Plantar Fascitis pain (soreness, swelling, legs, nerves)

[kaykay]

I had at least a minor case of it for awhile. What everyone else has said-well-padded shoes. Don't go barefoot even in the house for while. Wear well-padded houseshoes. After a couple of months of this regimen, I got over it.

[TXboomerang]

I had to deal with a really bad case of plantar fasciitis, so bad that I could not stand up in the mornings until I did a heat/ice routine on my foot. Ended up getting a cortizone shot into my heel and orthotics because I had fallen arches that were stressing the plantar fascia. That was 2 years ago and after a lot of flare ups and issues, I've found that I need different types of footwear. If I wear the same shoe all the time, no matter how good it feels to begin with it ends up hurting. So I have a pair of Brooks Beast that are great for serious over pronators, a pair of Crocs which are nice and cushioned, and sandals as well. I also walk my dog in one of the local parks barefoot. Sounds crazy, but it really teaches you how to walk properly again. We are not meant to walk with a heel strike like all the elevated heel shoes encourage. If you find that your gait has you hitting heel first then it is a good idea to learn how to step more neutrally. This will help strengthen the foot up and protect it from the imbalances that can lead to things like plantar fasciitis.

[OREGONRAIN]

Originally Posted by tnbound2day

I had to deal with a really bad case of plantar fasciitis, so bad that I could not stand up in the mornings until I did a heat/ice routine on my foot. Ended up getting a cortizone shot into my heel and orthotics because I had fallen arches that were stressing the plantar fascia. That was 2 years ago and after a lot of flare ups and issues, I've found that I need different types of footwear. If I wear the same shoe all the time, no matter how good it feels to begin with it ends up hurting. So I have a pair of Brooks Beast that are great for serious over pronators, a pair of Crocs which are nice and cushioned, and sandals as well. I also walk my dog in one of the local parks barefoot. Sounds crazy, but it really teaches you how to walk properly again. We are not meant to walk with a heel strike like all the elevated heel shoes encourage. If you find that your gait has you hitting heel first then it is a good idea to learn how to step more neutrally. This will help strengthen the foot up and protect it from the imbalances that can lead to things like plantar fasciitis.

I also recommend the Brooks Beasts, and the Brooks Adrenaline. During my problem with Planta, these shoes were recommended by the Podiatrist, I bought several pairs, wide widths in my case, and they certainly helped get rid of this problem. I have to add when Planta Fascitis flares up, it can seem like a problem that will not go away, but if you do what the doctor says faithfully, proper shoes, orthotics especially if you have flat feet, ice and anti inflammatory medicine, even asprin products, and rest, it will clear up. I think for many of us with flat feet, the overpronation that comes with that problem is a big part of what triggers a flare up of planta fascitis, The shoes I recommended are specifically made to control overpronation, the combination of the shoes and orthotics have been a godsend for me. I can walk for miles without problems and do every week, I thought when I had my flareup of planta almost 2 years ago, What if I get this problem in both feet at the same time, I would literally have to crawl or be in a wheel chair, it was so bad.

[Mattie Jo]

I had this for many months. I cured it by putting my foot in a bucket of ice water and taking it out when I couldn't stand it, then putting it back in, and back and forth. It didn't take long to cure it. I have done this with many things. I had a pinched nerve in my toe and this went on for years. I used the ice water and got relief in a short while. I no longer have foot pain. When I first learned this it was due to pain in my thumb that would not go away. One day I was outside drinking ice tea and didn't even think about it, but I put my thumb in the tea and the pain when away. I did that for awhile and the pain went away in a week.

As far as foot pain goes for a long time I had to wear shoes that didn't bring it on again. As far as the pinched nerve in my toes, shoes were hard to find. I had to wear slaps and Uggs in winter. Now I found that those rubber Crocs are really great.

[tasmtairy]

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.

I did this but with a towel. I worked on a cement floor in a warehouse at 50, no less and spent hundreds on shoes, till I found Merrell. They were the only shoes that allowed me to walk on that cement all day. I still got up like the stick-man. I look like that little boy in Christmas story all bundled up and can't walk... I would get up and walk around, hoping, about to fall over ,not wanting to put all my weight on my feet, I looked like a total dork It was hilarious, but painful.

I ended up with no orthodics or injections. I would soak my heels in ice when I got home from work. I am in the office now, same company, different job. Still sucks though, the company that is....

Good luck!!!

[tasmtairy]

Originally Posted by vpcats

Wow thanks! I saw the podiatrist 10 days ago and he put me on motrin 800 and told me to alternate icy and hot soaks and to rub any muscle pain med in the area (I use IcyHot). He temporarily "fixed" the shoes I was wearing that day. I was supposed to return today with more shoes and to see if I had gotten better.

Honestly, I did feel better the first few days but I'm back to the same pain in spite of the treatment, so I rescheduled my return appt. for next week to try and do some more on my own before he wants to give me shots.

I bought a new pair of sneakers (Nike). Wrong choice. In the store they felt really good but when I started using them in real life, they are not.

I've bought cushioned heel gels, whole foot orthotic supports (Dr. Scholl's), a couple of pairs of Clark's sandals, one with a little higher heel than the other, I bought a pair of super soft and high arch Naturalizer's for every day work but they're making a blister on the back :-( of the painful foot.

I'm such a disaster lately but I will get it right eventually! :-)))

I think I need that boot for sleeping and I'm going to tell the podiatrist to give me that before anything else.

I tried the sneakers the dr told me, didn't work, my feet get hot. Love Zappos but you really need to try the shoes on and yes the Merrell's were over 100 but very well worth it and since I was in the warehouse I didn't care if I wore the same pair or not. I ended up with 2 pair and swore when I got out of there I would throw them on my Dad's brush pile, it was just so miserable out there and I did and they are burned and gone. I buy good shoes now too. Once you do you can't go back....

[Xpat]

Plantar Fasciitis is often misdiagnosed since referred pain in that part of the foot can be caused by a trigger point up in the calf. I recommend you consult with a licensed massage therapist familar with trigger point therapy - it may just do the trick.

Also, try a pair of Earth shoes to achieve a more neutral posture - it may help prevent the imflammation you are experiencing. They take a few days to get used to but can make a real difference.

Good luck!

[puffle]

After gaining twenty pounds is when my pain began in both heels. Never walk barefoot, use a frozen soda can and roll it back and forth between your arch and heel for ten minutes a day and what saved me was cortizone injections. Gone now...instead I now have a torn meniscus in my right knee and damaged nerves in my left foot on under my toes. Yippee!

[rbryant]

Rather than start a new thread, might as well breathe a little life into this one. I've been suffering with PF for several months now, and it's a real pain in the butt. I've tried the stretches, ditched my dress shoes for only special occasions, taken anti-inflammatories, used Volataren cream on the affected area. None of this has really done much, so my next step is going to be deep massages on the foot, and immersing into slushy,ice water...good tip from an earlier post. Has anyone tried bicycling as a therapeutic exercise..it seems like you are exercising muscles around the area without putting a great deal of pressure on the calcaneous (heel bone) and its attaching ligaments.

[stepka]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Used to have PF.
Deep six all the cheap shoes. No more and never again. Save your dress shoes for occasional wear and that's about it. Go get fitted for the cushiest New Balance available. After you know what size and width to buy you can find them cheaper online. Wear them all the time. They are indestructible and can be washed over and over. Just take out the laces and the footbeds and dump it all in the washer. And yes, the leather ones wash fine too.

PF is so painful. I did all the treatments and spent a bunch of money buying all those braces and PT stuff. None of it worked for me. I'm pain free now and I run 20 to 30 miles a week.

What yellow snow said: Get rid of the cheap shoes. Just go to one of those full service old fashioned shoe stores where the salesman actually comes over and measures your feet and you should tell him about the PF. He will get you a great pair of shoes--there are several good brands and all cost $100 or over, but it is worth it every penny. Your PF will be gone and you can kiss the doctor goodbye. I have a pair of Brooks tennis shoes--wonderful ($135) and Klogs--wonderful ($100). I can occasionally get away with wearing another pair of shoes, but not for 2 days in a row. The Klogs are leather and I wear them to work every day--they're casual but not frumpy. Now I never hobble in the morning, and I was literally limping before I got the shoes.