Plantar Fasciitis

Hello!
I did not read through the responses but my orthopedist told me that even better than rolling my foot on a tennis ball, was to stretch the entire calf muscle several times a day, get some gel inserts, and wear New Balance sneakers whenever I can. I did all three things and the pain disappeared within two months. Good luck!

The cure for me was Birkenstock clogs/sandals/shoes.
They have the perfect arch support for me.
When I had it really bad (getting out of bed in the morning was like walking on knives) I started wearing Birkenstocks every standing moment (except in the shower).
I kept them at the side of my bed and wore them all day till time for bed came around again.
It took a bout 2 months but eventually the pain was gone and I could walk barefoot again.
When that tendon gets irritated you just have to keep it stretched out (with arch supports) until the inflammation is gone.

I didn't have an accident, but I did have plantar fasciitis. I remember sitting on a bench in Paris crying in front of my family because I couldn't bear to walk anymore. I've limped more than I can tell you and resorted to getting steroids shots in my heels. Yes, shots, plural. I crawled for a day because I couldn't walk after the shots. It's amazing what you'll do when you're desperate.

Two friends of mine told me to buy hard soled shoes, like Munros to help my feet. They said it helped them. I finally did what they said, and low and behold, they were right. When I found Naot's, I knew enough to stay with wearing them, and though my shoes might look boring, I am no longer in pain.

These shoes are not cheap. But they work.

When you get up in the morning, step toward the wall and start stretching. Bend one knee in front of you and stretch out the other leg behind, holding the wall with both hands. Then put the other foot ahead and do the same thing. Do it before you walk from the bed, anywhere. Wear these shoes I'm talking about. Don't go barefoot. This is infinitely better than anything else I tried. I hope it won't take you as long to do this as it did for me to.

The best advice my DH got was to get shoe inserts from the Good Feet store and wear them all the time. He was told to even put them in his slippers and when he got out of bed, he should step right into the slippers. Basically to make sure he had proper foot support at all times.

After a little while of following this advice, his got much better. He now only wears them in his dress shoes for work.

As others have said, you need to ALWAYS wear shoes with proper arch support... the plantar fascia tendon is inflamed....

I've had a lot of problems with it over the last 15 years or so.... when it flares up, I make sure I ALWAYS wear shoes with good arch support.... buy good tennis shoes.

I also recently bought a pair of birkenstock sandals with the molded arch support... those are wonderful, also!

No, you can't wear flip-flops or light-weight shoes all the time....... you need to keep that tendon stretched out by having proper arch support. Some shoe inserts do help, you may have to experiment to find out what works for you.

Mine is easing up some after 6 months of wearing good supporting shoes, now....

I have quite a few friends and colleagues who have had this. It is persistent. Most used a combination of natural anti-inflammatories and immune system boosters, with some added exercises for stretching. Using enough and getting good advice, they've beaten the condition and have no restrictions. The problem, as you have noticed, is that it's virtually impossible to rest the feet as much as your body might require. Life just isn't like that for 99% of us! Pineapple juice is a mild anti-inflammatory you can buy at the supermarket, although you just can't drink enough of it by itself to make all the difference. There are better ones you can buy on line that you can use in combination with basic food sources.

Just to address the tennis ball issue - if it hurts, that is a good sign. Instead of just rolling it around under your foot, find a tender spot and hold it for 3-5 minutes. You will feel the tenderness go away. Then move to a different spot. I cured myself of PF this way, but it took about a month. I felt fine when I wore supportive shoes, but as soon as I tried to wear flip flops or go in my bare feet, it was really painful. Not sure if this is the case for you or not, but if it is not, you should look into possibly a different diagnosis.

When you're walking around, your muscles are warm and engaged. When you're sitting, they get cool and stiffen up.

Everyone will try to put you in an orthodic. Which will treat the discomfort of the current "damaged" condition of the muscle. Eventually, your foot will adjsut to that orthodic, and then you'll need a new orthodic to adjust to the new "further damaged" condition of the muscle. You see the cycle....

a) please see a chiropractor for this. He or she can look at your musculature and tell you what the actual cause of the problem is to help you correct it. I'm in Chicago as well, and if you need a recommendation...I literally worship my chiro. PM me if you're interested in his contact info.
b) go barefoot. We were meant to be barefoot. Not walking around on 1-2 inch cushions. Allow your body to adjust to it's natural functional position, and you will see loads of improvement in a week or two. Yes, it will be uncomfortable while your body adjusts. But it will work.

What no one may have mentioned is.. STRETCHING.. not just your foot but also your entire leg (particularly the calf muscles) I have dealt with PF for some time now (it's an injury that can take a long time to go away) what has helped me is.... stretching, in the morning, afternoon and evening AND on days where you walk or stand a lot.. stretch on the hour.. icing helps, but only for a short stint , e.g.... after a long walk.. I do foot stretches but NOT the ones that pull my foot upward (that only further pulls on the already inflamed tissue) but rather stretches whereby I turn my toes down towards my foot.. additionally, I was taking ibuprofen, but felt I was on it too much of the time. granted it helps.. but to me, I would rather deal with the pain then the side-effects of the meds..
lastly and most importantly..
There is a Podiatrist.. Ray Mcclanahan of the NW foot and ankle clinic in portland.. One, go to his website.. he has an article on there about PF... also.. LOTS of youtube videos whereby he explains PF and other foot ailments such as bone spurs (which as a result of PF, you could also end up experiencing due to the tight fascia on the foot)
the videos and articles on his website are VERY VERY helpful... he explains foot anatomy and also the important of having a shoe box that is wide enough for your toes to splay... if allowed to be all squished together during the day, that will also contribute to PF and other ailments.. Dr Ray is a huge proponent of proper shoe wear.. read about that too..
I went to TWO podiatrist in my town and neither gave me the info that Dr Ray.. and I never met the guy.. I just read all the articles on his site and watched the videos which I just happened upon by accident..
believe me.. you can learn a lot from his site. I can't say enough good things about it..
here is his website.. also he refers to PF and fasciosis.. but he will explain why..
https://nwfootankle.com/foot-health/drill/3-problems/31-p...

good luck

Custom orthotics help PF.

I had this when I was in my early 20s and it flares every now and then, but I was working 2 jobs, one in retail and one in a restaurant and I drove about 3 hours a day which can aggravate it also. I think I spent about 18 hours a day using my feet.
I went to the doctor, then I went to the orthopedist and they prescribed custom made orthotics. These were $300 in 1999, but they helped so much! I mean to wear them hurt, I couldn't use them for more than a couple of hours at first because they stretched out the plantar tendon, but, after a week or two, I wore them always. I haven't had the PF come back for more than a day or so since then. I do wear good shoes, and I do have ankle problems from tearing the tendons twice, but the PF is totally under control. The fancy shoes do help certainly, but if it were me, and I had to do it all over again, I would buy the specialized orthotic inserts from the podiatrist or orthopedist, and wear those. My aunt developed PF right before I did, and now, almost 20 years later, she still has problems because she went the Birkenstock route instead of the orthotics. I have heard good things from the Good Feet store, but my daughter's orthopedist said that the custom made ones are so much better because they really fit each person. (She has flat feet and has been wearing her orthotics since she was 4) and they make a huge difference for her too, including her feet, legs, ankles, and knees. They are all connected.

Before you can get to the doctor, using really tight ace bandage, or the kind that sticks to itself, can help support the arch. I could NEVER handle the cold stuff since it causes cramping, but the tennis ball was helpful. I hope you get relief soon! Also, sitting at a desk can bend the leg at the hip and this can tighten the muscles from the low back, butt area and this can also affect the heal and cause pain. I deal with this type of pain daily, and the only thing that helps that is massage on the hip and butt. I wonder if you are getting both kinds at the same time to make it worse.

Yes, you may feel fine moving around and then when you slow down enough, you'll notice the pain resulting from all that moving around.

Invest in shoes for people with PF. Vionic and Kuru brand shoes have been godsends. They allowed me to get around and live life when my PF was at its worst.

Know that once you have PF, you'll need to be careful even when the symptoms go away. Don't get overconfident then. I've reaggravated it several times over the past couple years with exercise. Yoga has been universally great, though ... never issues when I've done yoga.

I have foot issues, not PF. Right now my right foot is swollen and is painful and I have no idea why. I did nothing to my knowledge to injurd it. I am taking a low dose antiflammatory to help.

It does not help that I'm on vacation and a huge convention this week which requires a lot of walking.

I love Epsom salt foot baths. They help me. I do roll my foot on a tennis ball. Sometimes it seems that the massage from a pedicure makes it worse. I do practice physical therapy exercise which help.

My ankles are weak from bone issues. I'm not overweight, I'm in good health and its frustrating that I can't continue my routine. However, yesterday I walked 5.5 miles and in pain but not horrid pain and when we got back to the hotel, I put my feet in the spa which was great. I was so proud of myself, although feet were swollen, l was ok today in the sand in the beach and in the salt water all day. I believe salt water helps!!

I spend money on good shoes. My daily shoe is by Hoka which is an athletic shoe I love which helps with balance. I paid $160 for them and they are worth every penny. I work from home so they are doable for me daily. I wear Merrill, Clark and Born for other shoes.

Best wishes to you. Foot injuries are no fun.

Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Look up stretches for PF and do them as often as you can. I use a golf ball instead of a tennis ball. I have really high arches so I have custom inserts in my running shoes, but I wear regular shoes the rest of the time.

I too have suffered from plantar fascitis, however not due to an accident. I had multiple cortisone shots by a podiatrist which only offered temporary relief. Stretching exercises help and so doesn't the frozen water bottle thing. I wound up going for physical therapy, about 10 or 11 sessions and still do some of the stuff. Also, get a good pair of sneakers and/or shoes; my physical therapist recommended every 6 to 9 months or so -- good excuse to go shopping!!
Feel better