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I have had plantar fasciitis in each foot at different times. Once I went to a podiatrist, and once I didn’t, and it took the same amount of time to heal. One day, the pain is there and one day, it’s gone.
This is what I was told to do....take Ibuprofen on a regular schedule, not just when it hurts, because the anti inflammatory will help the foot heal.
NSAIDS like ibuprofen are a godsend for many things, but chronic use can damage your kidneys. I know someone who took it on the regular, felt fine, but was in kidney failure.
When I had plantar fasciitis during last 2 years, my heel hurt so bad I could barely walk. Podiatrist said that I needed custom orthotics($$), stretch the muscles along the bottom of the foot and back of legs and always wear supportive shoes with good arch support. If the muscles are not stretched, a bone spur will eventually form where ever that tight muscle is attached to (for me it was the heel). Thankfully the x-ray showed no bone spur yet. Bone spurs are definitely more difficult to deal with than plantar fasciitis so I started stretching, got the steroid injection which worked in the beginning but stopped working a year later.
Then before laying out big dollars for the custom orthotics, I tried different off the shelf orthotic inserts to support the arch and see how that worked. Keep in mind you may have to try different kinds of orthotics as your foot heals because the shape of the arch will change. The one I liked the best was called "Heel That Pain" which I bought online. They looked uncomfortable because of the bump near the heel. But that bump is necessary to stretch out the muscle along the bottom of the foot. I just put them in my hiking boots and gradually my feet got used to them. Now I can walk 3 miles and not even notice the orthotics in my shoes and the heel pain is thankfully gone.
Last edited by Paoluccm; 12-16-2020 at 10:37 PM..
Reason: typo
I got plantar fasciitis several times when I was training for marathons. I know some people who don't run who also have had it. I had a doctor prescribe a boot that I was supposed to wear when sleeping. The idea is it stretches the tissue across your heel so that scar tissue doesn't form. This is why it hurts the most in the morning when you get out of bed because you're breaking that scar tissue. I could not sleep with the boot on because it would cut off circulation to my foot.
What I found worked for me were shoe inserts that provided cushioning for my heel. Someone mentioned cutting out an area where the pain is. They actually used to sell heel cushions like this. I tried a lot of different cheap shoe inserts until I found one that seemed to work. It was more than just a heel cushion. I also found you needed to replace them often since they lost the cushioning. Many people recommend icing and stretching, which I'm sure helps. I found it difficult to do often enough. The recommendations are usually to stretch and ice 2-3 times a day. I had plantar fasciitis three different times and the shoe inserts worked each time.
Forgot about that boot...my Podiatrist prescribed one when I had a few cortisone heel injections around a year ago. Is cumbersome...like wearing a ski boot to bed. Got used to the thing though...it does help some. However, what finally solved my issue was consistently wearing orthotics and flip flops with arch support.
I had it so bad, and it coincided with my trip to Europe during which I did a lot of walking tours. I just mudded through and tried to ignore it but my feet really did hurt.
I don't recommend the method that cured my feet. Six weeks after I got back from Europe, I fell down some stairs at a friend's house and sprained my back. I could barely walk for several weeks. When I was able to move around fairly normally again, I realized my feet didn't hurt anymore.
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