Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Plantar fasciitis, difficult pack hunt in 3 weeks, advice sought

This helped me INSTANTLY...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF7HkfcPrU4

Stretches and knead soles to break up scar tissue then rebuild strength.

I will check that out as soon as I'm back on my wifi. Thanks!!

I bought an insert proclaiming itself to be for fasciitis. I also got some "donuts" per another suggestion to protect my toe from the rivet in the other boot. I'm wearing the boots now and intend to continue. It's a cut-to-the-chase move; I gotta be able to function in these boots, might as well press that issue forward.

I can walk with minimal limp now but I'm still rolling onto the outside of my foot at the last bit... y'all know what I'm talking about. But it's improving. I've got 2.5 weeks. I'm making my peace with the idea that might have to modify my hunting plan BUT I'm not giving up yet!

Are you currently in PT or have you received any type of steroids yet?

No... should I? Is the steroid shot enough of a solution that I should just get my doctor-hating ass in and get the shot?

I'm currently doing PT for my knees 2x a week for strengthening of torn Patellars left 80% right 20%

I'm doing it at a sports medicine specific training facility

I asked my PT Ryan Press if you would benefit frome either or both?

His reply was without a doubt he could help but the window is short.

Visiting an understanding doctor will also get you an Rx for better than otc meds

3 and 4 times a day 10 minutes of stretching the calf and underlying foot asap

Jeff, that shot is said to have mixed results......likely odds are, it varies in effectiveness from one patient to the next. You might ask a reputable Orthopedic MD in your area.

Time is short- you need to get injected ASAP.

I had both of my heels injected 5-6 years ago. That was the only thing that cured my plantar fasciitis and I've had no relapses.

It should burn and sting like a sonofabitch at first- that means they injected the right spot. Then stay off it til the last minute.

Good luck. Could be worse- Morton's neuroma which can cause you sever sharp pain even when laying down and is exacerbated by tight shoes.

I started eating six or eight dried cherries every day as a home remedy for arthritis since sour cherries have known anti-inflamitory chemicals. After a couple of weeks the plantar fasciitis went away. After a year or so cherries or cherry juice once a week or so seems sufficient. Not going barefoot in the house is a big help.

I've had three outbreaks of plantar fasciitis and two of them were a month or so before CO elk hunts. One of the hunts was a backpack hunt. My doctor suggested that I reduce my (running/walking cardio) training and spend more time with stretching exercises and rolling a frozen bottle of water on the bottom of my foot. He also suggested taking Ibuprofen. I muddled through both hunts only minor discomfort.

Ibuprofen is my friend. Do not be a tough guy and avoid "pain" medicine. You are taking it for the anti-inflammatory affect. 800 mg generic Naproxin, I think, prescribed by an MD will be cheaper than OTC.

I echo what Tony Soprano said, get the steroid injection ASAP.

About 10 years ago I got PF in my right foot. Did all of the treatments listed in the above posts, including night splint/boot, ice rolling treatments, massage, anti-inflammatory meds, custom orthotics, stretches, etc. Did all of that stuff for about a year and a half. I did get a steroid injection a couple times (the docs say you shouldn't get them more than a few times/year as it could cause damage to surrounding tissue); the injection in the heel is super painful, and the injection site was very sore for a couple days. But after that, it was fabulous, no pain at all. However, after a couple of months, the pain returned and I'd repeat that treatment cycle. My doctor talked to me about having surgery done, where they go in and clip the ligament, allowing it to then "lengthen" as scar tissue grows back and reconnects to the bone. It isn't always successful and I was leery of it. Then my podiatrist recommended an alternative procedure called lithotripsy, via an instrument called an Ossa Tron. Insurance was reluctant to cover it but finally did. It is a shockwave treatment that "zaps" the insertion site where the ligament attaches to the heel. It sort of traumatizes/causes an acute "injury," which the body usually responds to and heals (PF is a chronic injury where micro tears keep occurring each morning after rest/healing during the night, and that is why it is so hard to get rid of). Anyway, this Ossa Tron treatment worked and I've been fine in that foot ever since. If you can get it down the road, it might be worth a try.

THEN, about 5 years ago I developed PF in my left foot. I started the various treatment cycles again, including the steroid injection, which again, was the only thing that worked. I'd had the condition for about 6-8 months, and then the strangest thing happened. I was playing tennis and went to plant my left foot hard to push off and go to my right when I heard and felt a loud POP in that foot. I went down to the ground immediately, scared of what happened. Long story longer, I went to the ER and MRI showed that I had ruptured the ligament, torn from the bone. However, that wasn't such a bad thing as in effect, I had "performed" self-surgery, and it really wasn't all that painful. I was in a walking boot for a couple of months and after that and to this day, no problems. The ligament had healed/tissue lengthened and it was fine.

Anyway, sorry for the long story. But if you really want to go on your hunt, I say get the steroid injection about a week to ten days before the trip and you will be fine. Just double-check with your doc to make sure he doesn't think you could further injure yourself. I've had these injections in my heels, knee, thumb, elbow, and shoulder, and they always take the pain away for a couple months, at least.

Good luck and keep us posted on how things go.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT! OPTIMISM!



Lot of stretching and icing going on. Also unfortunately plent of standing on concrete (lathe work) but I do have anti fatigue mats.

My working hypothesis is that I'll get this [bleep] healed up enough to, as Biggs says, muddle through the hunt.

PF sucks. My foot Doc suggested Superfeet Green insoles https://www.superfeet.com/

Amazon and other places sell them.

They helped a lot but it took a shot to get it under control for me.

I had PF in both feet about 20 years ago. I hated getting out of bed in the mornings because I knew how bad it was going to hurt walking across the floor. I went to doctors for several years, and tried about everything.....exercise, therapy, cortisone (steroid) injections, medicine, and special made insoles. The shots helped the most, but eventually they didn't want to give me anymore. I finally had surgery for it, and that fixed it. I would recommend to anyone to have the surgery, and bypass all the other things.

I do the same tedhorn.. Powersteps in every pair of shoes/boots I own. They last a long time and normally out last the shoes and I just move them to a different pair.

Another thing I do is after sleeping overnight I never stand up right away when getting out of bed. I always roll out of bed on to one knee, then place the other foot on the floor, then place my elbow on that knee and put some light weight on the foot, then do the other foot some, swap back and forth and increasing the weight place on the foot. I repeat on each foot about 3 or 4 times to stretch out that tendon/foot some before standing. That way it has less chance of damage. I've done this for nearly 20 years now and I have minimal problems now.... yes it is a PIA but not nearly the pain of my plantar fasciitis tear, it only takes about 90 seconds or so... beside it gives me a good opportunity to pray about the day I fixin to start.

Be Safe,

Last year a very similar thing happened to me. I was getting ready for a dall sheep hunt in AK and went out 2-3 weeks before I left and tried "superfeet" green insoles in my boots on a 7 mile hike with my pack in the biggest mountains I could find in central IL (in other words - little tiny hills). Someone suggested them to me and stupidly I tried them on a "big" hike as I was getting ready.

When I returned to my truck I could already tell I had done the wrong thing and by that night my left foot was screaming at me. I was really worried I had messed up my entire hunt.

So off to the podiatrist I went and started doing most everthing stated above - stretching, frozen water bottle, etc. For me it calmed down in time for me make it on my hunt and I did fine (and got a beautiful ram).

What I learned from that experience was:

- never introduce something new to my feet that close to a hunt/trip
- introduce new things to my feet in small doses, not big long pushes
- all the remedies stated above really do help

The green superfeet was just to rigid right at my arch - I need less support right there and more cushion.

I talked to the podiatrist about the enjection and he opted to not do that. He did give me a low dose course of oral steriods to take and melixicam (? spelling) - a perscription anti steriod. I never took the steriods because as I started the melixicam and did the stretching, etc it started to feel a lot better.

In summary - you can make it on your hunt and do great - good luck!

Elkrazy, thanks for the inspiration and good info!

Today I can walk almost normally. I am still protecting it a bit and get a twinge if I step "through" it normally but it's getting that kind of itchy inside healing feeling, and I don't think I have a visible limp going... or not much of one anyway.

I wore my stiff Asolo boots today, and that helps too. I have been very aggressively stretching and icing and ball-rolling (ouch) the sucker every evening. I've slacked a bit on the ibuprofen; it sucks the life right out of me in big doses, so I've been mostly taking it in the evenings and overnight.

There's hope!

Decided once to wear some high end court shoes to work and lighten the wear on my regular boots (Whites). Within a week both feet were killing me. Went back to my boots and life was fine in two days. I think the court shoes where just short on arch support. I've lived in those boots since about 1983 when I chipped in for a custom pair, and currently have 5 pair. No charges for custom builds after the first pair. Never experienced a sprain, blister, or rolled an ankle since I started wearing those.

I had a now distant buddy who would consistently bring out his boots on opening day. Days 2 and 3 would find him in camp nursing blisters, and troops having to take care of his pack outs there after. The advice to not tickle what works as the critical time nears is quite sound.

If one finds something that works, get a lifetime supply.

Good luck up there. I'll be steel heading on opening day.

My Redwing work boots with insoles are what I wear. Never sneakers. My daughter's hate them, but my feet don't hurt.

True words.

I think I'll go in on Thursday. That way I can spend Friday with my foot in that icy spring on the side of the hill if need be before the season opens on Saturday.

The real problem is, of course, if I kill one.