Hi there,
I went to the doctor today and was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis. Can you guys help me out a bit and let me know what you do for relief and help me in understanding exactly what is the problem and why it causes so much pain. I know there's inflammation in the foot but I don't understand what is causing it. Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it. Kristy. ;)

Plantar is the bottom of your foot...fascitis is the muscle on the bottom of your foot. Thats how it was explained to me. I freeze bottles of water and roll my foot on them and I also do stretches. I have gotten shots but heard they can rupture the fascia so I qiut getting them. Try ibruprofin for pain. There is alot of info on the web, read all you can. Hope you find relief!
dlh

I know how your feeling, I was diagnosed about 3 yrs ago. It was a real pain for the first year then got slowly easier to live with. Never go without shoes, stretch your feet back & forth every morning before you get out of bed. Ice your foot, take ibruprofin about 3 times a day when having pain. If you are seeing the Dr. he may want to tape your foot, that was my only relief for 3 months, then I taped it myself until I could go without it. I read all I could on the subject, bought super feet arch supports... which I still wear in every shoe. I've tried all the products I could, and also wore a arch band to support the fascia. I still have heel pain on occasion but its nothing compared to what it statred at. What happens is the fascia stretchs & sometimes rips then there is PAIN. Don't do the shots, it can make it worse and only gives relief for a short time. Get some good support shoes & inserts or orthotics. New Balance is one of the best shoes for this problem, and you can also use birkenstock sandles. Good luck, it will get better with time if you take it easy on your feet.

Seashell1,
Hi, thank you very much for the very helpfull response. My other problem is that i suffer from 2 slipped disks, a fracture in my spine, a curved spine and scaitica. So I think my plantar fasciitis is really pronounced and causes my other problems to worsen. It's a viscous cycle. I did some research on PF this evening as was able to get a better understanding on it, your post kinda summed it all up for me and made sense. I saw my doctor today and he suggested taking ibruprofin 3 times a day. I also currently see a physiotherapist for my back so I have another refferal to incorporate therpay for my feet. I hope it helps. I am on disability right now and I must say I am concerned about working (once I am able to) because of this problem. My job involves me to pretty much be on my feet all day and it includes a lot of lifting and labour. Anyway, my main problems right now are my back so I will do what I can to try and get this straightened out and hope that it works. Can you ever fully recover from PF, what does it take? Am I suppose to be inactive or keep pushing myself? By pushing myself I mean, I do the treadmill everyday because of my back and I do a lot of excersices to strengthen my back and stomach muscles. I'm a little confused right now and am just not sure what I should be doing, obviously I don't want to make any of my problems worse.
Well, again, thank you for your response, it was very helpfull. If you can add anything else i would appreciate it. Take care. Kristy. ;)

I really don't know if you can completly recover from PF. If its very bad you can have it operated on. There is a procedure called E.S.W.T, I don't know much about it. Is it possible to find work that isn't as hard on your back & feet? I don't think pushing yourself is a good idea, take it a bit easier on yourself. Do what the Dr. tells you to do, but listen to your body. Wear the support shoes and don't go barefoot at all. I hope you get some relief soon.

seashell1

that was really good advice you gave to kristyg. i wish my DR could have explained it so well...lol. You said not to go barefoot...do shoes really help that much? What about slippers at home?
dlh

Fasciitis
The best remedy is stay off the feet, if possible.
Time is the healer. To have the forefoot slightly inclined/elevated above the heel is 1 remedy. Arch supports help, Archatomics-custom arch supports are affordable and work well.
Also, a lightweight massager to roll softly along the sole.
Accussager is good.
Get well,
Mike

dlh,
Yes, shoes do help if they are good ones that give support. If the facia is not supported it will stretch, pull & hurt. Slippers do NOT have any support so that leaves them out. I use my Birkenstocks as my slippers, they have a molded footbed. There are some other brands out there so will just have to look for a good support sandal as your slipper.

thanks.....i will try something like birkenstocks at home then!

I know that when I wear heels (at least an inch and a half high or higher) it releives the tension on the plantar fascia and I dont have any problems with this. However, I have one bunion left so the time I can wear in heels is limited by that. Sigh. . .

My docotor suggested orthotics for me, but my insurance doesnt cover them. Going to try birkenstocks myself (custom orthoric ones if I can come up with the money for them). In the meantime I try not to over stress my feet and tape them when necessary. (I also take naproxen, per my docs suggestion).

I never had my feet taped...does it help? What do you do if I wanted to do it myself?

Thanks for all your help. I'm also curious on taping my feet. I do the treadmill everyday (or I try) and I'm wondering if this is something that I should consider doing while I am on the treadmill, would that help? Thanks again. Kristy. ;)

I suggest you see a podiatrist first. If its needed he will tape your foot and just watch careful or ask him how you can do it at home. The tapeing is actually letting the Dr. know if you would get any help with orthotics. It holds the foot in the correct position which will ease the pain.
Another thing, about the sandals.... check with the online auctions, you can save a bunch of money. Thats where I get mine.

Thanks for the info on taping, I see my pod in a couple of weeks for the fusion...my right foot is killing me from the PF right now so I am going to ask him bout the tape. The sandles are expensive...good tip there too.
dlh

Hi there! I have suffered for about 2 years with this. I had always worked in retail and was on my feet and never had any problems, then I moved and wasnt working anymore and started to notice the pain ect!!! I went to the Dr. and he said it was Plantar F. He tapped it and ordred orthodicts which I wear but am still not completly used to them! Hopefully this wont get taken off but this is a GREAT website and it shows how to tape your foot and is GREAT! I used what I learned at the site and it made a huge difference in the summer when I needed to wear dress shoes or sandles, the website is:http://*********.com/video/
Also Birkenstocks are the best shoes and for tennis shoes I like New Balance. I have learned to live with it and some days are better than others and then some days it just plain hurts. The advice that someone gave you about streching your feet before you even get out of bed is Very Good Advice, you should strech your feet back in forth before you step foot on the floor! Good Luck! Where the Stars are - heel spurs - type without the space.

I have found the night splint to relieve a lot of my pain, some are more comfortable than others.

I suffer from this, too. I have been taking the cortisone shots but they will only relieve the pain for a short time. I have the inserts and also wear a splint at night prescribed by my doctor. Stretching before you get out of bed or after sitting for any length of time will make a huge difference. I know exactly what you are going through and I do sympathize. Sometimes the pain is almost unbearable. Using a frozen bottle to roll under your foot will help too. Try to stay off your feet as much as possible. I know that's hard to do, but it's the best way to help it heal.

I've gotten my Birkenstocks and if I wear them pretty much every day I have no more flare ups from the PF. :-) I highly recommend this to any one else. Its worth a try.

I still wear heels occasionally, but as I mentioned before, those have always helped alleviate my issues with the PF in the past. Other that that I wear sneakers on the eleptical exercise machine and either tape my feet or wear elastic supports in dance class.