Plantar Fascitis Shoe Suggestions?

[100AcreWood]

I have a bad case of PF in my left foot. We're thinking about the next trip and I'm wondering what people do with PF, what shoes do you wear, any tips for getting through a full day of walking without constant foot pain?

 

[3Gsandme]

First, do you have a night splint? If the answer is no, get one. Or two. They are well worth it.

I cannot skimp on shoes. Ever. I can't ever wear anything cheap and I have to replace regularly. I have the best luck with sketchers with memory foam. I have tennis shoes and boat shoes and they're equally comfortable but I've tried plenty of different styles and came to the same result. I've also had good luck with crocs (which I hate admitting but there you go). I can also wear Bass shoes without incident as well.

I have not, personally, had good luck with shoe inserts.

 

[OKW Lover]

Its probably best to rely on what your Dr advises you as far as shoes go. Your Dr knows your feet the best and knows how you stand/walk. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for others.

 

[KSR0330]

I had terrible PF for over a year. It took a lot of time and persistent wearing sneakers with inserts and stretching daily (and a cortisone shot in the heel) to help it go away. Now that it's gone, I only wear sneakers with inserts or Vionic brand shoes. Good luck!

https://www.powersteps.com/?gclid=CIis59yojc8CFVVahgodlRoFCA
http://www.vionicshoes.com/?gclid=CKb14J2ojc8CFRBbhgodte0G8w

 

[Pooh2]

Just got some New Balance 1540 plus an insole with good arch support and cushion. Got the shoes in a size wider than usual to give a bit more room for the insole. Seems to help a bit.
Amazon has a sock-type night sling for about $40 that seems to help keep it stretched in the night without dealing with a regular night brace.
Good luck! Is not a fun thing to live with.

 

[disneyseniors]

Oh, OP, I can sympathize with you! Before our trip last November, I got PF. It was so bad that I had to use a wheelchair (first time every) to get around. I had it 2 months before the trip. I went to the doctor and did the massaging of the PF on the bottom of the foot and inner leg from ankle to mid thigh. He also injected the heel twice with cortisone, which gave some relief. I used iced bottle massage. He also recommended getting fitted for a good tennis shoe, which I did and which cost a fortune. However, the tennis shoes hurt my foot more than regular ones, so I went back to my old standby tennis shoes.
I guess you have to try different things and see what works for you. You might have a pair of shoes at home that are comfortable, so go with those. If not, go to a reliable shoe store where they actually fit your shoes to your foot, and try those. Good luck! Mine finally cleared up after 5 months! UGH.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I wore Merrells and mine finally went away after about 6 months. Merrell light hikers, loafers and sandals.

Another tip - make sure you wear shoes ALL THE TIME. Including indoors. Something with support.

 

[Dashzap]

• New Balance shoes.
• Never go barefoot. (I wear Crocs Scutes around the house because they are squishier than normal crocs.)
• Exercise your feet once the pain goes away...use a bongo board...do wii fit exercises...dump a bunch of marbles on the floor and pick them up and put them in a bowl only using your feet....anything that really works your feet
• Freeze a water bottle and use to ice your arches if you've been on your feet a lot.

 

[CaliTex]

I got PF when my DH dragged me around New Orleans for 3 days and all I had packed was--really super cute sandals, with ZERO arch support. Okay, okay, it was stupid, I admit. But I didn't know it was going to be a forced march! I pictured lounging around the pool, a hurricane in my hand...dinner reservations at an intimate corner table for two...not tromping around in a circle endlessly...

(He wasn't my DH yet, he was only my DF, and I didn't want to complain, so..... Now, we've been married a long time now, and if I had forgotten my shoes today, Stop #1 would have been the shoe store. Trust that. )

Good advice on here. Dashzap really nailed it all. I also wear socks with compression in the arches, and consider speaking to your doc about a cortisone injection. Until it goes away, DO NOT go without shoes that offer good support.

Good luck and I sure hope that you are better soonest!

 

[jenniy122]

Ask your doctor's opinion on shoes, as it really does vary person to person what is best for you, even if we all have the same condition. Soft shoes are the worst for me, things with memory foam or crocs cause my PF to flare up terribly. I either wear a ballet flat style with inserts, tennis shoes with customs orthodics, or vionic sandals and slippers. My doc also recommended merrells, but my toes are too wide.

Other things that will help are never going barefoot (something even just for walking to the bathroom makes a difference), icing, and massage. Turn the mini-fridge down all the way and put a bottle of water in there, and roll your feet on it every morning before getting going and at night before bed, kills two birds with one store.

 

[JKMastalski]

I just started wearing Croc Meleen's - they have been a lifesaver!!!!!!! I have been able to zip around on my feet all day. I also bought 2 more pairs for our trip in November and sketchers Go Walks are amazing too!

 

[100AcreWood]

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions! This will give me some ideas of which shoes to try. I'm currently taking anti-inflammatory meds, doing the exercises, icing at least twice a day, keeping shoes on all day (I miss going barefoot!), I ordered compression socks, I'm trying inserts but not impressed so far and I'm also seeing a chiropractor for adjustments and ultrasound therapy. I can't believe how painful this has been. I'm not ready to do the night splint because I'm a light sleeper and even the doctor said I probably wouldn't handle it well so we're going to try other stuff first.

It's great having people to sympathize with. You wouldn't believe how many people have said oh yea I had that for a couple days. That's no fun. A couple days? This has been going on for three months. They say it like I'm overreacting. So thanks .

 

[gardengalB4]

Good Feet arch supports...advertised to help people w/PF.
I use them because I had trouble finding shoes w/arch support & being on my feet all day was a killer...

 

[delux]

I had it when I went to Disney once. Ugh. I wore good sneakers, running sneakers not sketchers. Once I got home I bought Dansko clogs and wear them every day. Ahh sadness of not being able to wear cute shoes. But I have not had a reoccurrence since. So when I go to the parks my sneakers do the job. I also have good luck with Clarks.

 

[100AcreWood]

What do you do at water parks?

 

[Dashzap]

What do you do at water parks?

For a lazy river, I've carried my scutes right in with me.

You could do water shoes with gel inserts.

Found a Disney Parks moms panel post that says yes to the water shoes. You may need to hold the shoes in your hands on the largest slides.
https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney...r-shoes-rides-water-parks-yes-allowed-133308/

 

[OnceUponATime15]

I am just getting over my first ever PF flare up which lasted just over 3 months. At times it was so painful and mobility limiting I was beside myself.
My Dr suggested icing and a night brace, no anti inflamitory meds - my kidneys don't do well with them, so Tylenol it was. The Dr also suggested Crocs and no bare feet even while at home. I am on my feet at work 80% of my work day in my classroom and found while the crocs were "ok" -- sketchers with memory foam were a lifesaver.

FWIW, a coworker suggested Voltaren topical gel for its anti inflamitory properties - I didn't try it so I'm not sure if it makes a difference or not.

 

[Dashzap]

while the crocs were "ok" -- sketchers with memory foam were a lifesaver.

Regular crocs are painful for me...they aren't padded enough. Some of the crocs sandals are double padded enough to be comfortable for me: Scutes, Athens, etc.

 

[delux]

What do you do at water parks?

For flip flops I use Teva's or Reef's because you can find ones with an arch and thick soles.

 

[a742246]

At night I would use a frozen water bottle, put it on the floor and roll my arch over it. In the morning I would go to a hot tub and put the bottom of my foot over a warm outtake opening. I would then stretch my feet in the hot tub. Once out of the hot tub I would continue to do stretch exercises every so often. During the day I would try to change my foot-where at least twice a day.
Sometimes I would duct tape my arches by taping over my sock but not too tight!

You have my sympathy! It lasted about 6 months for me. Changing shoes multiple times was very important for my recovery I have not had a major flare up in over 5 years!