HELP! plantar fasciitis?????????

[malibuconlee]

I don't have any pain anymore, all I did was the hard arch supports from the podiatrist, stretches, and rolling ice under my feet.

I think I did try and wear shoes around the house more for awhile until I didn't have the pain anymore. Mostly for things like standing in the kitchen for a long time. I didn't bother for just walking from one room to another.

I'm currently a housewife, but I mostly wear my tennis shoes, always have, with my arch supports. I did buy a pair of sandals last summer, but they had a really thick sole and I think that helps. I can't wear the thin ones for very long anymore.

HTH

 

[Cookie Princess]

I have had 2 bad bouts of this and now stretch my feet regularly. The last bout came right before a WDW visit. I went to a medical supply store where they have padded inserts specially made for this condition. These are not just the cups, they run the full length of your shoe. If it were not for these lifesaving inserts, I would not have been able to walk through all the parks. These helped more than the physical therapy I was sent to. I did need to ice and stretch at night, but it didn't ruin my trip. I still wear these in my sneakers to this day.

P.S. I think you should head to the doctor for a confirmed diagnosis.

 

[206bones]

I am a physical therapist. I would recommend seeing a PT and/or your doctor as soon as possible. Get the right advice for the right problem.

You can't be sure that you're using the correct advice until someone has looked at, assessed, and felt your feet. Do your feet a favor.

Good luck!

 

[tinklovesme]

I'd suggest seeing a podiatrist. I had this acouple of years ago. I saw the doctor, got a cortisone shot, shoe inserts, and advice on exercises and streches. I haven't had a problem since.

 

[katallo]

I agree with seeing a doctor. It could be a stress fracture.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

I had the diagnosis of PF from a poditrist only a few days before our last trip to WDW. I got inserts and took anti-inflamitory meds but my feet KILLED me on that trip. It was horrible. I was miserable, dh and friends almost got me a wheelchair. I have been following doctors orders for 3 months now and my feet are lots better (not perfect yet). My doctor recommended BITE shoes. They are great. They also allow you to put your own orthodic in if necessary. The only sandals I have found that will do this. I really don't need to add the orthodic to them because they have a great arch support. Do croc's support as well? What other types of shoes have your podietrists recommended? Going to the podietrist was the best thing I've done!

 

[dylansmom1]

Both myself and my husband have had bouts of PF. I also suffered from overextension foot problems from when I was excercises heavily.

Go see a foot doctor. I got a series of Cortisone shots and had a foot brace that I wore at night and within a month I felt better. I wear birkenstocks now (Closed toe shoes make it worse).

Lay off the heavy exercise for awhile. I ended up switching to swimming. Get your foot doc to prescribe shoe inserts for you too. Remember the more time you give your foot a chance to heal itself, the better off your going to be when you go to Disney.

Good Luck,

Jane

 

[Dchef]

If you google this you will find much information and recommendations--the first being you see a Podiatrist. I had 2 Cortisone shots and each one made things worst in the end...be careful, the success rate is different for everyone and I think on average on 70%. PF is hard to battle and I myself have been battling for about a year. Personally I recommend Dansko shoes for everyday, but for the park well you are going to need support and everyone has an opinion on that. I love my crocs and were the best thing on my Trip but I don't know if I would wear them again with my feat in continuous chaos--no trip in my future until my feet are better. Good Luck and see a doctor!

 

[TravelinGal]

After being diagnosed with PF, I was told to go easy on my feet as much as possible. Before walking to do some light stretches - and that meant even before getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.

Heel spurs and PF are NOT the same thing.

Patients, and sometimes doctors often confuse the terms plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. Plantar fasciitis refers to the syndrome of inflammation of the band of tissue that runs from the heel along the arch of the foot; a heel spur is a hook of bone that can form on the heel bone (calcaneus).

Rest and Ice are beneficial to starting the healing process. Compression and Elevation (the last half of "RICE") are not of any real benefit. (according to my Dr.)

Soft supportive shoes are the best. If you have enough support in your Crocs, then go for it. My Dr tried to get me to wear LACE UP shoes all the time. (no way that was going to happen with dresses!)

Good luck with this! It usually takes 3 months or more to start noticing an improvement. I survived WDW with undiagnosed (therefor untreated) PF. But it was tough. Just think how it would feel to play tennis with tennis elbow...same concept.

 

[HydroGuy]

Last week I would have skipped this thread without a second thought. However, now I know exactly what PF is. I had some inflammation about three weeks ago after an early season hike. I saw a doc, took some prescribed anti-inflammantion meds, started stretching exercises, and took it easy for a few weeks.

When the pain was mostly gone, I started up walking in my good hiking shoes at an easy pace on a flat surface for a short distance - last week. The next day the inflammation had spread and now it affects the top and side of my foot, and achilles. I spent this whole weekend on the couch with ice, and got myself some crutches. It is feeling a little better, but is still not good. We are leaving for WDW in 12 days. I am going to do everything possible to keep weight off the foot, ice it, and stretch it. I am seeing a PT tomorrow. I may have to go for heel inserts. I am concerned of the cortisone route - doctor was reluctant too - and warned me about surgery obsessed podiatrists.

In any case, I am keeping my fingers crossed. If worst comes to worst, I will gut it out at WDW and let it heal when I get back.

 

[boomersmom]

Has anyone had surgery for this? I have been having bouts of this for years now and am considering the surgery (endoscopic). I have heard mixed reviews and was wondering if anyone had experience with this.

 

[PamNC]

Mine was so bad they gave me steroid shots. I also took motrin and got the gel heel caps. That really helped! They also showed me exercises that I could do to help. For instance...put a washcloth on the floor and pick it up with your toes...over and over. Roll your foot over a coke bottle...back and forth.

PamNC

 

[eeyore45]

I'll add mine got better with lots of exercise (esp before you get out of bed, roll your foot around in circles, clockwise, counter clockwise... then point and flex, point and flex... then rolll... and also some of the other exercises with the tennis balls mentioned in earlier threads here are also effective) along with the frozen water bottle rolling, (the R-I-C-E method mentioned earlier here) Luckily for me I dont see the surgery in my future (someone posted their experience on page 1 - thanks!)

Also, doctor said the same thing - no walking barefoot. I have not embraced that!! I just love barefoot... *sigh... crocs help here, and I do have the orthotics that I bought OTC, but they seem to be less effective than the crocs, so I'm thinking of going to get a sturdier pair...

Also, when I go to the doctor, she wraps my foot in such a way, I cant walk, but it takes the pain away!! (minor detail that walking!!)

 

[jbbt]

NEW BALANCE shoes!!! DH and DD (12) both suffered from PF. DD saw the premier pediatric orthopedist in the area. He brought in a whole team of doctors to look at her, it was a teaching hospital. They all had on New Balance sneakers. Everyone at our regular podiatrist office also had on New Balance shoes. That spoke volumes to me. My daughter wound up getting custom orthodics, she was also diagnosed with flexible flat feet, but doesn't need the orthodics as long as she wears her New Balances a majority of the time. From what I uderstand, New Balance creates an arch for each shoe size whereas other shoe manufacturers use the same arch for a span of sizes. Everytime I hear someone talk about PF, I tell them about New Balances and everytime they have come back to tell me that they worked. I have heard this about Birkenstocks too, but since my daughter has flat feet they don't work for her. Her foot needs to be stabilized and in Birks her arch always landed on the high part of the edge of the shoe not in the center. She has also been able to successfully wear Teva sandals, even the mush sandals have been okay. But New Balances have been the answer for our whole family!

 

[rabyoga]

After 15 yrs. of being a fitness instructor, I suffer from PF also. A student of my also have PF pain, she recommended this special sock for PF.. It's a tube sock with a vecro strap on the bottom that pulls the foot back. You wear this at night and it helps stretches the foot. I can't remember name of the sock but it was German sounding. Try checking places that sell running gear-they tend to carry it. IT really helped me.

 

[Dchef]

If you have been diagnosed as having Chronic PF--Ask your doctor about Extracorpreal Shockwave Therapy-It is a non surgical treatment option for PF. It sends shockwaves or pressure sound waves to the tissue to stimulate and reactivate the bodies repair system and stimulate healing tissue. I am definitly going to do this--the downside is that insurance doesn't cover it and it can be several hundreds of dollars (250-300) on average--However my doctor says I will most likely see a difference with the first treatment and not need another she says usually that is the case! She said the success rate is very high and in most cases 85 to 90 %. Ask your doctor!! Keep in mind only a small majority of patients qualify for the ESWT where their condition is concidered chronic and that you have exausted all means of treatment other than surgery--this is not the surgery that should be of last resort!
Here is a site:
www.unitedshockwave.com