Plantar fasciitis

[happypamama]

I think my heel pain is related to plantar fasciitis. It's been coming and going for a few months, especially if I was on my feet a lot, or if I wore slippers instead of good sneakers all day. Lately it's getting worse -- hurts more and hurts more often and more consistently. Wearing my sneakers does help some, but even that's not enough lately. I picked up some gel inserts yesterday, and they maybe help a tiny bit.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I see my family doc in about six weeks for a regular update after my other health issues this year, so I'll mention it then and ask for a referral to someone (podiatrist? orthopedist?). She's near impossible to get a faster appointment with because she recently cut back to part time, but I could ask to see one of her partners or her PA since this isn't related to my other ongoing issues. We also have a walk in orthopedic facility that I could go to as well, if that's the right way to go. I don't think my chiropractor is right for this though, correct?

[happi duck]

For me, the solution was getting rid of muscle knots/trigger points in my calves and along the side of my shins.

 

My husband helped and we also bought "the stick" at a running store.

 

I found this info on the Sock Doc website.

 

(hugs)

 

Eta: http://sock-doc.com/plantar-fasciitis-treatment/

 

 

 

.

Edited July 13, 2017 by happi duck

[Carol in Cal.]

Wear shoes with arch support all the time, and stretch your feet before standing up every. single. time.  Also, I will see if I can find my old thread on this--it was a good one, lots of great BTDT advice.

[PeterPan]

If you google site search, you'll find lots of good back threads on this. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=plantar+fasciitis+site:welltrainedmind.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8  I found that mind improved with good inserts for my shoes, wearing them FASTIDIOUSLY until it healed, and losing weight. I suppose it can happen without weight gain, but mine definitely started as my weight went up. 

 

I went to a running store that specializes in fitting people (has you walk on a treadmill, watches you walk, etc.). Now I've found another store that not only fits you but does custom inserts for about the same price. But yeah, getting properly fitted shoes with inserts and wearing them diligently, all the time, made a huge difference.

 

I think I may have also rolled my feet with frozen water bottles that kind of thing. But just in general, losing the weight, having the support. Now I go barefoot a lot, but that's not on concrete. When I'm barefoot in the basement, my feet hurt again.

[Debbi in Texas]

There are several exercises that a google search will turn up, but the one that helped me the most was to use a towel while sitting down. Kind of fold the towel as if you were going to pop someone with it (:)) then hook your foot in the middle of it right below your toes. Pull back on the towel and hold it for maybe 30 seconds, I can't remember exactly.

I tried several but this one helped me the most.

Also, I wear Fitflops almost exclusively.

[Ali in OR]

I first had it in my right foot 5 years ago, and now I think I have it in my left foot. It lasted almost a year my first time around. I'm hoping to get through it faster this time. First, I stopped running. Healing the first time happened after a 2-week break from running around the holidays. This time I'm trying a 6-week break this summer to see if that helps. I still walk, I just don't run. I've been wearing shoes with good support since the first incident, so no change needed there. I'm trying to do more stretches this time around--flexing foot (toes toward chin kind of thing), calf stretches. But I know I'm not doing them enough. I keep a gel pack in the freezer and I'm trying to remember to ice my heel when it's particularly bad. I once mentioned to a PT that I had had PF for a year and she was surprised I hadn't had any PT for it. I'm still not pursuing that route, but from watching how she treated dd's Sever's disease, I'm incorporating some of what I think a PT would have me do (the stretches above).

[Clemsondana]

I'm in the middle of clearing up a bout right now. For me, wearing birkenstocks works wonders (my mom perfers clarks). I just got a pair of flip-flops called oofos, which have great arches and are really soft. I've been wearing them in the house and could see a difference after 1 afternoon. We've also had good luck with Vionic brand shoes.

[thessa516]

My DH will use a night splint when it gets bad. One or two nights generally solves the problem. However, he tries to keep it at bay by wearing his minimalist shoes. It took him a good six months to work up his feet muscles to be able to wear them all day. Now he'll wear his regular work shoes (or boots), but if he starts to feel his plantar fasciitis acting up, he switches back to his minimalist shoes for a while.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I don't know if weight plays a part for you, but losing 15-20 lbs made a huge difference. I also agree with wearing good supportive shoes all the time, even in the house, and stretching your calves out really well a few times a day. Any time you think of it, stretch them. Standing at the stove, standing in the shower, etc.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Different tendon, same treatment when it's aggravated for me.

 

Night splint. If I were you, I'd find a night splint now. Sometimes I can get away without the walking boot if I use the splint soon enough.

 

Big clunky walking boot.

 

When I can start to go without the boot a little, I do a tiny bit of exercise; standing on a pillow or balance pad, using a hula hoop, and stretchy bands, all while barefoot.

 

Once I'm out of the walking boot, I go barefoot as much as possible. I also stick with docs and PTs who lean towards letting the feet do their jobs as opposed to supportive footwear.

 

I had to learn to treat myself. When I first injured it, the doc I was seeing kept taking me out of the boot too soon. The first PT was doing stretches that hurt way too much. It had to rest, protected, before anything was done.

 

Once mine starts to hurt, I usually have to do something for a good 8 weeks, even if it's only the night splint.

[KayT]

I have several pairs of special socks and they have helped my foot the most. I tried several night splints and I woke up in severe pain from them and was never able to use them.  I paid a crazy amount of money for the 1st splint from my doc, one I could have purchased from Amazon for a fraction of the cost. Now I sleep in the sock if my foot is acting up.  These are similar to the sock I use when needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Plantar-Fasciitis-Compression-Socks-Circulation/dp/B00W701CE4/?gclid=CjwKEAjwtJzLBRC7z43vr63nr3wSJABjJDgJk6_uGFeT-dB3B1mqzx-aHic8WSQy5355WgBIR3_eWRoCYZfw_wcB

 

 

 

Totally agree with losing weight if  needed and stretches. I do well until mowing season and the riding mower always makes my foot hurt. So I spend the summer treating my foot.

[snowbeltmom]

I had it so bad a few years ago that it was extremely painful getting out of bed in the morning.  I ended up wearing a boot at night for a few weeks and stopped wearing flip-flops or walking around barefoot.  I also did stretches throughout the day.  It took a couple of months before I was able to get back to running.

 

:grouphug:  I hope you are pain-free soon

[Rachel]

Work on hip strength and calf flexibility.

 

For what it's worth I recently went to a PT for about a month, after a year of pain, my plantar fasciitis pain is gone. I did the stretches religiously and bought a set of cups like he used during the sessions. He also did ultrasound on my foot, which I can't do at home. I can't believe the difference.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chinese-Body-Cupping-Massage-12Pcs-Set-Cupping-Cup-Body-Treatment-Therapy-HOT/927600561?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=7697&adid=22222222228076639424&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=189957007135&wl4=aud-310687322562:pla-296863344198&wl5=9014286&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=115781028&wl11=online&wl12=927600561&wl13=&veh=sem

[Alisa in Florida]

I wear slippers all of the time in the house. I started wearing Vionic slippers (orthaheel) and the pain went away. They took some getting used to - kind of like walking on a tennis ball, but I love them now. I also make sure I wear shoes with arch support - Dansko, Clarks, or Vionic usually.

[Carol in Cal.]

Here's my thread, from before the general and chat boards were split:  http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/156990-plantar-fascitis-what-has-helped-you/?hl=%20plantar%20%20fascitis

[mschickie]

The Vionic shoes or inserts are the things that helped me the most.  You can sometimes find them locally or I have purchased some off of QVC before.  https://www.vionicshoes.com/

 

 

Some of the other treatments that have helped me are:

 

stretching the foot before getting out of bed in the morning

rolling a tennis ball from your arch to your heel  (you can do this while at the computer or watching tv)

 

 

I hope it is feeling better soon

[wintermom]

I'll use a roller on the heel and bottom of my feet. Stretch out my calf muscles. Ice my feet. Wear good footwear with insoles. 

[ktgrok]

Vionic flip flops. Seriously. I tried all the stretches, ice, chiropractic, etc and the flip flops from Vionic (made specifically for plantar fasciitis) fixed it. I swear by them. Running stores often carry them, I think their website says where you can find them. I order on Amazon now that I know my size. I get a new pair every year or two and wear them constantly. If I go more than two years my feet start to hurt. I get a new pair and voila, no pain!

[Ellie]

I think my heel pain is related to plantar fasciitis. It's been coming and going for a few months, especially if I was on my feet a lot, or if I wore slippers instead of good sneakers all day. Lately it's getting worse -- hurts more and hurts more often and more consistently. Wearing my sneakers does help some, but even that's not enough lately. I picked up some gel inserts yesterday, and they maybe help a tiny bit.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I see my family doc in about six weeks for a regular update after my other health issues this year, so I'll mention it then and ask for a referral to someone (podiatrist? orthopedist?). She's near impossible to get a faster appointment with because she recently cut back to part time, but I could ask to see one of her partners or her PA since this isn't related to my other ongoing issues. We also have a walk in orthopedic facility that I could go to as well, if that's the right way to go. I don't think my chiropractor is right for this though, correct?

 

Never, ever go barefooted. This is the worst advice, but it's the right advice. I love going barefooted, but when my plantar fasciitis  was in full swing, bare feet were just not possible. I am a hula dancer, so perhaps you can understand why the inability to go barefooted was such a bad thing for me!

 

Shoes with good arch supports, that you wear all day, as soon as you get up, until you go to bed.

 

When you're sitting for awhile, take off your shoes and ice your  feet. Frozen peas in their bag works well. :-)

[HollyDay]

I wish I didn't know about plantar fascitis.  Take care of it.  Mine progressed to Post Tibial Tendon Disfunction.  I needed to be in a boot followed by PT.  Sometimes this problem doesn't necessarily originate in the foot.  For me, it was weak core, pronating feet, and a spine issue. Google will give some helpful advice like ice "packs" made out of empty soda containers.  There are nice compression socks made for PF.  But, do get it looked at sooner rather than later.  PT can really help find where things are too tight or too loose or too weak or too overworked and develop a program to fit your needs. 

[Pippen]

If you google site search, you'll find lots of good back threads on this. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=plantar+fasciitis+site:welltrainedmind.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8  I found that mind improved with good inserts for my shoes, wearing them FASTIDIOUSLY until it healed, and losing weight. I suppose it can happen without weight gain, but mine definitely started as my weight went up. 

 

I went to a running store that specializes in fitting people (has you walk on a treadmill, watches you walk, etc.). Now I've found another store that not only fits you but does custom inserts for about the same price. But yeah, getting properly fitted shoes with inserts and wearing them diligently, all the time, made a huge difference.

 

I think I may have also rolled my feet with frozen water bottles that kind of thing. But just in general, losing the weight, having the support. Now I go barefoot a lot, but that's not on concrete. When I'm barefoot in the basement, my feet hurt again.

 

Ditto, shoes bought at a running store, stretch, ice, never go barefoot, never wear shoes like flip-flops, wear inserts until it's healed.

 

Whenever it flares up, repeat.

[dsmith]

I healed mine with very good shoes, sandals and sneakers, exercises I found on the internet, a foot roller and night braces. Stay away from really flat sandals in the summer! I was convinced I would need surgery, the pain was so bad! It took about 6 - 8 months to heal completely and I've not had a relapse since. I tried healing on my own before seeing a doctor, and after a few weeks of mild improvement I decided to stick with it. I'm happy I did. 

[MEmama]

I wish I'd known about all this great advice when I had it. My doctor at the time told me there was nothing I could do but wait it out. It took 2 YEARS to clear up. 😠

 

Seriously, the Hive is best!

[planner]

Two years ago I was suffering so badly that I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs. I had to crawl up the stairs. I now exclusively wear Fit Flops and tennis shoes. Stretching with a towel helped me too although I found a towel too short and used a bed sheet instead. I used to stretch every morning for about five minutes before getting out of bed. I would stretch throughout the day as well. I'm symptom free at the moment and hope to stay that way!

[ktgrok]

FYI, Vionic flip flops are not normal flip flops, and are not only okay, they are therapeutic. They totally cured me. Or at least, they keep it in remission :)

[kbutton]

I wish I didn't know about plantar fascitis.  Take care of it.  Mine progressed to Post Tibial Tendon Disfunction.  I needed to be in a boot followed by PT.  Sometimes this problem doesn't necessarily originate in the foot.  For me, it was weak core, pronating feet, and a spine issue. Google will give some helpful advice like ice "packs" made out of empty soda containers.  There are nice compression socks made for PF.  But, do get it looked at sooner rather than later.  PT can really help find where things are too tight or too loose or too weak or too overworked and develop a program to fit your needs. 

 

I think that you need to know why you are getting PF and go from there. Some of this advice would work for me, but some of it would make my PF flare really, really badly and likely cause me to have tendon damage. Use a chiropractor, PT, etc. until you figure it out. BTW, if you have had a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, that might be your explanation. They are bad news for tendons and PF.

 

Anyway, I have best results from working on trigger points, muscle knots, etc. in other parts of my body, having my chiropractor adjust my foot and ankle as needed, stretching my calf muscles, and wearing minimalist shoes. I can do some arch support, but I've never had much of a foot arch. My PF tends to be in control if my tendon is doing well, and my tendon does well with minimalist shoes because they are just about the only ones with a neutral heel vs. one that elevates the heel above the foot. Elevating my heel above my foot is horrible for me. Even barefoot is better--when my PF flares, barefoot is uncomfortable first thing in the AM, but then it's fine later in the day when things loosen up.

 

When it's flaring, I place my foot on a towel on a smooth floor, and then I scrunch up the towel by moving my toes toward my heel. I do that until I can't stand it, and then I ice my foot. It helps a lot. Also, calf stretches and a boot at night. Definitely make sure things are lose and moving when you stand up before you start walking.

 

My dad found out that his foot issues went on too long--it was an occupational hazard, and his doctor did nothing. He finally has a doctor with some expertise (a third doctor wanted to do major surgery with no guarantee of any sucess). His feet are now totally shot, but he has had some relief with taping during flares, and he has a foot brace anytime he's going to be walking a lot.

[MIch elle]

Superfeet blue for my flat feet from Amazon healed my feet quickly. Get the color that goes with your type of foot.

 

I put them in my sneakers and shoes. Or I wear Dansko or other support shoes.

[PeterPan]

Superfeet blue for my flat feet from Amazon healed my feet quickly. Get the color that goes with your type of foot.

 

I put them in my sneakers and shoes. Or I wear Dansko or other support shoes.

 

Superfeet are what I wore for several years too. Now I have custom ones from the running store, but yeah Superfeet were great for me. I think I paid around $50 for Superfeet and my custom ones were $75. They mold them right to your foot in the store. I wear them in zero drop shoes, and it really feels like you're walking barefoot all the time, even while you have the support.

 

Superfeet also have flip flops. I'm not saying they're the greatest thing ever (and they were WAY too pricy), but they're what I use when I come out of the gym and don't want to put back on my sneakers.

[happypamama]

Wow, thank you all! Lots of good ideas here. I'm checking out the links.

 

I could stand to lose some weight, left from several babies, but it's hard to do that with a hurting foot. I don't think I've been on any fluoroquinolone antibiotics; I think they stuck something in my IV after my crash c-section, but I don't think it was that kind.

 

I almost never go barefoot and haven't in years. I almost always wear real shoes in the house all the time. This year I've used slippers more, so maybe that's contributing.

 

I did order a set of the socks. They seem like an easy and inexpensive first attempt. Might try a night splint too.

 

Anyone have a link for good stretches?

 

I think I will call my doctor's office. She might do a referral for me without a visit since I've seen her pretty recently, or maybe they can squeeze me in with someone else. I'd like to get started on a diagnosis before things get busy again in the fall.

[happi duck]

Checking for muscle knots/trigger points is another free and easy thing you can try right away.

 

Ime, stretching was causing more pain because of the knots.

[lulubelle]

Haven't read all responses. I had the onset of it not too long ago. I started stretching my calves for 30 seconds a couple times a day. One stretch with a straight leg behind and bent knee forward and leaning my whole body forward against a wall or counter to a comfortable stretch. Then, placing my heel to hang over a step. Also, I rolled my foot on a hand weight on the floor. As much pressure as I could handle. You can also ice them for 15 minutes a couple times a day or even heat. Good luck!

Edited July 14, 2017 by lulubelle

[PeterPan]

Did the onset of the PF correspond to an increase in weight in the last few months? Like for me, I didn't have to lose *much* to get it back down to where it stopped hurting. So if you can figure out where you were before, without the PF, it might tell you how much you'd need to lose.