I've had flare ups from time to time. The real fix is stretching the tendon from your heel to the ball of your foot. and there are several ways to do that. Some work better for some than others, but you have to stretch the tendon. Good insoles help as does sleeping in the boot along with Physical therapy. You cannot afford to buy cheap shoes/boots anymore. Taking Ibuprofen or Naproxen Sodium helps reduce inflammation and speeds up the process. I found Naproxen Sodium more effective. Your doc can prescribe much stronger anti-inflammation drugs if you ask.
After my knee surgery my doc recommended taking a double dose of Naproxen Sodium. Doing that for a short period is more effective at knocking out the problem quickly and ends up putting less of the meds in your system than taking the recommended dose for a longer period of time. A double dose of over the counter meds was the same as prescription strength, but cheaper. Any of those drugs taken for long periods of time, even at recommended doses can cause serious health issues so it is better to limit them. I wouldn't take them for months at a time.
The tendon has shortened, and may in fact have scar tissue built up where it attaches to bone. You have to break down the scar tissue and stretch the tendon back out. Wearing stiff soled shoes actually increases the odds of getting it. Walking around the house bare foot helps stretch it out and prevent it from coming back out.
Sit on the floor with your leg straight. Keep the leg flat on the floor and wrap a belt around the ball of your foot. With each end of the belt in your hands gently pull the ball of the foot toward you for 30 seconds keeping the heel on the floor. Gradually increase the pressure and repeat several times for 10-15 minutes each day. Take a 20 oz plastic coke bottle, fill with water and freeze. While sitting at a desk or on the couch while watching TV place the bottle of frozen water on the floor and roll it back and forth under your foot. You need to put some weight on your foot. This stretches the tendon, reduces inflammation, and helps break down scar tissue. You can also use just the ice to reduce inflammation after the belt exercise above. Just lay it on the bottom of your foot for a few minutes after the exercise.
If you have a hunt coming up or for some reason need to knock it out fast some docs will give you an injection of steroids in your heel. I had to resort to that once. Most docs don't like to do that, but I had already tried all of the above and needed it gone soon for a hunt coming up. Got the shot which hurt like hell, but got relief much faster. Still had to do the therapy, but the recovery came sooner after the shot.
Last edited by JMR40; 10/16/19.
