Anyone here dealing with Plantar fasciitis?

About two months ago I started having pain in my left foot and thought what the heck when I would get out of bed I could hardly walk. So does this get better or what? Some days its not bad but others it's painful as hell and hurts no matter if I'm standing or sitting.

get better boots or shoes, i had it bad and thats ended taking care of it.

Might need orthotic insoles. Two of my three kids and wife needed them as they are all runners.

I use over the counter Superfeet insoles in my Redwings.

I've had it a couple times. Last time from running on a treadmill with my lifting shoes.
It is one of those things that goes on for months and months to the point you think you will have to live with it the rest of your life.
Then one day you realize you haven't felt it for a while and it is gone.
If your are like me from that point forward you try to wear activity appropriate footwear/ good support.

I am dealing with it right now too....
insoles help, but the best thing for me has
been a boot type strap on device that I wear at
night...buy them on amazon for around $25......it
has really helped...it stretches your plantar fascia....
Motrin or naproxen also help....

What FVA said. Hurts like hell for a long time.

Fill a 15 oz. pop bottle with water and freeze it. Roll your foot on it for 15 min. to ease the inflammation a couple of times a day especially before bed.

Prescription insoles, Cortisone shots and 6 months of limping has gotten me to where I can walk fairly normal. Anyone that thinks this isn't as bad as it is, has never had Plantar Fasciitis.

I lived with this for years. I started taking Mobic for my hip arthritis, and low and behold, that fixed the heel issue completely.

It is natural for anyone to tend to point their toes when they sleep. That is not good for plantar fasciitis.
I used the plastic boots that I wore during sleep to keep feet pointed at (more or less) 90 degrees. They are expensive and uncomfortable but they do work.
I found it just as effective to position myself so that my feet hung over the foot of the bed at night. It seemed to work just as well.

The reason you have such intense pain, putting your feet on the floor after a night's sleep, is stretching of the plantar fascia.

During the night, with your feet extend forward, the plantar fascia retracts. When you hit the floor in the morning and extend your feet, intense pain occurs with stretching of the inflammed fascia.

One trick is to keep your feet flexed at around 90* relative to your legs as you sleep. There are boots designed for that, they don't let your feet extend during sleep.

Another trick is to have a foot board, keeping your feet flexed. To me, that's harder to maintain, especially if you're like me, rolling from side to side as you sleep.

And, NSAIDS for soreness as posted earlier.

DF

I went to a podiatrist, who gave me a device that worked on the heel, but irritated the heck out of my achilles area. Then I tried a full length insole ($$), but it filled my shoe to the point where it caused problems. I ended up going to the pharmacy/health care section at Walmart where they have various inserts for plantar fasciitis. They are shorter, so the front of the foot doesn't bind. I've tried two brands, and they both work well. They are cheap enough (<$10) that you can get multiple pairs so you don't have to swap them to different shoes. Also, one brand had a set of exercise instructions that were exactly what the foot doc recommended. It's worse when you first get up, so start with sitting, and putting a belt or towel around the ball of your foot and pull back, stretching the tendon. Also the frozen bottle roll. Don't walk barefoot on hard floors, etc.

I did get the steroid injections, but the daily routine and the inserts seem to help keep it under control.

Paul

This ^^^^^^^^^

I deal with this every so often. One doctor recommended freezing a water bottle and rolling my foot on it and this helped. The cold reduces the inflammation.

some other considerations, you might check into. Planters can be mistaken for gout. Typically gout occurs first in the large toe, because its the easiest for crystallization. But can occur in any joint. Arthritis pain can occur with or without swelling.
Do you have a history of kidney stones? Have you tried chondroitin? Indomethacin?

After a year of various treatments for plantar fasciitis, including injections, exercises, insoles, a high arch support shoe made it go away in 24 hours or thereabouts.

Stretching, ice, massage, strengthening, better shoes, all help PF go away. But it can be a bugger to get rid of completely if you are lax about treating it. Before you take that first step in the morning, run your feet over a massage ball to to stretch the tendon out and wear shoes right out of bed. A "Rubz" ball works well and helps work out the soreness. If you walk before warming up the tendon in the morning you are re-injuring it again and again. This can be part of the reason it takes so long to get better.

http://www.rubzmassage.com/

I've had off and on flare ups for years. Better shoes help, but the key is prevention. When I feel an episode coming on I load up on Naproxen Sodium taking double doses for a few days along with ice packs to reduce the inflammation. It really does help. The real problem is the tendon is not being stretched enough. There are stretching routines that will eventually knock it out really keep it from coming back. I haven't had a bad episode in a while because I've learned to see it coming and knock it out before it gets bad. And it can be really bad. I broke down and went to a DR once and got the injections. It did make a huge difference and quickly.

Walking around the house barefoot helps too. Learn how to place your foot on the heel and roll the foot as you walk pushing off with your toes as you take the next step. That helps stretch the tendon.

On the meds. Be careful. Long term use of these meds can cause liver damage. After knee surgery my doc advised that the double dose of meds for a shorter term was better. He could have written me a prescription for a larger dose,but doubling up on what I could buy over the counter is the same thing. It knocks the inflammation down quicker then stop taking them. It is the guys who take the recommended dosage every day for years at a time that get into trouble.

Mind sharing what shoe. I just bought some wolverine boots that a guy recoed on here and wore them yesterday

I can't believe how many miles I've trod on shanks mare toting heavy loads and the old mare ain't what she used to be

Had a bout of that for a few months a while back- some painful schit. Haven't had it since luckily. Needed vicadin for a couple days just to fall asleep.

I have recently started to deal with it and I have had good short term luck with ice. I think if I had kept icing a few times a day it would be gone. I made a back of ice, wrapped it in a thin kitchen towel and rested my heel on it for about half an hour while watching TV, Not a lot of change in the morning, but for a few days afterwards it was much better. It has happened both times I have iced and I think if I did it consistently it would go away.

I'll tell ya what to NOT do.

Don't go to the redwing shoe store and hand them $275 for a pair of classic moc toe 6" boots with the white crepe sole thinking that the white crepe sole is your friend.

These are junk.

Throw your $275 into the wind and hit yourself in the bottom of your feet with a hammer instead, you'll feel better about it. lol


Get a decent modern boot with some shock absorption designed into the sole, it can be a redwing or what ever, I'm just telling you there's no magic in that crepe sole, those are junk.

The best thing I did for my own plantar footy-itus was this, I went to walmart and stood on the stupid DR scholes foot machine and let it select a pair of insoles for me. I think they were around 50 bucks. Those in a decent pair of boots and a lot of the above suggestions and I have slowly worked my way out of misery.

I've had it a few times and I try to react as soon as possible when it happens. I've found stretching the foot to be very helpful. Several times a day, stand on a step and let your heel sag down. Hold it for 20 seconds or so relax do it again.

I had it. I used these and it went away. They may look a bit weird but they work.

https://www.zcoil.com/

I have had plantar now for over a year. Finally getting better.

Ice before you go to bed
Get one of those boots that keep your foot stretch while sleeping.
I have had good luck with new balance inserts.
Look at Kuru shoes, combined with new balance inserts.
Haflinger wool felt clogs i wear around the house
And all day long do strecthing exercise.

I'm back to jogging again. And just started to walk barefoot around the house. The only thing is first couple steps out of bed in the morning are rough.And if i sit for more than a hour.

Hope this helps.

I tried them. Stood on the machine and bought the ones it recommended. After putting them in my shoes it felt like I was standing on a latter rung. I could not make it 3 hours at work on concrete before having to pull them out. I stopped at Wal Mart on the way home and tried the machine again and it told me I needed a different pair. stepped off the machine and tried it again. Different size again. I got my money back on the pair I bought and gave up on that machine.
May be the machine was bad but I wasn't happy. I'm back to new work boots with Dr. Sholls gell insoles every 2-3 months. It sucks but it is the price one pays for working 8-12 hours a day 5 days a week for 40+ years standing and walking on concrete.

I came to the same conclusion; that the human body was't designed to stand on concrete for hours and years on end. When mine was bad, I noticed working on dirt, snow, grass, was much better than standing on concrete. I feel for those poor people running a register on concrete (like Costco) and tied to the same spot for a shift or more.

http://www.goodfeet.com

You will be cured. I had it bad in both feet and within 2 weeks it was gone completely.. Not cheap but they work very well. My dad had the same and also had the same result.

Try this:

https://thesock.com/

And if you can get to a PT person who know's what they're doing have them show you how to tape your foot for it.

I had a doc tell me to take NSAIDs, and get to PT which I couldnt' do for a couple of months as our local one was booked solid. When I finally got to one, they taped my foot and it gave almost immediate relief.

This guy uses more tape and the longitudinal ones I used went on first. Lots of others on you tube:



Get some heel pads at the Wally's, rite aid, walgreens and use them too if they help, Kind I got were only $6 or so. Used them in my slippers for a while too.

Took a while but now much better.

Believe me, the taping gave the most relief and allowed me to work on my feet.

Good luck,

Geno

At that time ECCO's. Now they've put less of an arch in them, though.

Also, some of the athletic shoes have high arches in them.( I was initially advised to get a pair of those but went to a shoe store where I encountered my first case of age discrimination and couldn't get waited on at all.)

I had it. It went away after about 3 months. I would keep a towel on my night stand and in the morning before getting up I would use it to stretch the ball of my foot back toward me. It helped but it was a painful experience.

Thank for all the info and advice.
I wear tennis shoes all the time but I'm on my feet a lot since I teach Physical Education and Weight Training. School is out so hopefully not being on my feet all day will help. I also started trying to point my toes upward while laying in the bed or recliner and doing a few stretches for my Achilles and that seemed to help. A friend said he had a sock with a padding that made his stop hurting but he also said the shots hurt like hell and didn't help, after the second one it wasn't worth it.

Used to have a terrible problem with this, but I found a very simple solution, little plastic heel cup placed inside the shoe. It somehow spreads out the weight bearing and the symptoms disappeared almost immediately. I used this for a long time and eventually, without the continuous pressure and irritation, the problem healed and was gone.

Heel Cup Protectors

I had the same problem being on my feet for long hours on concrete. Two things helped tremendously. Go to a shoe store geared towards runners. They will watch you walk, check pronation, and get you in shoes that are better suited for you. The other is the orthotic insoles. I've had good luck with Pinnacle and Superfeet. I had pain for years and it is mostly nonexistent now.

Lots of different problems can cause pain in the feet. Your symptoms sound consistent with Plantar Fasciitis. I had it a few years ago. Don't know what brought it on, but it was in one foot for a while and then both. It hurts first thing in the morning when you put weight on your feet or after sitting for a while and then standing. The pain goes away after walking for a few minutes. The ice will numb the pain, but I don't think it helps healing at all. I found that soaking in hot water was very beneficial. It promotes blood circulation and relaxes the ligaments. After I finally started doing that the problem quickly cleared up and hasn't returned.

Lots of people misdiagnose heel spurs as Plantar Fasciitis, but these cause pain when you walk, not when you first stand.

Jerry

Google Straussburg sock and get one. Cheap, easy to wear at night and most importantly works.

Cured mine in couple weeks.

http://thesock.com/wearing-instructions/

I had it bad. Tried lots of stuff - even stopped wearing my Crocs for awhile! Z-Coils helped a lot. When I retired, and wasn't on my feet all day, it pretty much went away.

BEST SOLUTION OF ALL!

Mike

True concrete is not a natural surface for humans,, but humans have technology to adapt,
with the correct footwear/sole technology such problems can mostly if not totally mitigated
in most work environments.

poorly fitting and/or incorrect design footwear is often the problem rather than the actual concrete.

Podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot in the bad foot. It was the left one that went bad. Insoles specially fit, ($$$) I keep them in my steel toe boots at work.. I found ProFoot insoles at Walmart that seem to help, buy a new pair with every pair of shoes. I also did/do the ice bottle thing, stretch, and stand with my toes on a stair and let my achilles stretch as much as I can stand. That pointing your foot in bed does us no good, I have seen some really stupid looking devices to keep you from it but haven't tried any. If you can wheedle anyone who will do foot massages they help the whole damged body. My dad did, but is long gone, I have considered trying one of the oriental shops that advertise they do, along with a chair massage. I am not looking for a happy ending, just want beat half to death.

Have had it. Got it when I was walking a good deal at work, and working out 3 to 4 times per week, plus tread mill to get the step count up. After the fact, realized that I had put more than 1 year on both my dress shoes and on my exercise shoes. Try to swap them out at 6 intervals now. Also use Sof Sole Athletic insoles, or Superfeet Orange insoles. SHoes or boots with hard soled or good arch support get the Sof Soles. Shoes or boots with a softer sole, or, minimal arch support get the Superfeet... The Superfeet in a shoe that already has good arch support is too much of a good thing, for me.

Sol Sole Insoles

Superfeet Insoles

An ultrasound of the foot can be very enlightening. My ultrasound showed the fascia full of micro-tears. No wonder it was a hurtin SOB!

I use meloxicam (Mobic) when or as my stomach will allow. And Cabela's Meindel perfect hikers for those 10 to 12 hr days on the concrete factory floor. Like others have said,intense pain drove me to the foot clinic, then one day I realized the feet did not bother me nearly so bad anymore.

I'm wearing the Wolverine boots one fella reco'ed in another thread. Hopin they help, but I been taggin all the other suggestions as well. If I'm not better in a couple of weeks due to these boots and stretch exercise I'm gonna yank out the cc again.

I just had a 6 month bout of PF in my right foot. I used frozen water bottles several times a day. This helped a bit for pain relief but was not a cure. Got rid of all my old shoes (which I thought were comfortable) and went new with soft soles and cushion inserts. This helped. Then I started a stretching routine for the foot that works the arch and incorporates toe movement. At first this was quite an interesting routine to try and get any length of time. Now it is second nature and I do anytime I am sitting This made a major difference.

Yep, endured it bigtime few years ago, and finally licked it with the boot to bed every night.
I had a flare up recently and had the wife put intense pressure on it, unbearable, but it took care of it.

I've been wearing orthotic insoles and quality running shoes the last week and it has continued to alleviate the problem. PF is awful, prevention is the key.

I had it bad about 20-25 years ago. Tried everything.....insoles, medicine, cortisone shots, therapy....nothing worked. The doctor said surgery might fix it, so I had a little surgery that went in on both sides of the foot, cut the tendon so it could stretch more after it healed. Pretty much fixed my right foot. Was going to have the other one done, but decided to wait a little while. Tried a new doctor and he went the cortisone shot route. For whatever the reason, foot got better and quit hurting. One thing I did, that I believed helped, was to quit wearing cowboy boots. I had worn them for many years, and was told that they can affect the feet if you're on them a lot. I have gone back to wearing them for the past 5 years, and so far, my feet aren't bothering me. But, I've got so many other aches and pains, that I probably wouldn't notice them if they were.

I have been battling PF for almost 2 years now. Mine is due to a heel spur and wearing a worn out pair of shoes while walking. Got the cortisone shot and that helped quite a bit. It did not hurt at all. Dr. prescribed mobic but it ran my blood pressure up so I don't take it. I wear New Balance shoes with a model # of 800 or higher and use Superfeet insoles for my work boots. I do stretches in the morning before I walk and throughout the day. I may try the Strassburg sock and see how that works as I do have the pain when I get out of bed.

Yes, try it as I mentioned in an earlier post.

BountyHunter posted a recommendation and link also. And as he also mentioned, give it a couple of weeks. If it works............keep it for when it happens to the other foot!

Good luck,
Geno

After losing 40 pounds and working 12 hours on hard floors, on a job I do once a year I can't begin to tell you how much your weight effects your feet. When I would get done after a day there I could barely walk when I got home. Your feet problems are only legitimate if your not very overweight. This is wearing the exact same shoes as I wore last year

Actually, NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti inflam drugs) such as Naproxin affect the kidneys, Tylenol (Acetaminophen) affects the liver.

DF

I had a problem with PF in left foot twice over the last 10 years. I tried cold packs then heat pack, relieved the pain for a while but never really treated the problem. A brace was recommended by a doctor friend. So I bought the brace, it is a hard semi-boot type that I wore while sleeping. The brace is not made to walk around in. Both times when the PF flared up I wore the brace every night for 2 to 3 weeks. Everyday the pain would decrease until it was gone. I have not had the PF return for over 3 years now. If my heel gets tender I will wear the brace for a night or two. The purpose of the brace is to stretch the tendons in the arch of the foot where the inflammation starts.

Bummer. I've had it in my left foot since last September. It wrecked a planned premium backpack hunt. It's much better now but still not fully healed.

I'd suggest AGGRESIVE stretching- try pulling back on your toes with your leg up in front of you, sitting, knee bent so that you are just stretching the arch- and really go for it. Pull or twist to the side as necessary to streeeetch the spot that hurts. It won't be fun at first. Also, this is very likely something that sorta built up over time; I bet there's a knot of hard tissue in the arch of your foot back towards the heel. Try rolling it HARD on a tennis ball to break up that knot. It'll take awhile. Months. It'll likely feel so good to roll it that you end up with some ancillary bruising because you pushed so hard... Do it anyway. The knot in my foot was rock-hard and literally made cracking noises I could hear I my head when I hit it just right with the tennis ball; I would see stars when I got it just right, it was such an intense release.

And... spend $50 on some Green Superfeet insoles.

Also- try on some Salomon boots like the Quest or the low X-Ultra 2's. Tons of arch support; feel like they were made to address PF. Love them.

My gym has one of these and it helps me. I usually just use the curb.

Physical therapy can be helpful with stretches and exercises.

In most states, direct access without a doctor's referral.

You can get an eval., may need a physician's consultation after the fact.

DF

A major railroad, evaluating P.T./Rehab services for their injured employees, looks for a free standing, P.T./Rehab owned facility, considering those type facilities being cream of the crop. I agree with that approach.

I would suggest using those criteria to locate the best facility.

DF

One thing you can try out is a BFST (blood flow stimulation therapy) device. On the surface, it looks like a neoprene heat wrap by it stimulates targeted blood flow with electrical currents. You put the wrap on and let it do it's thing for about 20 minutes. The idea being that the increased blood flow will bring nutrients into the tissue and accelerate healing. I used one made for my Achilles tendon and it seemed to help.

http://shop.kingbrand.com/product_i...ent&currency=USD&products_id=206

Try superfeet insoles. Blue or green. They work for me when 500.00 orthotics didn't. The super feet in my Asics also minimize shin splints when I run.

+1

I was buying cheap sneakers that I wore everyday, when I first got out of bed or after driving for several hours was very painful.

Found a good doctor that set me up with custom insoles and better shoes no more problems!

Schools been out for over a week now and the pain seems to be lessening but my heel is still tender. No more limping when I get up in the morning or night so hopefully it's getting better.

Work that tender spot over by rolling a foot massage ball under your foot several times a day and especially when you first wake up. Seriously work it and get tenderness out of the heel. Oh, it will hurt like hell for a few days when you do this, but it helps the soreness go away. I used a Rubz ball and it helps get right on the sore spot.

Tag

My youngest son started having problems at 16 with pain in his feet. He was a very involved soccer athlete.After a couple of doctors appointments , they said it was PF. We got him heel cups and good inserts and did the stretches, tylenol etc.. He would never complain during games that fall but we could tell he was favoring it when he walked . It seemed to be getting a little worse so we went to our doctor and asked to be referred to an orthopedic doctor. After x-rays , Doc says there is nothing unusual to show , keep up what we were doing. In the end of November we were out bird hunting and he was moving so slow my brother and I had to get our arms under him and help him to the truck.
Long story short after him not being able to get out of bed and stand by himself , swelling to knee, ankle and toe. A visit with an Orthopedic Doctor who was stumped and wanted to surgery to "clean out his joints" , I said we are not doing surgery unless you have a damn good reason, I am taking him somewhere else even if it's Mayo's. Orthopedic Doc says, let me talk to some of my collegues , and left the room. in a half hour came back and took us down the hall to a Rheumatologist .Thank God and he knows his stuff.
He did a brief exam , sat us down and said, " what you have is Ankylosing Spondylitis" After heavy doses for nearly 3 years, the symptoms were finally gone.No surgery , but some heavy duty meds that were scary ( naisids)
He was able to play his Soccer for his senior year the next fall and earned his 2nd MVP , even though it hurt him like hell. We went in for check ups and blood tests every 3 months for the next 30 months. He's 21 now and still doing fine , but I still worry about it flaring up again. It's an auto immune system disease and is scary, luckily it didn't get as bad as it could have. He has a bright career ahead on his 2 nd year as Apprentice Heavy Equipment Operator. Just putting this here for someone else in the future.
Here is a link http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/home/ovc-20261048