Plantar fasciitis relief

[Mickeyflower]

I have suffered from this nemesis for nearly 20 years. Due to SEVERE BUDGET restrictions, I cannot afford a new pair of supportive shoes. I was wondering if anyone has used inserts or tricks to keep this pain in the foot at bay.

Every pair of shoes I own ends up KILLING my feet within a couple of hours. I do the stretches and never going bare foot thing, but my shoes are just worn out.

ANYTHING will help.

TIA!

 

[kaligal]

Get a new podiatrist. Your current one should have fit you for inserts if this has been an ongoing thing. Many, many people wear them. Unfortunately, it isn't cheap the first time around. If you can't afford shoes, you likely won't be able to afford the inserts.

Stay off your feet, do the stretches and if your doctor is okay with it, take a couple Aleve every once in a while. He can give you the dosage. It will help for a while, but eventually, the inflammation (and pain) will be more than the Aleve can handle.

Honestly, I'd borrow the money for the inserts. You can pay now or pay later when you can't walk...but you're going to have to fix this problem eventually.

Good luck.

 

[Ali]

I hurt my foot last year, January 17th actually. I had so much pain I couldn't walk in any shoes without limping. My mom works for a podiatrist but my insurance doesn't cover products from there so I chose not to spend so much money on inserts or ugly shoes. I started wearing crocs all the time. I bought the brown men's canvas style at Disney and have many other pairs now. Wearing crocs for a year and doing nothing else, no stretches or icing or nighttime boots has cleared up my foot pain. I can walk barefoot now and I can wear other shoes, but I like my comfy crocs.

Most doctors will say that crocs are the worst thing for foot pain but for me the cushioning was exactly what I needed. They are cheap at TJ maxx, Marshalls, or Ross or there are outlets.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I'm going to move this over to our DISabilities forum as I know it's been discussed there before. I hope you find an answer soon!

 

[Robin"D"]

This may sounds silly....

BUT A GOLF BALL WORKS....

Get a gold ball, but it on the floor/ put your foot on it/ and rool the ball with the bottom of your. It does work

Also a towel/ piece of strong cloth/ put it on the ball/bottom of your foot, frab each end of the towel with each hand and do streching with it

Hope this helps

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[minkydog]

I have a long and sordid history with plantar fasciitis and tendenitis in both feet. I have had cortisone shots in the heels, the post-tibial tendons, the side of one foot and the tops of both feet. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I have done the stretching, which does seem to help but it's pretty painful until you get the heel cord more flexible. I have been in a cast, on crutches, and in a walking boot, just trying to stablize my stupid feet. I have been on anti-inflammatories daily for many years. At this point, I have severe arthritis in both feet and it will not ever be any better than it is right now. Which is not good, let me tell you.

The one thing that really has helped is good, custom orthotics. They are not inexpensive. In fact, mine cost upwards of $300. But I wear them every. single. day. I no longer wear pretty shoes or sandals because my feet quickly fatigue and I can hardly even walk. I wear New Balance exclusively, to church, to weddings, to the beach, even to fancy dinners. If I don't, my feet will give out within 20 min and I have to be wheeled to the car. I had to buy the NB shoes at a special NB store because the standard ones you find in retail stores simply don't have enough support. At the NB store, they are fully educated on fitting shoes specific to your needs. There are 2 shoes there that work on my feet. I buy one pair every year on my birthday--they are about $140. I wear them until they're worn out.

Good luck. It took my about 4 years, initially, to get control of the pain. I have to stay on top of it all the time or the PF and tenditis return with a vengence. If you can possibly afford the orthotics, try them. It's not guaranteed to work, but if nothing else is working I'd give them a shot. It takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to adjust to them, so be patient with the process.

 

[bidnow5]

What works for me is Crocs there are a few others here that they work for also for some they are no help but in my case they work great

 

[pintamino]

This may sounds silly....

BUT A GOLF BALL WORKS....

Get a gold ball, but it on the floor/ put your foot on it/ and rool the ball with the bottom of your. It does work

Also a towel/ piece of strong cloth/ put it on the ball/bottom of your foot, frab each end of the towel with each hand and do streching with it

Hope this helps

Robin & Angel "D"

Smash the crap out of the bottom of your foot with a golf/lacrosse ball -- especially in the morning before you even think about stepping out of bed and putting weight on it! Ice and Aleve (not a huge fan of NSAIDS) can help too. Before you make it through the process below, you can also do a supportive tape for PF using athletic tape which is pretty cheap at the drugstore.

You can strengthen your natural arch -- walking barefoot for a little bit at a time, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc until you develop strength in your foot. I went from wearing orthopedic inserts and limping around town when I was on a trip and my PF flared up to next to no symptoms! Don't put a band-aid on the problem with cushy shoes -- fix your feet. It can be done, it just takes time and commitment (and is FREE! besides some awesome new minimalist kicks). IANAD, but this worked for me and a couple other people I know.

 

[Mickeyflower]

How long do I do the golf ball rolling for? Do I only do it in the morning or morning and night?

I thought the one thing you are not supposed to do is go bare foot?

Has anyone tried those arch supports I've seen advertised on TV? They are elastic with some type of adjusting thing on them.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I got the Dr Scholls tri comfort insoles (I think that's what they're called, I know it's something with "tri" in it) They honestly don't do much for my arches but the cushion in heel has all but eliminated my issues. Granted mine weren't bad, but it's worth a shot. They're not super expensive and sometimes there's coupons in the paper for insoles.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Buy a good supportive pair of sneakers. I know that you said you have no money - but you're going to part with that money at the sneaker store or at the doc's office. You can't be too kind to your feet. They will thank you for taking care of them!

 

[jworkkul]

Also very good is take a bottle of water and freeze it. Then roll your foot over it but don't do it barefoot. This will not only reduce any swelling in your foot but works as an anesthetic. Works great. I do it while watching TV at night after work.

 

[jenpace]

I used the Superfeet (green) insoles and they worked well for me. In fact, it was like a switch got flipped and the pain was better. At around $50 they're not nearly as expensive as custom orthotics so might be with a try, especially if you can purchase them somewhere that has a generous return policy if it turns out that they aren't going to work out.

 

[PatMcDuck]

What works for me is Crocs there are a few others here that they work for also for some they are no help but in my case they work great

Crocs have helped me enormously. I have the orthodics. They hurt (maybe need to be adjusted).

I wear supportive sneakers, usually Asics or New Balance, 50% of the time. (I have wide feet, and a very high arch, which caused the plantar fascitis). The other 50%, especially at work, I wear Crocs.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Soak in a bucket of warm water. While at Disney use the hot tubs. They work wonders. For pain I found that the OTC migrane meds help the best. I only have to take one pill but it makes a big difference for me.

 

[poohbear8]

I have also suffered and found the fitflops and Sketcher's tone ups were a life saver! I was in pain when I first found the fipflops and as soon as I tried them on, the pain was gone. The angle that they are made reduced the pressure. Sketcher's has a class action lawsuit against them, so Ebay may be the only way you can find them. I have sandals and a pair of knit top clogs I wear as slippers.

These are the insoles I wore for years inside my sneakers/running shoes. They were much more at the Dr's office. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Powerstep-P...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3f20d6a135

I also used one of these 2x daily. I basically rolled my foot for the 2 mins it took me to brush my teeth. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Footsie-Rol...882?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5651663b9a

Another idea for icing is to freeze small dixie cups of water. Peel back the paper and use the frozen block to ice your heel. I would ice as needed, sometimes several times a day.

I was told no barefoot walking. I always have my tone ups on or I just discovered Orthoheel slippers. They have an arch in them and also give good support. I bought mine from QVC. They offered a 3 month payment plan. Maybe that would be a good thing to start with.

I also would suggest you try and see a foot dr, just to be sure it is just PF and not something else. He can give you more exercises to help you heel. If you insurance will cover it, I had physical therapy for months which included icing, heat, massage, and some electrical pulses to break up the area of scar tissue that had formed.

Hang in there! You can beat it, but it will take time.

 

[ddgckg]

What works for me is Crocs there are a few others here that they work for also for some they are no help but in my case they work great

Yep. Crocs took away my pain almost immediately. I could tell a difference after just one day and by the 4th day all pain was gone. That was over 4 years ago and I haven't had any pain since!

 

[Tink6666]

I have Taco brand inserts and wear new balance tennis shoes. I do the frozen water bottle and try not to go bare foot. My podiatrist said not to go barefoot so I wear shoes most of the time. We will be going to WDW later this week and I will see how it goes. I had my left knee relaced this past summer and it has made the plantars in the right foot worse. We are just planning to take things slow in the park.

Good luck!

 

[kaligal]

I got crocs to wear around the house while I had plantar fasciitis. They were easier than taking tennis shoes on and off all the time.

And they turned out to be extremely comfortable for me. They are not a great shoe for everyone, of course. Each set of tootsies needs its own comfort.

But I'll pipe up as another believer in the ugliest shoe on the planet.

 

[ILUVALASKA]

I wear orthotics in all my shoes. I only wear dANSKO shoes to work and Saucony tennis shoes for play. I second the golf ball trick.