Plantar Fasciitis, what a curse!!

[MattB4]

I had both plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis in my left foot real bad to the point I thought I needed surgery. What solved it was none of the various shoes and stretching exercise. It was leaving the job I had that involved being on hard paved surfaces and standing/walking all day.

I now walk 4-5 miles a day on gravel dirt roads and rarely have any flareups. But walking too much on hard surfaces can bring back problems.

 

[masscity]

In the last 17 years I've had it maybe 3 times, probably not as bad as the rest of you. I don't where the idea came from, but I hold on the wall at the living room doorway and do toe stands. It usually goes away in a few days.

 

[gsganzer]

I had both plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis in my left foot real bad to the point I thought I needed surgery. What solved it was none of the various shoes and stretching exercise. It was leaving the job I had that involved being on hard paved surfaces and standing/walking all day.

I now walk 4-5 miles a day on gravel dirt roads and rarely have any flareups. But walking too much on hard surfaces can bring back problems.

That's my problem. I commission new power plants, and I've had a bunch of sites recently that involved a lot of walking on paved or gravel surfaces. Especially the site I've been working in Canada. I think the problem really flared up when I was there before the end of the year and it was icy. I wore these grabber/cleat things that slip over your boot to give you traction on ice. Walking with the dang things was like having something poking you right in the bottom of the arch. I've been bringing 2 different sets of boots on every job since and keep swapping between them to try to get relief. I bought some of the Dr. Scholls, Plantar Fasciitis inserts and I'll give them a try. I bought some expensive "Sole" branded inserts, and they did nothing for me.

I wore that brace last night, not perfect, but it seemed to work. This morning, I stretched and went straight into my tennis shoes. I'm trying to "tread lightly" (see what I did there?), and try to get on top of this before I go back to that site next week.

Every time I think I'm seeing improvement; I have a set back. It seems like all it takes is 10 steps in the wrong shoes, not properly stretched, wrong surface etc.etc. and you're screwed again.

 

[bigtiller]

In the last 17 years I've had it maybe 3 times, probably not as bad as the rest of you. I don't where the idea came from, but I hold on the wall at the living room doorway and do toe stands. It usually goes away in a few days.

So do I.
I stand on the balls of my feet, on the bottom rung of a step ladder. then lower my heels as far down as comfortable for 10 seconds. Then stand on my toes for 10 seconds.

I did several cycles of that stretch several times a day. And I never passed up a chance to stretch my Achilles tendon for a few seconds during the day.

It helped me, and I still do a few stretches just for maintenance.

 

[2manyrocks]

I suspect a lot of foot pain has to do with today's footwear not having the same quality as years ago. Hard surfaces plus walking a lot on hard surfaces makes it worse.

 

[RobertEH]

I had a bad case a few years back. It has been threatening to start up again the past few months. I have 3 bits of advice:

1. Good Arch support is critical in all your shoes - all the time. via orthotics or "superfeet" insoles

2. Make sure your bare foot NEVER touches the floor. I got some cork sandals with good arch support that I keep by the bed. My foot goes into them before it hits the ground in the morning. This is critical as failure to do this promotes micro tears in muscles and makes the pain worse/inhibits healing. This is especially important first thing in the morning as everything has relaxed overnight (which is why your brace is important). I wear some Addidas sandals in the shower as they have formed to my feet and are waterproof.

3. Having one of those little spikey ball things to massage your arch also helps. https://www.amazon.com/Due-North-Massage-Plantar-Fasciitus/dp/B002QEY6NK

If you don't see improvement with these tips in a month or so, then go see a podiatrist!

 

[Dftodd]

I've suffered for several years now. Granted it's a little different for each person since everybody has a different arch type.

But here's what I figured out that works for me having high arches.

A good sneaker that I wear when I'm not working.

My doctor recommended "Brooks" sneakers since they were developed and produced by podiatrists. He and several of the other doctors in his practice wear them.

After about 6 months when I saw him next, I thanked him for the recommendation.

I stretch my feet when I get up in the morning. I stand up straight, lean forward against the wall putting the pressure on the pads just before the toes, stretching the arch of my foot.

This hurt like a mother when I first started, but I would feel relief afterwards. And it did help, since it's basically tendinitis in the arch of your foot.

I can also do this sitting down on the edge of the bed once I figured out where I needed to put pressure to stretch out the arch.

Good work boots. Just like the shoes, it took me a long time to find a pair of work boots that had the padding and support where I needed it.

This is not a one size fits all. If you ask my coworkers, every one of us swears by a different pair of boots.

It took corporate a while to figure this out, since they give us a boot allowance each year. It used to be that we had to stick with RedWing boots. Which happen to tear me up.

Corporate finally said "we don't care what brand of boots you get as long as they meet these requirements"

One coworker swear by Ariat, another wears RedWing. I wear timberline pros. And once I found a set of boots that work for my feet, if the local boot store doesn't have my size in stock, I'll order them.

 

[Joel/ak]

My daughter has it and in constant pain. Had custom insoles made and she wears Hokas shoes.

Only time her feet don't bother her is when she's playing hockey, of course her skates are baked to her feet

 

[SARG]

Check on YouTube for exercises for plantars .... there are dozens

 

[jyoutz]

Oh man, I've been suffering with this for over 6 months on my left foot, maybe even longer! It's just something I keep trying to ignore, but I've come to the point that I'm almost crippled. You'd think I'd be smart and go see a doctor, instead I've been too busy with work and family issues and keep trying to just get over it. Every time I think I might be getting over it, it rages back. I've tried different shoes, stretch, massage, roll a frozen water bottle under my arch etc. I've even put new insoles in some of my shoes/boots and they haven't done anything.

Today I bought a brace, that I wear while sleeping, that I'll try. But looking on-line, I see a better one that has a tensioning strap to help stretch your foot upward during the night. I think I'll buy that one too and see what works better.

To make problems worse, I have issues with my right ankle too, associated with a leg injury that required lower leg reconstruction back in 1989. That ankle has always had a range of motion issue, but is now giving me some severe tendonitis or joint issues too. I did see the doctor about that last year and their solution was to send me to PT, which did nothing. With that ankle, I think I have a mechanical issue, related to the original injury and I probably need to see an orthopedic doctor.

I guess I'll quit being stubborn and try to make a doctor appointment.

I've never had issues with my feet and could always walk miles and miles with no issues. This is really a pain.

I had that for 14 years. Orthopedic insoles prescribed by a podiatrist makes it tolerable. But what really helped was a physical therapy treatment I had called ASTYM. Eight treatments and my plantar fasciitis was cured after suffering for 14 years. I still wear the orthotics insoles. See if you can find a physical therapist near you that does this treatment.

Astym Therapy Home

Astym® therapy is an effective, noninvasive treatment that heals complex musculoskeletal conditions from the inside out.

astym.com