Anyone develop heel pain in one foot after a week walking around Disney?

[jennyerin]

A few more details: Every trip I have worn CROCS Maryjanes and never had a problem. This trip the CROCS were bothering my toes a little so I switched to some sport sandals I purchased from Kohls. Very comfortable and no blisters but after a week I developed a stabbing pain in my heel - like a knife through it with every step. Any ideas? It is a little better since I am not walking as much at home but still sore - especially in the morning and after sitting a while....

 

[jennyh2829]

Could be plantar fasciitis

 

[eagles1281]

Sounds like Planter Fasciitis, I had it and its a pain to deal with. I went threw the custom made inserts, Theropy, the jig you wear to bed. Nothing worked; except the laser treatment....got it done about 4 years ago and have t had a symptom since. (Insurance did not cover it and I believe it ended up being around $800 total)

 

[mousefan73]

For your sake just assume its plantar fac. Whatever. Take my advice. If you are active ( runner , workouts etcs) give your feet a rest for two weeks u til it goes away. Do not push through the pain. Do calf streches, ice, roll your heel on a tennis ball. Ibuprfrin. Believe me, if this is your first case of this take care of it now. I pushed through the pain and ran. Took me 6 months to walk normal again. It sucks if you have a bad case. Google.

 

[paracelsus]

You have developed plantar fasciitis with heal pain because the sandals that you switched to were too flat and had little or no arch support. Without arch support, with every step you take, you are banging your heal on the ground. I developed the same condition last summer in my left foot while walking around in Disneyland. The pain gets worse when you sit because the tissue on the bottom of your foot contracts. You have to keep stretching it, ice it after walking, and always wear shoes with arch supports. It will go away on its own, but it may take some time.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

I was thinking plantar too. Wear shoes with better support from here on out.

Also, a trick I've always used is to get a 20oz soda (or water) bottle, and freeze it with water inside. Once frozen, roll your foot over it on the ground for about 15 minutes or so. It'll be painfully cold at first, but it will feel awesome in the long run.

 

[Happysahd]

Just an FYI, I'm susceptable to PF and after trying a great many different things the solution for me was wearing "earth shoes". They have great arch support and put your heels lower so they never actually take much weight when you walk or run. You end up more on the balls of your feet like many runners like to do. I used to get horrible sore feet on vacation, not just from PF but just sore from walking on concrete all day, in earth shoes I don't get any foot pain. They feel a bit weird at first but after a couple hours I started really liking them, it's a much more ergonomic gait they give you, particularly if you have flat or flexible feet and tend to pound your heels when you run.

 

[glassslippergirl]

I agree with others, it might be PF. It hurts like heck. There are stretches you can do to help. The best one I found involves putting your hands against the wall, firmly planting the healthy foot in a normal standing position, and extending the sore foot behind you with the heel flat on the ground. Hold the sore foot in place for about 30 seconds. You should Google more precise directions, but this stretch relieved a lot of pain for me. I also agree with PP's that you should probably stay off it for a week or so. If you're still in pain after that, see a podiatrist. They can work better with you before the pain gets too bad.

 

[chartle]

Um, what does your doctor say?

 

[RMulieri]

Definitely sounds like PF..I have it and it is not fun when it flares up..You got a lot of good advice here.

 

[DebbieB]

A few more details: Every trip I have worn CROCS Maryjanes and never had a problem. This trip the CROCS were bothering my toes a little so I switched to some sport sandals I purchased from Kohls. Very comfortable and no blisters but after a week I developed a stabbing pain in my heel - like a knife through it with every step. Any ideas? It is a little better since I am not walking as much at home but still sore - especially in the morning and after sitting a while....

My aunt got plantar fasciitis from wearing flip flops all summer long last year. She had to get shots in her heal. The doctor said to try wearing crocs.

 

[JZCubed]

It appears that some good advice for healing your pain has been offered.

But the adage is, "[A]n ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure......"

I make certain that my primary pair shoes for any Disney vacation includes a reasonably new pair of sneakers and many new pairs of socks.

My wife started traveling with her fashionable sandals and the like only to discover that a Disney vacation extracts an abnormal amount from her feet.

As much as she dislikes sneakers, she now packs a reasonably new pair along with a number of new pairs of socks.

Also, it pays to travel with a second pair of sneakers to let the other pair air out...because some people get athletes foot or fungus from not changing their sneakers.....

Godspeed for a healthy recovery.

 

[Love Tink]

I developed PF after our trip last year, but didn't really take it seriously and it got worse and worse until I was hobbling. It took a year to get it under control.

Don't think it will go away on its own - you need to deal with it. My best advice is to never, ever be barefoot when you are standing. You need good arch support all of the time - so get good shoes and/or slippers. For the pain, naproxen (Aleve over-the-counter or a prescription for a higher dose) are your best bet, because they reduce the swelling in the tendon.

 

[Itinkso]

While you are healing from the pain, using athletic tape to support the soles of your feet provides protection for the plantar fascia when you are barefoot. Google "Taping Plantar Fasciitis" for videos. The combination of taping, calf stretches, and wearing Keens at all times worked much better than the custom orthotics from my podiatrist. And this sounds weird, but doing and holding planks helps to keep my calves and feet stretched out to be free of PF pain.

Another thing that works to decrease the pain is "Active Release Therapy" to break up the adhesions that developed with the plantar fascia and surrounding soft tissues. The therapy is quite painful but the results are amazing! It's similar to deep tissue massage but incorporates movement along with the pressure.

Hope you heal quickly!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Um, what does your doctor say?

I'll go one step further, what does your podiatrist say?

After dealing with PF pain for 2 years even after treatment from regular MD, therapy, the stretches etc nothing helped except seeing a good podiatrist who made carbon fiber inserts. Day after getting them I headed to WDW for 10 days, no issues. Been pain free pretty much since. 2 years this week. I still wear the inserts most days and it was the best money I ever spent.

If you were having chest pains you would see a cardiologist, your feet deserve the same specialist care.

 

[angierae]

Nothing healed my plantar fasciitis except cortisone shots. I've been pain free since 2010. (And yes, a trip to Disney is what started it.)

 

[shelemm]

ASAP, go out and buy footwear that grips around your feet very well and get arch inserts and use them. The real ones that are customized to your feet are the best choice. The ones in the store you will have to swap out often. Get footwear with massive arches. I was able to avoid any kind of surgery/procedure and it corrected itself. My wife was not so lucky.

At this point you are on the clock. Maybe it is already too late, but take corrective action quickly in case there is a chance you can avoid a serious medical condition.

 

[CalvaryMike]

Go to the Walking Store or some similiar type store. My wife had the same problem. She starting wearing orthotics and she was cured.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I had my first bout of PF after a Disney trip. I found a combination of Ibuprofen, supportive shoes and a night splint during flare-ups to work for me. The night splint holds your foot in a 90 degree angle while you sleep to stretch the fascia. Here are some examples..http://www.orthoticsandbeyond.com/c-23-night-splint.aspx

Also, walking around barefoot is not recommended. I can only do Crocs now if they are the supportive ones for my arch( I have high arches).

 

[klmall]

I did the orthopedic inserts (podiatrist prescribed) and that helped for awhile. But I got progressively more uncomfortable and ended up needing PF surgery on one foot. That cured me for five years. Recently I started having extreme pain in my left arch and returned to the podiatrist. Result: flat feet! Not bad enough to require surgery which was a possibility but I now wear good tennis shoes or shoes with a small heel at all times and new ortho inserts. Doctor says I probably aggravated my arches by wearing flat slippers around the house for 30 plus years and flats to teach in!