how we have since learned which podiatrist in town he *should* have seen.

[Greta]

Oh' date=' and my doctor told me to never go barefoot - this will aggravate your injury. Wear shoes that have good support (he recommended Mephisto's which I now wear almost all of the time - great shoes).[/quote']

 

Oh, that's another good bit of advice my dh got from the local running shoe store -- NEVER go barefoot. I can do that just fine, but he cannot because he pronates (is that the right word?) so badly.

 

Also, he has really benefited from the support and the "negative heel" of Earth Shoes. That provides just a very gentle stretch every time you walk, and he says that has helped him a lot.

[kRenee]

Custom orthotics are great. Lots of chiropractors make them as well. Chiro's are usually quicker but may not be covered by insurance. Once your feet heal you can (and should) do everything while wearing the orthotics.

[Guest christiem]

Custom orthotics are best utilized when worn in concert with a good pair of plantar fasciitis shoes. Most retail outlets with be able to provide you with each of these products, although I've had the best luck shopping online.

[Harriet Vane]

I have used custom orthotics and liked them. However, I have also used a cheap OTC orthotic called WalkFit, with the same results. The WalkFit inserts are different from other OTC inserts because the WalkFit are hard plastic, and more supportive. They felt to me exactly like my custom orthotics. I wore my custom ones for a few years and transitioned to WalkFit with no problems. I've been using WalkFit for a few years now. You can find them at Target for about $20.

[LG Gone Wild]

The podiatrist now tells me I need custom orthotics. As in "durable medical equipment" due to "medical necessity" (he has to use all those phrases to deal with the insurance company).

 

Anyone out there have custom orthotics? I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. Will I be able to run again? (At this point I'll even take walking without pain!) Can you tell me why you have them and what they are like?

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The background story if you want to read it:

 

So...last July 1 I started to exercise "for real." I had already been on the treadmill faithfully three days a week since the previous October. As of July 1, 2007, I started adding "running" (jogging?) to my treadmill workouts and added the exercise bike on the other days. So...I was up to six days a week of exercise.

 

I never lost any weight (which was part of my goal). But I did improve my cardiovascular endurance. And I could almost run 3 miles at a time without stopping.

 

This past winter I was moving toward both increasing my speed (I'm really slow--my "running" speed is as fast as some people's fast walking). I got an inhaler because I have exercise-induced asthma. I was working toward entering an actual, for-real, outdoor 5K race (planned for after my transition from the treadmill to outside).

 

Then, in April, I started having pain in my feet. It didn't get better; it got worse. After reading the running books, etc. I self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis.In May I went to the running store and got brand new running shoes (my others were exactly one year old and had about 250 miles on them--mostly walking miles). My feet felt like they were in heaven but I couldn't run.

 

I haven't run since April. I finally got in to see the podiatrist last week. I told him everything I've done...new shoes, drugstore inserts, internet-order arch support (dh told me the kind the podiatrist always recommends but we couldn't find them at either local running store), arch wraps, a Foot Rubz ball, ibuprofen, stretching.

 

And now I'm waiting for August for my appointment for orthotics. I'm on the cancellation waiting list but it is unlikely I'll get in before my appointment.

 

 

I've just got my cortisone shot today. My PF flamed up because I ran in the wrong shoes and it just never went away. That was about a year and a half ago. I have customs which DO work but you have to wear them in EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME. There is a company that makes flip flops for PF sufferers and I wear those religiously cause I am a barefoot /flip flop person. It makes a huge difference. I'll pm you when I remember the link. I also use KKTAPE.

 

I am very, very active and never gave my foot time to heal. I just coped with it. Using orthotics and taping helped me to endure until I finally got the shot.

[ChemMommy]

I've had this twice now and it is hard to heal. What's worked best is a round of oral prednisone and a night splint. The first time, they did cortisone shots and a cast and then orthodics.(sp?) Nice, but a pain to wear a cast and to recover movement in the foot. My insurance didn't cover the custom shoe inserts, so it was EXPENSIVE, too.

 

Round two: lots of stretching, OTC shoe inserts, oral meds, and a night splint. Healing was faster and less of a hassle. Insurance covers the splint, too!

 

Custom shoe inserts are nice, but you are limited in footwear. In general, you can't switch the inserts from one shoe to another shoe, so you are stuck wearing the same shoe for work, home, church, exercising, etc.

 

I'd try the night splint before I did custom inserts. And yes, the pain is AWFUL!! You aren't imagining it or over reacting!

[Geo]

I have completely corrected PF with stretching...lots of stretching. When my friends started cropping up with it, one by one, my advice to them was simply stretching. All of us have found that regular stretching is the definitive "cure."

 

Geo

[Tracy in Ky]

I have custom orthotics for both feet, but I have severe tendonitis. I could barely walk a few years ago, and the orthotics (combined with medicine and loads of pysical therapy) really helped. I don't have to wear them all the time now. My podiatrist told me I would probably always have trouble with my feet, but I have learned how to live with the problem.

 

Orthotics are expensive, but they last forever! :)