Help! - Plantar Fasciitis

[Susan Bartolini]

So, with the new year here, I decided to get back into shape with healthier eating and exercise. Lucky for me, I have developed a nice case of Plantar Fasciitis in my right foot. I am sure it has something to do with being relatively sedentary for about a year and then overdoing it in the gym for the past couple weeks.

I am looking for recommendations for a good sports shoe and maybe some shoe inserts. I really want to get this healed as quickly as possible. I am so bummed out that this happened because I am so motivated to get fit and I just can't workout while my foot is in pain.

Has anyone else had to deal with this? Any tips?

Thanks!
Susan

[aggiefamily]

My mom suffers from this. She was told to wear either Nike or Ryka shoes. She also has to wear shoes those shoes all day long- do not go barefoot. Other shoes (like sandals, heels) aggravate it so until the pain has lessened I would stick with tennis shoes.

[LenaGardner]

I had/have bad plantar fascitis when I taught aerobics...I wore custom made orthotics that the podiatrist created from a mold of my feet. I wore Ryka shoes to excercise in...they are actually the only company that still makes a really good aerobic shoe, where the cushion is more in the pad of the foot, not the heel like a running shoe.

I recommend ultrasound therapy for bad plantar fascitis. this did WORLDS of good for my feet. I think I went 3x a week. But, the thing that helped the best was stopping all the activity that created it. I had to stop teaching aerobics because I was facing surgery if I didn't. They got sooo much better after the time off. But it sounds like that's not an option for you :)

[Susan Bartolini]

Yeah, I was trying to avoid a trip to the Podiatrist, but I think I have no choice at this point. I definitely need to just STOP everything and rest the injury....which sucks!!!! I really wanted to get into shape and I can't believe that this happened. I am so frustrated!

Susan

[lovely1m]

My mom suffers from this. She was told to wear either Nike or Ryka shoes. She also has to wear shoes those shoes all day long- do not go barefoot. Other shoes (like sandals, heels) aggravate it so until the pain has lessened I would stick with tennis shoes.

My mom does the same thing. She though was told New Balance makes some good ones, too. You are just supposed to make sure he sole of the shoe is not easily bent like running shoes often can.

[ZaCola3]

My sister has this as well and is facing surgery on both feet in the next few months...
The Pod made her an insert and told her that New Balance tennis shoes were the ones to buy-I can't remember the number...seems like it started with a 7...I'll call her and ask later.
Sorry this is happening Susan!

[SeattleSheri]

Sorry about the PF :( I also have had PF in the past. I don't have any shoe recommendations, but I did go to the podiatrist and he recommended icing my heel for 15 minutes twice daily.

[Jennifer]

:( I have also been told that New Balance is the way to go...hope you feel better!

[scrapmonkey]

Wow! Lots of expensive options here. When I went to my primary care doctor with what he diagnosed as plantar fascitis (and he's usually right on in his diagnosis), all he suggested were some exercises. Cheap ones.
Take a full unopened regular-sized can (maybe those canned peas you never use, lol) and put it on the floor. Put your bare foot on it (or stockinged foot if you are at work) and roll the can back and forth under your foot for several minutes. Do this several times a day. It helped me, and whenever I start to get those tight painful feelings I start those back up and after a couple days, I'm back to normal.
I'd also suggest you get your sneakers at a professional athletic store that measures your foot and gets you the correct shoe for the type of exercise you are doing; i.e. don't go to a Foot Locker or Payless for them.

[rachelv]

I have PF and it flares up every once in a while.

Advil/Motrin helps. Large doses on time.
Good tennis shoes.
Before you get up, roll your foot on a can of soup to stretch it out.

My miracle soothers: the dr. scholls gel heal pads.

I tried them out when I went to Disneyland. They were a life saver. I was shocked that I could walk all day and not die when after I sat down and got back up to walk again.

[wildblueeyez]

Inserts will help with some of the pain, but really you need to stretch the arch of your foot out. Either using the soup can method or squatting down on the balls of your feet and then putting your knees on the floor (basically sitting on your balls of your feet). both will help stretch the arch to decrease to pain.

My husband's arches have felt much better, esp in the AM when getting out of bed, since he started walking on a treadmill daily.

[FireWolf]

I have a pretty bad case of PF and besides a lot of stretching and rolling your foot on a can I can highly recommend this taping method http://www.heelspurs.com/tape.html It works wonders for me.

[Susan Bartolini]

WOW...thanks everyone for the great advice. My primary care doctor told me about the stretches, proper foot wear, and the ibuprofen. I have heard from a couple people that New Balance is the way to go so now I am just going to search for a good athletic store. I also want to get the heal pads (I have some full shoes inserts, but I think I need something more robust). I will also start the soup can exercises as well.

Thank you so much for your tips!

Susan

[NettieB]

I get PF from time to time - usually when I jump back into exercising too quickly - I have really high arches.

What has worked for me is a bumpy massage roller -- I sit in a chair and roll it with my feet directly under my arches back and forth in sets of 20. Kinda a squirmy feeling at first, and sometimes not so fun, but helps loosen the area. Changing my posture and how I walk - my stride was "too long" - taking shorter strides and loosening my hips gentled the stress in all my joints and helped as well.

Smartfeet (http://www.footsmart.com/Default.aspx?srccode=WMBDEFLT&cm_mmc=googbr-_-Brand-_-s-_-smart_feet&src=fspaid&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=smart%2Bfeet&utm_content=FootSmart&utm_campaign=c24&siclientid=1873&sessguid=ddfc3c20-3829-4d92-be83-93d29328c2f3&userguid=ddfc3c20-3829-4d92-be83-93d29328c2f3&permguid=ddfc3c20-3829-4d92-be83-93d29328c2f3) inserts and arch supports are great too, as the $ for a custom made insert is still a bit much for something that only shows up occasionally! And that way, I still get to buy that cute pair of shoes! HTH and you feel good soon! :)

[cheltzey]

Make sure you're wearing shoes ALL DAY. Bare feet (and flip flops!) can really aggravate it. I agree with the taping; it works wonders for me. There's a different way that I've done it before; trying googling it to see the different taping options.

[isaacsmom]

Not a doctor here, but I do work in an Orthopaedic clinic where I read peoples clinic notes all day (I am a coder). SO, that being said, the thing I see the orthopods recommend day in and day out are frequent stretches, rest, and icing. The soup can thing is great to stretch the arches out. Also, I great idea is to take a water bottle and freeze it and then take the frozen water bottle and roll that under your foot. Another somewhat different suggestion I have seen is to sleep with high top sneakers on. This forces your foot to stay stretched out over night since typically, the first steps in the morning are the most painful and that is when it is the tightest. The biggest thing I think is to keep it stretched out as there is a chance if it gets super tight, it can rupture and will cause bigger problems. Just my two cents. :) Hope you find some relief!

[krystalhartley]

Nike and New Balance have both worked for me. And never going around bare foot...get a comfy, supportive slipper or something to wear around the house. I actually found a great pair of flip flops...actually foamy, cushiony arch support.

[newfiemountiewife]

I'm so sorry Susan! I've btdt with shin splints, and it sucks so bad. I keep getting them too, even when I rest for a bit, so it's very irritating.

The girls sound like that had good advice, so I hope you find something that works! Can you weight train the upper body or something while you're resting the injury?

[JenTapler]

Hey Susan!! I think I can actually contribute here!!! I'm a Physical Therapist and treat plantar fasciitis quite regularly - I probably see at least one patient a week with this diagnosis. You do NOT need to stop all activity, only weight-bearing activity that places stress on your transverse arch. You should be fine to do stationary biking or swimming (these would actually be really good to do because it's going to circulate the blood to your feet and help warm up those tissues and "flush out" the "bad stuff" - in laymen's terms). The stretches that were recommended such as rolling your foot over a coke can are great, you should also be stretching your calf really really well on a regular basis. Most people who develop PF have a tight achilles, which contributes to improper running/walking mechanics in the foot, causing excessive force loads to the fascia. The fascia is made to withstand the forces of walking & running as long as your foot/ankle mechanics are correct. I typically also have people do "towel crunches" - place a towel on the floor and put your foot on top of it. Your heel should remain stationary. "crunch" your toes, pulling the towel towards you. It will sort of bunch up under your foot. If it gets too bunched up, push it back out straight. 3 sets of 10 twice a day should be good.

As for modalities - stick with just ice. Studies have shown that while ultrasound feels good temporarily, it doesn't actually do what we used to think it did (increase circulation to the tissues, thereby speeding up the healing process, etc) - most PTs worth their salt don't do ultrasound anymore. We don't even have a machine in our clinic anymore and a lot of payors / insurance companies aren't reimbursing for it.

Anyway, PM me if you want with your e-mail address and I can e-mail you a copy of an exercise handout and do a "mini eval". :thumbup:

[JenTapler]

one more thing - as Krystal said, do NOT go bare foot!!!! Surprisingly, those hideous Crocs are actually really good for PF and place the foot in good neutral alignment. We see so much PF in Hawaii because people don't wear shoes inside the house here (it's considered rude actually), or hardly anywhere else for that matter, and I can NOT convince people to do this. Every now and then I get through to someone and convince them to buy a pair of Crocs to keep in the house that they use JUST for that purpose.