Plantar Fasciitis

[Brutus]

I have had this for about 5 years, it comes and goes, and when it flares up I can hardly walk. About 4 months ago I had steroid injections into both feet and it got better for a while but didn't go away completely. There is supposed to be a new ultrasound treatment, not sure how effective it is.

[janedoe]

I have had something similar for years now. The specialist actually thought I had fractured my feet at first.

I only wear Rockport shoes, have my clunky but comfortable support "boots" to wear when I go to bed if it flares up and ice immediately if I feel it coming on. It's rough stuff but I find that knowing what works for you and having all of the tools on hand if it starts to come around again really helps.

All good thoughts.

[Jeff]

Stretching and loosing some weight was what helped me the most however I had it really bad and I had some extra weight to loose.

I did the splint at night, no relief, in fact was torture, I couldn't get comfy and sleep well.
Tennis ball, helps relieve some tension, not sure if it helped.
Water bottle with frozen water in it. Roll it under foot like tennis ball, it gets up in the arch.
Ultrasound and Massage therapy, like Snowshoe, felt good, but didn't do a thing.
Homedics heating foot massager, Homedics FMS-150H Foot Massager, Shiatsu - Personal Care - For The Home - Macy's Felt good, not sure how well it did. But was sure a lot cheaper than all the physical therapy.
New shoes every 3 months. This still is a staple for me. I have to do it or I start to feel it. The hardest thing was finding good shoes to get through it. Brooks Addiction Walkers, and Brook's Adrenaline for agility and running were great. Hiking and outdoor work and off road, Vasque is a company I really love, they used to do only hiking boots but are now doing off road hiking and running shoes.
Hot and cold therapy, I did feel much better after doing these, however not easy to do at home. Basically my gym had a hot tub and a cold plunge pool right next to each other. 4 minutes foot in hot tub, 4 minutes foot in cold pool, repeat for about a half an hour. Cold plunge pool water is about 45 degrees. Could probably do it at home with hot bath water and bucket of ice water. Oh and don't feel awesome while your doing it but feels pretty good when done. The science behind it goes back to old Russian steam houses when they would also go out in the snow then back in. It really does help increase blood flow to the area which provides a lot of healing nutrients to the area.
Then supplement Glucosamine and Chondroitin. The Fasciia while not a joint it is still made of the same thing.

[JenC]

Custom orthotics and lace up shoes. I wore slip on shoes for a few days and then could barely walk again. Cortisone injections work miracles.

[kelsyg]

Custom orthotics here, too. Really did help, after the cortisone shots.
I don't have to wear the orthotics much anymore, just when it flares up occassionally from wearing too soft flipflops. Also have to stretch out the feet in the morning before getting out of bed or I end up "hobbling" - not a good look!

[BogeyBaby]

You never know what that kind of pain is until you have it yourself.

I tried everything--stretching, boots that keep your foot pointed up toward your knee when you sleep, pain relieving creams and nothing worked. And then one day I got a foot massage. A really, hard and painful foot massage. Repeated two weeks later. Seriously, this was excruciating! But it made it go away and I haven't had it recur in a couple of years.

[kimbersmom]

So many PF sufferers! I think that soft tissue injuries are really hard to treat. It took years for the tendinitis in my upper body to recede and I still have to be cautious about overuse. I'm going to keep with the stretching and icing and have a pair of orthotics on the way.

I'm sad that it's finally warm and I can't wear any dresses or skirts! Well, I could, but the sneakers really detract.

[LindaMayRee]

I have suffered with this for over 11 years now. I never went to the dr until a couple weeks ago. The dr sent me to a podiatrist. I got a cortisone shot and am doing the stretches and ice bottle rolled under the feet. He said the only time my shoes should be off is when I am sleeping or taking a bath. I got a pair of inserts from him and he said to try to only wear good supportive tennis shoes. Try to avoid flip flops and such as much as possible. It has just been a week but I can notice a little improvement.
I hike about 20 miles a week and it is tough with this Plantar Fascitis and spurs.
It is surprising to me how many of us here have this. Who knew?

[Tammy]

i'm also a distance runner and have had a couple episodes of it over the years. I went to my sports chiro who did some very deep tissue massage along my foot, heal, lower leg (had me in tears it hurt so bad), but doing that, along with daily stretching exercises at home, wearing good cushioned shoes in the house (which I never do!) helped heal it and I haven't had a recurrence of it for probably about 3-4 yrs now. I have to stay real diligent about stretching now, but then like most running injuries, once I get injured and can't run for awhile, then I suddenly become more aware of stretching, resting, icing, good form, etc.

[Macy]

I had it in both feet at the same time. I did everything mentioned already including acupuncture. What gave me relief was the cortisone shots to basically jump start my healing, contrast baths, taping my feet and stretching, stretching and more stretching. I bought Merrells sandals and wore them all the time. Even in snow. They gave me relief.
Happy to say that I can now wear whatever shoes I like and I even go barefoot occasionally, etc.