Plantar Fasciitis

[sharp]

Who's had plantar fasciitis? How did you treat it / get rid of it? I have had for several months and it's not getting better. Went to see podiatrist a couple of weeks ago and he gave me a coritsone shot which didn't help at all. Also, I've been icing it every night.

[freesw]

First of all, it's not going to heal right away now that you've got it. Second, what worked for me, and still works to this day, is inserts. Get the best custom made shoe inserts you can afford, and they'll last years, maybe even a decade. I use mine all the time, and switching them from one pair of footwear to another is a lot easier than most chronic conditions to deal with. In other words, nothing to it. Other than testing the inserts when buying shoes or boots.

When I first got it, I could hardly walk it was so bad. I'd been pounding by feet for years without giving it a thought. My feet had never given me a bit of trouble, and then one day, I noticed it just hurt to stand. Then it got worse. No more. I can walk ten miles no problem again.

[DustyJacket]

I got gel insole to cushion the feet, but what really worked is while I am sitting I put my feet beneath me, toes on the floor and bend the toes up by streatching the feet by pushing against the floor.

Hard to explain but I was streatching the bottom of my feet. After a month or maybe more it went away......

[BLACKMAGICK]

Inserts is the answer. PF is progressive and without tx. it will get worse over time until every step and even just standing in one spot will have you in complete misery. It can also lead to the formation of heel spurs and you want to prevent that, your podiatrist should have taken an x-ray to rule that out too. As you probably already know, it is a pain which laughs at OTC painkillers too. IMO PF is from wearing shoes with little to no arch support. The secret is your arch...it needs support and it needs it now.

Ice? Good for making your feet cold.

Take your finger and pressing firmly stick it dead center into the bottom of your foot, if you feel like someone has just driven a knife into it and up your leg...you need inserts NOW not tomorrow.
Go down to any place that carries Scholls stuff and get the adjustable (they are not full length) ones they have and start off with the lightest or medium strength first, give it some time.
Use them for at least a day, and try to feel if one foot is ok and not the other or both are the same to adjust the strength. You should have immediate relief either way. They are about 13 to 14 bucks.

Get the inserts though and (in my case) I got immediate relief as soon as I put them in my shoes and put my foot down 70% of all pain was gone. Within three days I had forgot the hell I had been through and the strained, pissed off look (I'm intimidating looking enough without being pissed off) that had people darting away from me was gone. All I needed was storebought inserts and I don't have even a little pain anymore. Though I think it would only be even better to have ones made from a custom mold of your foot.
There is a company online that will send you a mold...you step in it, return it and they will make you your inserts and cheaper than custom orthotic shoes, plus since they're inserts you get to choose your own shoes instead of being limited to the shoes the Doc has, although they will usually do inserts too.

I do not understand why your podiatrist did not offer you custom shoes or inserts if he diagnosed you with PF, that would be the next step, instead of cortisone (which is often hit or miss) they should of wrapped your feet with pieces of foam and ace bandage in the right places (mostly that arch) granting you immediate relief and then scheduled you to come back for some customs.

For those of you who have never heard of Plantar Fasciitis and have what seems to be progressively worsening foot pain...really good chance PF is what you have and you need to do something about it.

[crazyasian1]

Yup, inserts is the way to go. If you can afford it, get your feet custom fitted for orthotics. The store bought ones might work in a pinch, but custom fitting addresses YOUR foot problems. I'm lucky, the military gave me two sets, one for work and one for working out. Made all the difference in the world.

Also, if you run/jog, look into the minimalist movement, Pose Running or Chi Running. Minimalist is where you wear the absolute minimum on your feet if not barefoot when running (cliff notes version). I got a set of Vibram Five Finger shoes, changed the way I run and I have no sign of my PF at all.

I know, I was EXTREMELY skeptical myself, but I tried it and it worked for me.

Oh yeah, if you have the time and inclination, get a bottle or can (the old curvy coke bottle works great!) and while sitting down, roll the bottle with your foot, concentrating on putting pressure on your arch. This massages and stretches arch and feels great.

[Eric SF]

Custom orthotic inserts totally fixed my problem. I run 25 miles a week, problem is 100% fixed.

[lethal tupperwa]

my doc treated it with anti inflammatories

As to inserts

$200 for custom made may not necessary

There are Super Feet

http://www.superfeet.com/

they were recommended by the physical therapist

make sure to follow the instructions (fit your arch length, cut off the extra length at the toe)

the best way is to find a store in your area that sells them (one that sells hiking equipment usually) and use the try samples to find the correct fit.

they are less than $40 and work well.

[rjgraves]

Definitely inserts are the key. I no longer have problems with PF, but now I have Plantar Fibromatosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fibromatosis). Not excruciatingly painful, but definitely weird as heck to look at!