Plantar fasciitis

[mackmama]

Can someone describe what this feels like and where exactly your pain is? ? Wondering if I have it. For past week I have had significant pain in my heel pad (but not in my Achilles area).

[KpbS]

My mom had it for years. It hurt her a lot in the mornings (first getting out of bed) and after walking.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/home/ovc-20268392

[anonomom]

I'm fairly certain I have it (self-diagnosed, so please take this with a hearty shake of salt). It's sharp pain on the bottom of my heel. It hurts especially badly when I've been standing for a long time (walking around doesn't seem to have that much of an effect). Stretching my calves makes it much worse.

I now wear vionic shoes pretty much exclusively and they make the pain disappear.

[Kindra178]

Mornings are the worst for sure. Don't wear any shoes that have significant bend. Cork soles are my favorite.


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[ourbabygirl]

Yep, BTDT. You can get orthotics to put into your shoes, and/or wear shoes like Birkenstocks and Vionics. Not the cutest, but the arch support is really important. I was telling my kids yesterday that my PF basically goes away once the weather gets hot because I wear my Tide flip flops almost exclusively. Important if you're on your feet a ton during the day, especially on hard surfaces.

PF is no fun, but there are things you can do to manage it (massage your heels with oil at night before bed, roll your foot over a frozen water bottle, wear a stint on your foot overnight, physical therapy; if it's bad enough, there's cortisone shots or surgery).

[pharmjenn]

I just got my second cortisone shot Friday for this. For me, it feels mainly like a burning feeling in the arch. This pain can also be in my heel or on the outside edge of my foot. My treatment consisted of a sleep boot (to keep the foot bent) and physical therapy before going for steroids.
I strongly recommend calf stretches! Doing the foot on the step stretch, or one like it to stretch the calf and Achilles does a world of help. When I am having pain, I can do that stretch for a minute and the pain is gone or dulled.

[NCGrandma]

This discussion reminds me that, years ago, I had periodic bouts of PF. About 20 years ago, I had some unrelated knee/calf issues and my physical therapist insisted that I switch to Birkenstock shoes, which made a big improvement. Since then, I've worn nothing but Birks, and have had no more PF. For me, I think the Birks have inadvertently been the answer to several problems, despite being a bit clunky looking.


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[Kindra178]

One more thing. Never go barefoot.


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[icunurse]

I just dealt with tiny tears in my plantar fascia. My symptoms were heel pain and a little pain in my arch. I also had some swelling from the tear. I did a round of oral steroids (the pain had my gait thrown off and I was also having pain in my knee and back) and then some prescription NSAIDs. I relied on stretches (sit with your leg straight out in front of you and bring your toes back towards you; stand with feet flat and just bend at the knees and ankles) and rolling my arch on a frozen water bottle helped a ton. I was able to avoid injections, though the podiatrist wanted to do them and I was considering it because I just couldn't get rid of that last 10% of pain (research the potential risks before getting it done). He also recommended very firm bottom shoes, specifically the Nike air zoom structure. I couldn't find any shoes that would give me comfort and I swear they are the reason that I was able to finish my healing. I typically wear birkenstocks in summer and have been wearing them and don't see any problems. Just remember to stretch a bit in the morning because tears are not fun.

[mackmama]

Thanks all. Im sorry for those who are suffering in pain from PF. I'm not convinced I have PF based on my sx but will keep all this in mind. Thx!

[squimp]

PF in my experience is more on the arch or where the tendons connect to the heel. I got it really bad training for the half marathon but the frozen water bottle roll really helps. Pain is worst in the morning, and good arch support is so helpful. Danskos are great, in addition to the other brands mentioned.

Bone spurs can cause really bad heel pain, might want to Google that too.

[geochick]

I have PF. The plantar fascia band connects your heel bone to your toes. If it pulls because your arch isn't supported, you feel the pain in your heel. I have had it for 3 years. I doubt it will ever fully go away in my case, but I get the best results when I wear my orthotics in supportive running or walking shoes. I'm that person who wears ugly sport shoes to work. I have a doctor's note to do that. It's hard to wear ugly shoes in the summer, but the support is necessary, year round. Don't get too many shots in your feet. They offer temporary relief, but don't solve the problem. I've read they can be bad for your foot tissues over time too. I've had them once...before a trip that required loads of walking. I've also found that if I have my husband wrap my foot with COACH athletic tape (see videos on YouTube)...it really helps too. The combo of tape, orthotics, and good shoes take 95% of my pain away. Go see a good podiatrist. Don't let them operate on your feet.

[sasha]

Contrary to conventional wisdom, my PF is happiest when I am wearing light, flexible but supportive shoes. My orthopedist was surprised as well. So if going more rigid doesn't work, try more flexible. It takes a while to figure it out, though, as wearing the wrong pair of shoes for just a few hours can cause pain for weeks.

[bigsis]

My Dr. just diagnosed me with PF. I was complaining about foot pain. I feel like I have no muscle/padding on the balls of my feet, just a lot of pain. He had me sit down with my legs straight forward, he bent my feet as far as they could (towards my waist) when he saw that it only moved about 5 degrees, he said it's PF. He gave me calf exercises to do and it's been helpful.