I think I have it in my left heal . I haven’t been able to see a doctor yet ,but it sure sounds like it based on the pain I have been experienced in the last couple of weeks. I broke and dislocated my baby toe over 6 weeks ago and I am wondering if this contributed to it.
Other than stretching , icing it and heat , has anyone dealt with this successfully ?
I bought a foot roller from sports authority. It fits in the arch of your foot (has bumps on it) and you sit in a chair and lightly roll it under your foot. Eased both mine and my husbands Plantar fasciitis in about two weeks. Good Luck
I struggled with this a few years ago in both feet. I am fairly active and continued to exercise through the pain. Freezing a water bottle and rolling it under your foot is helpful. I ended up seeing a podiatrist and was given a cortisone shot and sent to physical therapy. Slowly things got better. I wear special inserts in my sneakers that the podiatrist recommended (Power Steps) and try to stretch daily, usually in the shower. I am careful now and don’t wear flip flops for an extended amount of time. Plantar fasciitis can be very painful!
I found that using a frozen water bottle as a foot roller helped.
If the it is worse in the morning, see if you can find a sling to wear at night. thay was helpful for me as well.
I am still sure mine was caused by a lousy pair of shoes I had and was wearing too often, some cheap flats. I got rid of those and did ice (my podiatrist suggested with bags of frozen peas, which are flexible.) But the main help was shifting to shoes that offered better overall support, as often as I could, for a few months. It took a while but the problem never returned, not even a hint.
I found that rolling a golf ball under my foot helped immensely. As did the foot/calf sling at night. And I never ever wear shoes ( whether they are cheap or expensive) that don’t give me proper support. It wreaks havoc in the style department, but it’s well worth it. And remember to stretch your calves through out the day.
As little as ten pounds of excess weight can cause the condition to appear (and to go away when the weight is dropped).
I had it in both feet simultaneously. I had to see podiatrist who fitted me for orthotics and prescribed PT. At PT one of the things I used was a stretcher. It was so fantastic I bought one to use at home. It gives a really good stretch.
I do wear shoes that aren’t great for my feet but when I come home or out for just a walk I wear a walking sneaker with my orthotics. I also wear a gardening clog with my orthotic around the house when doing chores or standing in kitchen getting dinner ready.
Mine wete caused by wearing tennis sneaker too long at end of season instead of buying a new pair and compounded by doing yard work in them one day and cleaning the house the next day in bare feet. I woke up the next day with both feet screaming in pain.
I had it a very long time ago and in addition to the information above, found it very helpful to literally never be barefoot. I had slip-on, lightweight, but cushioned sneaker style shoes by the bed and wore shoes anytime I was upright. Stretching in the morning was especially effective. I never tried the brace that you sleep in, but know people who thought that made a difference. Good luck.
My husband had this problem for years, it was treated unsuccessfully until I gave home a daily dose of turmeric. He now can run everyday, if time permits, but before that he had to stop because of the pain after he ran. Now if it feels tight, very rarely, he rubs with tiger balm from Rite aid.
I’ve had PF for over a month. I’m a runner and wore worn out shoes for too long which also led to a corn on my small toe in addition to PF. Ugh. I’ve done icing, stretching and some rolling.
My son is a Spec. Ops. officer in the Navy. He runs a LOT and has had PF. He told me to walk around on hard floors barefoot as much as possible. I read the same thing online.
I’ve been walking barefoot (I’m retired) as much as possible. It has really worked. I’m almost totally healed.
Also bought shoes with heel to toe zero drop…it’s the outside version of going barefoot. I’m using them for walks.
You can get low drop shoes and still have cushioning…doesn’t have to be minimalists. The really cushy zero drops are big deal now. I’m on the hunt for the perfect pair.
I bought some http://www.zappos.com/merrell-bare-access-arc-4-algiers-pilot-purple?ef_id=Ur@W9gAABBbbtB4B:20150927150514:s
You can feel a difference as soon as you start walking. Have to go short distances for awhile to get your calf muscles conditioned to your new gait.
Some other suggestions:
When you wake up in the morning, before getting out of bed, stretch your foot. This is really important, because if you put weight on your foot after not using it for several hours, you can re-injure it.
Do stretches twice a day. Not just your foot – do stretches that work your entire leg – hamstrings, calves, ankles.
Don’t walk around barefoot.
I went to PT when I had plantar fasciitis, and it helped a lot. It also hurt a lot.
When the acute pain went away, I bought these http://www.amazon.com/Pedifix-C00395-PediFix-Arch-Bandage/dp/B0002DUSV6/ref=pd_sim_121_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Z51ERXJZR1V7HR5G8XP, which I used whenever I wore shoes that weren’t that supportive, or if I knew I would be walking or on my feet all day. They helped tremendously.
There seem to be a few different causes. Some people get it like emilybee, a one-time thing because they wore the wrong shoes or went barefoot. I injured my foot. Cases like that typically go away with treatment. A lot of runners get it. Some people have a chronic condition that can be really hard to treat.
I had Plantar Fasciatis in both feet. I went to a Podiatrist (my insurance covered this visit) and he took X-rays of my feet. In turns out that Inhad heel spurs and Plantar Fasciatis.
The podiatrist measured me for custom orthotics which were expensive and not covered by insurance. I think they were about $350, but they are made out of indestructible hard plastic.
I bought good quality walking shoes and began wearing the orthotics. This was many years ago, and, for the most part, I only have a little bit of discomfort in my feet if I wear shoes with little support or walk barefoot too much. Regular exercise does seem to help IMO. I walk a lot but still wear good shoes and my orthotics. If you get orthotics, you need to take them with you to the shoe store as they will affect the fit of the shoe.
This condition is very painful. Best wishes!
Podiatrist told me never go barefoot. He said wear a supportive athletic shoe indoors or original Crocs.
In addition to the advice above, try investing in a good insole. I’ve had good luck with Superfeet, which has a bunch of different models available for different needs. Also, I believe my wife’s podiatrist told her that stretching is important for PF. I think it’s the Achilles and calf that you need to stretch but I forget exactly.
I know the advice is not to go barefoot, but I do, and lots. In fact, when I had PF, I was painting a couple of rooms and preferred standing on the ladder with no shoes. That didn’t aggravate it (ok, it did involve lots of movement. But my issue wasn’t constant pain, just first thing out of bed or after a long tie sitting. The podiatrist recommended OTC shoe inserts (something expensive but not custom.)
I have a feeling there can be different varieties of this. Honestly, nearly all of my shoes now, even the cute flats or low wedges, are thick rubber soles.
Allow me to clarify what I said earlier. A particular person might be 30 lbs overweight, but it’s the final 10 lbs that can cause the condition to appear or disappear.
Superfeet brand inserts - that’s what the podiatrist recommended. He said Dick’s Sporting Goods sells them.
Footsmart has a large selection of items for PF from inserts to gadgets to wear while sleeping. Tennis ball and frozen water bottle for stretching are good. A chiropractic adjustment can help - heel pain can be an indicator that spine or hips are out of alignment. Watch your diet, eliminate inflammatory foods and increase anti-inflammatory foods. Nightshades are a group of foods that can contribute to inflammation associated w/ PF and RA and other conditions.
My Dr. prescribed this http://www.amazon.com/Medium-PLANTAR-FASCITIS-SPLINT-Colors/dp/B001B5JVIA/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1443379601&sr=1-4&keywords=plantar+fasciitis. I slept in it every night until I was completely pain free. He also said never ever be barefoot.