Plantar Fasciitis

martinfry, Have you tried rolling your foot over a frozen bottle of water? This helped mine. Have you tried massaging your feet/foot with Voltaren Gel? This also helped mine. Buying good supportive shoes and losing weight helped me.

I did it all. Injections, Pulling the big toe back gently, other stretches, splints, boot, socks, etc., to no avail. The above mentioned helped the most. Strangely, when I get my arthritic needs injected, the cortisone shot is systemic and stops my feet from hurting if they are flared up.

I do not recommend injections in the heel because it can do more harm than good in the long haul....look this up. My podiatrist & orthopedic doctor did not recommend that approach either. You have to be injected from the side and with the site up on a screen so they know where to inject the cortisone. NEVER straight up in the heel......OUCH! I made the mistake of doing that with another doctor years ago when my PF first started....3 months later, I was in pain again and had risked the chance of more damage due to the way the injection was done.

Praying for you. It is so painful and I empathize. Blessings....

I had PF and was sure I'd be in a wheelchair by the time I was 50. It was so painful! Like @martinfry, I did every single one of the suggested remedies. I found wearing Birkenstocks and Mephisto brand sandals around the house helped some - don't go barefoot. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I finally got a procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation. There was very little down time with this minimally invasive procedure. That was in 2008 and I have NEVER had pain in either of my feet again. I had it done in an outpatient clinic and my podiatrist did it for me. I cannot recommend it enough and hope you will look into it. Wishing you the best.

That is a terrible pain….I used to suffer greatly. Now, I only get occasional twinges and when I do I listen, rest the foot until things settle down. My biggest help are good supportive shoes that I always wear. Several years ago, I over did standing during a move. Happened to be at my acupuncturist’s office for something else. He volunteered to stretch my foot (calf too as he says they are related) and it was like a miracle. I walked out without pain! So, if I encounter pain again, I’ll go to this professional and ask them to teach me how to do that stretch. Apparently, there is a technique to it.

Your first paragraph is an excellent "how to" guide for treating PF. I was a marathon runner many years ago and developed PF and heel spurs. I did get relief by sitting in a hurdler pose, leg outstretched, and alternatively pulling my big toe towards me, releasing and then pulling the other four tows together. That works best if the hamstrings and calves are stretched FIRST, something people miss.

But yeah, ice and pressure on the arch, massage with Voltaren - all great ideas. I also ask my masseuse to specifically work on my feet. Oddly, he starts with my calves to improve blood flow to the feet. And then he massages the arches and hits all the reflexology points. It works.

As for my heel spurs, I did get one cortisone injection - pretty ineffective. Serious stretching as I outlined worked the best.

Oh and a good bottle to use for frozen water is a SmartWater bottle. The large size is long and shaped just like a tube, and fits very well under the foot.

martinfry ...
I'll never forget those pain filled days of going to work - not pain from the work,
but every step it took for me to get there. But, when you need the job, you don't
have a choice. I searched out the area drugstores to help find 'help' for the pain
... the pain that I didn't even know had a name.

I did research (before computer days). I sent away for 'foot' magazines. I saw
ads that seemed to describe 'help' for my pain. I learned it was Plantar Fasciitis.
Whoever heard of this then? Now sadly it's become so popular. I'd like to share
with you what helped me.

My pain stemmed from my 'arch'. I bought a soft wrap with velcro straps. This
lifted my arch. I bought something called "heel seats" ... a great name and even
the name should put a smile on your face. I put the heel seat in the heel of my
shoe. (Duh!) And guess what? After a few days, my tears became 'happy tears'
because the pain subsided. If throughout the years I feel a twinge ... I put on
my soft velcro wrap and put in my heel seats ... and I'm a happy lady. I pray,
dear PF sufferer, that my uplifting PF experience will help you. Good Luck and
please be hopeful. One morning, you may take that step and wonder where the
pain went. (Not the 'yellow', remember?) Good wishes for pain free days ahead.

I've had PF twice. My adult son had it once. This second time, I wanted to use a foot brace of some kind, because I could hardly even walk inside my own home to the bathroom and then back to my bed. So, I went looking. The orthopedic kind, in my city, requires a referral. So, I got one. Once there, they could not come up with one that didn't make it hurt more, even without walking on it! So, their Supervisor came and he asked me if I'd seen an Orthopedist yet. I asked him for referrals. The one I picked was the right one for me. He normally did foot or ankle surgery but was up to date on PF. I've seen him once a month since last Winter. That's 8 months now. It's cured, or feels like it finally. He put steroid shots into that foot, often with one hand doing the shot and the other hand using his own portable ultrasound. According to him (and the research I found online) PF is rightly diagnosed by measuring the thickness (swelling) of the PF ligament, and nerves attached to it. Mine was way past what it should have been, hence the steroid injection. 8 months later, I know to wear a shoe (looks like a Birkenstock) with a heel cup but also with some padding to it. I just buy cheap plastic sandals that do both things. I also believe that cold concrete floor in the apt we had back then (we moved) was part of the problem. Good luck.

I use rubber bands (about 4 inches wide & long enough to go from my foot to my hands). I bought them at a specialty drug store where they sell all kinds of aids. The different colors reveal the looseness or tightness of the band.made for the purpose of stretching the calf. I used to do calf stretches with them while watching tv. Worked really well. I started with 10, and gradually increased it to 20-25. Worked for me.

I had PF two years ago. In the middle of my recovery from it, I found OrthoFeet shoes. I switched completely to this brand - what a difference!