Disneyland and Plantar Faciitis

[mickey+minnie91]

Does anyone have any tips for dealing with plantar faciitis while in disneyland? Ive been dealing with this for about 8 months. I have gotten a cortisone shot and have gotten some relief but still in pain. I plan on rotating between my Brooks walking shoes and Teva sandles. Any other suggestions please

TIA

 

[disneyfirsttimer18]

My mom has plantar faciitis and if she's going to be walking or on her feet a lot the only shoes she wears are her Brooks walking shoes. Her first day at Disneyland she wore sandals and dealt with pain for months.

I bought a pair of Brooks several weeks before my first Disneyland trip. I have a bad ankle and painfully flat feet. While my feet were sore after a day of walking around DL and DCA, I know that I would have wanted to crawl back to the hotel without the support of my Brooks.

 

[tarheelalum]

I had it years ago. I recommend strassburg socks to stretch your feet out in the morning and night before bed. Also I recommend the herb turmeric for the pain. It is very effective in helping with the pain and inflammation.

 

[lalasmama]

Many, many pairs of just-worn-in shoes... Seriously, I take 4 pairs with me, and change them out 3 times a day. (My podiatrist said I should be changing out my shoes every 3 months since I work on my feet as a medical assistant; in reality, I just go between 4 pairs of super-supportive tennis shoes, and rotate out the oldest pair once a year when I buy new ones. So, I take all my tennis shoes for work to DL with me.)

Stretching is a big one. Using a tennis ball to hit the pressure points on my heel helped in the long run, but sucked in the short run.

Socks! Good socks, not the cheap, thin ones.

I soak my feet at night when I get back to my room. Helps over all soreness.

 

[tarheelalum]

Also epsom salt bath for your feet at night to relax the inflamed muscles.

 

[Nevada Jen]

I have band that fits around my foot with a cushiony ball on the bottom. One for each for foot. I rotate wearing that or not with multiple pairs of shoes per day. Including flip flops. Flip flops generally work best for me with that band because I can slide them off and stretch in line. The band came from Walmart and was cheap.

 

[sharksfinatic17]

For flip flops, I recommend Vionics. Other than that, your plan sounds like what I did when I went last summer.

 

[tdhickey]

Bring a hardball or rolling pin, every evening and morning massage the hell out of the bottom of your feet by pressing on the pin/ball with medium to hard pressure (do it before DL too). Work up to 5-10 minute sessions, drink lots of water and take magnesium and advil, it makes a huge difference. Each night give your feet an ice bath to speed recovery. Also those stretch braces made specifically for Plantar Faciitis work great in the short term as well, but over the long term they can aggravate it.

8 months is a really long time, even to Plantar Faciitis, are you massaging multiple times a day like this? I've had it once really bad, and since then I've implemented the massaging/icing routine anytime it creeps up and it never lasts more than a few days, if that. You want to massage as hard as you can tolerate, a spare rolling pin is perfect for this.

 

[disnerella]

I can relate: I have high arches and PF. I have had a cortisone shot with mild success.

Last trip to WDW I wore Keen Women's Whisper Sandals.

My podiatrist and some peeps here on the DIS had recommended trying them for PF so I bought them on Amazon and I had zero pain on the trip. Have been wearing them since for warm weather hiking. YMMV. I also have custom orthotic inserts for my running shoes from my Podiatrist that I brought along but never used there (but use frequently at home).

Good luck PF is such a (literal) pain!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

DH searched high and low for a shoe that gave him enough arch support. His PF was so bad the doctor said that surgery was the only option. Once DH found his Keens, the PF cleared up. It only flairs up now when he stops wearing the Keens for long periods. Then he has to massage, stretch, and get back into his Keens ASAP. Even multi day trips to DLR don't cause flair ups as long as he wears the Keen shoes. This brand isn't for everyone, but finding the right shoe is absolutely key.

 

[C_leen]

Hello, I found Oofos a good flip flop for me. I also have Hokas and Altra running shoes that I rotate. Since I do the runDisney and stay near the convention center, I also just take a taxi or Anaheim shuttle back to my hotel at night. It is only like $6-8 bucks. On the nights I do walk that last long march, I go pretty slow. When my running buddy goes shopping, I sit down somewhere. I sit whenever I can. I put my my feet up if I can. I rub my arches whenever I can.

I found a chiropractor who works on the 'adhesions'. He rubs the arch and you can hear them pop. This has helped me a lot.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I suffered with horrible PF pain until a friend recommended I try SAS shoes. I went to our local SAS store and tried on a pair of their Free Time shoes. I had no pain, bought the shoes, and have never had any PF pain since. That was about 3 years ago. Are the shoes cute and fashionable? No. But being pain free is worth it.

 

[challer]

PF just stinks. I suffered for a year with it.

Just to add onto what everyone else said, my podiatrist custom fit me for orthotics that worked extremely well. Plus, it doesn't matter what shoes you have - just slip the orthotics in.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Sorry you've got it, and hope some of this great advice helps you. I developed it a few years ago and read on the DIS about Skechers Shape Ups. I put them on, and had no pain. I wore them for a year and didn't go barefoot. I was lucky because my plantar fasciitis went away. I think good socks are key, and the recommendations here are great.

 

[luulu1999]

Do you have the inserts for your shoes?? I have it and it is getting worse in one foot right now (i am a bad patient and won't let them do the shot just yet) but my inserts help ALOT, and Iburprofen and Icing it

 

[BriannaRuth]

I had it for a couple of years -- if you haven't already gotten custom orthotics definitely give it a try. I can't even tell I have it anymore as long as I wear my orthotics and the shoes my podiatrist recommended religiously (even at home around the house). Mine are Brooks but he gave me a list of several. A shoe store that specializes can be very helpful as well.

 

[pinkprincess30]

Plantar fasciitis is the worst! I dealt with the same issue last year on our DLR trip. I rotated between my crocs flip flops and tennis shoes and regretted it. I should have just stuck with the supportive tennis shoes. You want plenty of support in the arch and most importantly a secure heel. According to my podiatrist, a shoe that allows movement in the heel will only aggravate the fascia. I would recommend Advil or ibuprofen, as it is an anti inflammatory. Ice at the end of the day & before you head out in the morning will help with the inflammation as well. Your doctor can also show you how to tape up your foot if you want to do that.

Leading up to your trip you can do a lot to alleviate the irritation and heal up as much as possible. Daily stretches ( http://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/conditions/ailments-of-the-heel/pages/plantar-fasciitis.aspx ) and rolling a golf ball, rolling pin or tennis ball under your foot will help a LOT! Use a lot of pressure, and it will hurt a bit at first but my foot always felt so much better afterward. Do that religiously several times a day (I even took one to work and did it at my desk when I thought of it!). I don't know what your situation is, but it wasn't until I lost some weight that it finally went away. Cortizone shots did nothing for me. My doctor also did an experimental treatment not widely used, it was an injection meant to INCREASE the inflammation in order to promote a reaction which would ultimately promote self-healing of the area...WORST PAIN EVER. Do not do this treatment if offered to you!!!

It does eventually go away with stretches, and good shoes.Good luck!

 

[dcraythorn]

If your hotel has a freezer, freeze a bottle of water and use that at night to stretch your foot on.

 

[bsj1701]

I wear orthotics as well as a boot when I sleep at night that keeps my foot stretched.

 

[mickey+minnie91]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I wear a night splint and I can tell when I forget to put it on. I will be bringing that. I use a golf sized ball that has spikes in it and use it nightly. I did consider bringing that with me to the park and like a washcloth to put under it and use it when we sat down for any reason. My teva's do pretty well for sandles but ive often wondered if there was something out there better for me. They are so expensive to get them and not like them. I do have "superfeet" inserts in my Brooks but I dont have custom made ones.

Ive never thought to use a rolling pin to massage my foot and nor have I tried the frozen waterbottle. Good Ideas!