Plantar Fascitis pain (x-rays, ankle, eating plan, surgery)

[vpcats]

Has anybody dealt with this?

I've had occasional pain in my left heel for a while but it wasn't too bad and I just dealt with it. The last couple of weeks, however, I've had A LOT of pain and cringe and hop when I get out of bed or up from a sitting position, or wear flats at all.

I wanted to see a orthopod but can't get an appt for a couple of months it seems so I saw a podiatrist today.

Boy, did we butt heads but I think we both realized we were both smartazzes and went on with our merry sarcastic medical comments/conversation.

He "strapped" my foot, put some cushion pads on the shoe, and gave me Motrin 800. No X-rays. I should see him in about another week or so and depending on what I say, he'll recommend injection. I already told him NO Injection so he needs to think of something else if I'm still complaining.

He wants me to take in a couple of pairs of shoes to see what he can do with them. Doesn't that seem a little bit of a waste? I wear my cheap sneakers when I'm not a work and I wear another pair of semi flat sandal types.

So...has anyone else had this? What symptoms do you have? What treatment did you have? I'm not sure I "trust" this guy enough.

[Debsi]

If you have plantar fascitis, you probably want to say goodbye to those cheap shoes. I am a bargain shopper, but I won't wear things like payless anymore. There are brands of good around the house sandals that aren't that expensive though, that provide arch support and have a nice cushy sole. One of them is ridersandals.com

When I was diagnosed (which only happened because I ripped my fascia badly and had to wear one of those boots for several months) and started wearing podiatrist recommended shoes, I realized that for years I'd been thinking that my feet SHOULD hurt at the end of the day, that it was normal. Now I wear a lot of Clark's shoes and other shoes that are designed for extra comfort and my feet do not hurt when I go home from work. There are even cute comfort shoes now which is great. If you are female, try Indigo by Clarks.

My podiatrist's test for sneakers is to hold it heel to toe between your hands. If you can flex it up like Nike Frees - which he hates with a passion - it's not a good supportive shoe. He really likes New Balance. He made me wear those every day for a few months after I got the boot off. They looked just great with my work clothes.

[Marylandkitten]

The majority of the people that have encountered Plantar Fasciitis Pain live comfortably with a weekly visit to their physical therapist (until they are strong enough to begin treatment at home with various excersizes) and a low dosage of your over-the-counter pain medication, on worse days, without the need for "special shoes" taping their feet at night, surgery, and other invasive procedures. Listed below are some interesting facts I found from a few different sites that offer some helpful information as well. Please note that thils all depends on the seriousness of your discomfort, and no treatment for releif will be the same for anyone one particular person.

Best of Luck.

__________________________________________________ ______________

Night splints.

Your doctor may recommend wearing a splint fitted to your calf and foot while you sleep. This holds the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon in a lengthened position overnight so that they can be stretched more effectively.

Orthotics.

Your doctor may prescribe off-the-shelf or custom-fitted arch supports (orthotics) to help distribute pressure to your feet more evenly.
Physical therapy. A physical therapist can instruct you in a series of exercises to stretch the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon and to strengthen lower leg muscles, which stabilize your ankle and heel. A therapist may also teach you to apply athletic taping to support the bottom of your foot.

Medications and procedures - If conservative treatment doesn't provide relief, you might consider:

Corticosteroids.

When other treatments don't work, your doctor may suggest one or two injections of corticosteroid medication into the region of the plantar fascia attachment at the heel for temporary relief. Multiple injections aren't recommended because they can weaken your plantar fascia and possibly cause it to rupture, as well as shrink the fat pad covering your heel bone. Another method for delivering corticosteroid medication is a technique known as iontophoresis (i-on-to-fuh-RE-sis), which uses gentle electric current to draw the medicine into the area of discomfort.

(I can understand you not wanting to take part in any injections for possible treatment, according to your top post, but I figured I would be fair in mentioning all the possibles, rather than nit-picking through them for what was best)

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

In this procedure, sound waves are directed at the area of heel pain to stimulate healing. It's usually used for chronic plantar fasciitis that hasn't responded to more conservative treatments. Early studies on this procedure reported positive results, but some recent studies have had limited success in treating plantar fasciitis. More research may determine if extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an effective treatment for heel pain, and if so, what kind of machine and treatment regimen seems to work best.

__________________________________
HOME TREATMENT and/or PREVENTION :

Maintain a healthy weight. This minimizes the stress on your plantar fascia.
Choose supportive shoes. Give stilettos the boot. Also avoid shoes with excessively low heels. Buy shoes with a low to moderate heel, good arch support and shock absorbency. Don't go barefoot, especially on hard surfaces.

Don't wear worn-out athletic shoes. Replace your old athletic shoes before they stop supporting and cushioning your feet. If you're a runner, buy new shoes after about 400 miles of use.

Start sports activities slowly. Warm up before starting any athletic activity or sport, and start a new exercise program slowly.

Wake up with a stretch. Before you get out of bed in the morning, stretch your calf muscles, arch and Achilles tendon by reaching for your toes and gently flexing your foot. This helps reverse the tightening of the plantar fascia that occurs overnight

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by Debsi

If you have plantar fascitis, you probably want to say goodbye to those cheap shoes. I am a bargain shopper, but I won't wear things like payless anymore. There are brands of good around the house sandals that aren't that expensive though, that provide arch support and have a nice cushy sole. One of them is ridersandals.com

When I was diagnosed (which only happened because I ripped my fascia badly and had to wear one of those boots for several months) and started wearing podiatrist recommended shoes, I realized that for years I'd been thinking that my feet SHOULD hurt at the end of the day, that it was normal. Now I wear a lot of Clark's shoes and other shoes that are designed for extra comfort and my feet do not hurt when I go home from work. There are even cute comfort shoes now which is great. If you are female, try Indigo by Clarks.

My podiatrist's test for sneakers is to hold it heel to toe between your hands. If you can flex it up like Nike Frees - which he hates with a passion - it's not a good supportive shoe. He really likes New Balance. He made me wear those every day for a few months after I got the boot off. They looked just great with my work clothes.

LOLLL....I can just picture it. I wear a lot of pants, suits sometimes. I know I'll look lovely with my sneakers but... tough, because I love sneakers and I'll have a great excuse.

I actually bought a pair of platform sandals with a real cushy bottom, the other day and I put them on around the house. They look just "maahhvelous" with my short nightgowns or long, oversized T-shirts. It's when I get off them and put something flatter that I realize how much pain I do have.

I was looking at the Clarks at the mall the other day. I couldn't hit every store because I couldn't really walk and I think I'm compensating with my other leg and the thigh feels real stiff.

I'm just a bundle of joy right now.

BTW, my sneakers ain't THAT cheap. Got 'em on sale! But compared to the $100+, they're cheap!

[vpcats]

Fiddlekitten- tried to rep you but no can do yet. :-(

I forgot, this doctor also said to do alternating hot/iced water foot soaks for a few days.

What a pain! LOLLLL

[Marylandkitten]

Vpcats -its ok.. I tried repping you back, for the thought at least and it said I handed out too much already, and to calm down for heaven's sake!
I'm addicted to my rep. it's like a social disclaimer, you may not have any real friends.. but you have gained "this" much reputation by complete strangers! woohoo!


- but in response to your post.... didn't the news blow up a few months ago, about that girl that DIED from overuse of that icey-hot/bengay type stuff?

It scared the pants off my mom... my family all being in Tae Kwon Do were religious users of that during tournement training!!

[fuzzymystic]

Here is an 'exercise' you can do for it when it isn't bothering you: put your foot up on your knee, while you're sitting down, [yeah, I know, duh!] and wrap your fingers around your toes on your propped up foot, and pull your toes toward your ankle-hold it for ten seconds, then repeat ten times. Do that 3 times per day, it stretches the fascia and makes it less likely to get inflamed.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by fuzzymystic

Here is an 'exercise' you can do for it when it isn't bothering you: put your foot up on your knee, while you're sitting down, [yeah, I know, duh!] and wrap your fingers around your toes on your propped up foot, and pull your toes toward your ankle-hold it for ten seconds, then repeat ten times. Do that 3 times per day, it stretches the fascia and makes it less likely to get inflamed.

hahahahahaha.... I really laughed the 2nd time I read that first part (I'm a little slow sometimes )

Hey, do you think that will qualify me for Karla's exercise threads?

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by fiddlekitten

Vpcats -its ok.. I tried repping you back, for the thought at least and it said I handed out too much already, and to calm down for heaven's sake!
I'm addicted to my rep. it's like a social disclaimer, you may not have any real friends.. but you have gained "this" much reputation by complete strangers! woohoo!


- but in response to your post.... didn't the news blow up a few months ago, about that girl that DIED from overuse of that icey-hot/bengay type stuff?

It scared the pants off my mom... my family all being in Tae Kwon Do were religious users of that during tournement training!!

NOOOOO. Never heard about that. What happened?

I've sort of "neglected" real life news since I found CD it seems, but I have been watching CNN the last couple of days Maybe because I've been getting in bed earlier so I don't have to step on my heel when I get up from the computer chair.

I'm going to have to do something about that - LAPTOP! hehehehehehehe

[Debsi]

Originally Posted by vpcats

LOLLL....I can just picture it. I wear a lot of pants, suits sometimes. I know I'll look lovely with my sneakers but... tough, because I love sneakers and I'll have a great excuse.

My podiatrist offered to give me a doctor's note about the sneakers at work if I needed it. You might want to ask about that!

My favorite way to buy shoes right now is zappos.com -- free overnight shipping and free return shipping if they don't fit. Hubby is really unhappy about this!