planters fasciitis
General Topic
I am not a runner but have been running four times a week for a few months to get in shape for the upcoming season. Now my dang heal hurts so bad its difficult to walk. I think its planters fasciitis from everything I have researched.
Have any of you had this? What treatment would you recommend? How long did it take to heal?
Thanks
Yes I’ve had it and it will heal much faster if you buy some insoles. I use Dr Shols athletic inserts. They give you the best support and they only cost about $20. I also now use them in all my shoes. Haven’t had a problem since. Wearing old shoes with no support is the worst thing you can do.
Buyse- I am a podiatrist and treat patients everyday with this.
1. Stretch several times a day. 2. Purchase some arch supports. Green Superfeet are what I usually have people start with. You can find these on Amazon or at most running shoe stores. I think Cabela's has them, too, if you live near one. 3. Get a night splint and use it. 4. Wear good shoes with arch support all day, every day. 5. It's unlikely to get a lot better if you are running. Try an ellipitical machine or a bike instead. 6. See a DPM if you're not improving.
lots of stretching and wear the boot at night while you sleep.
Thanks for the input. I have done exactly what you recommended drlongbreard, except for the night splint. Got the green superfeet two weeks ago and wear them in everything. I will look into the splint. I have read that it can take 5 months to heal. How long does this last on average from your experience? Thanks again!
The DR and liv2 above are correct. I spent 1.5 years in my late 20s fighting it. It didn't go away until I got orthodics and wore them in ALL my shoes. If you rest, it can feel better and then one run will put you back to ground zero. You need to completely heal the plantar fasciitis and it is tricky to do because it is hard to get by without walking.
BTW - my orthopedic doctor at the time told me to quit running or I would be crippled by 35. That was 20 years ago and 25,000+ miles. You can get over this (by following the Dr religiously).
my podiatrist told be the same thing as Drlongbeard, except he sells Spenco insoles and uses those himself. at first i thought DrLB may have been him since Doc is a turkey hunter but the difference in insoles brands cleared that up.
I've had PF four times. The shortest amount of time it has taken to get back to normal was about six months. The longest was over a year.
I'll suggest you see your local Dr. Longbeard. The problem is that it's so easy to reinjure yourself by just taking a step, like getting up a 2 am to go to the bathroom.
I found my hiking boots with a good insert were more comfortable because they kept me from reinjuring myself. The stiff boot wouldn't let the arch stretch. YMMV.
I have it too. I want to use an insert, but not enough room in any boots or shoes I own to fit them in without squishing the top of my foot.
Don't let one of the insole stores screw you get good insoles as recommended,they help but I went and got a shot and that fixed it.It will hurt worse than any shot you ever got but I had to get twice about a year apart and no issue since
What the doc left out....there is NO quick fix....it takes awhile
Agreed it can take a long time for it to go away.
Stretch every chance you get and wear the boot to bed.
I just got over an extreme case that lasted 4 years. It got so bad I thought I would lose my job. Horrendous pain every day. I tried all the remedies and absolutely nothing worked. Perhaps this was exacerbated by my need to be on my feet while working. Eventually I gave up on everything but the best shoe inserts, wearing foam house slippers, and buying some Hoka gym shoes. Finally pain gradually faded during the 4th year, down to zero this past June. I am 58 years old and can't afford to lose another 4 years of my life this this misery. But during these last 4 years I became so conditioned to the foam house shoes, etc. that I always take precautions 24/7 these days. Best of luck to you. Actually back to jogging 20 miles/week, but slow and exclusively wearing my Hokas. Zero pain. During those 4 years I got other serious health problems, including a pacemaker. But none were as impacting as my PF. Today I feel like I was given my life back.
Years ago, I got better quickly (couple weeks) with stretching, Naproxen, and a course of Prednisone to get the healing started. Doc also had me dump my fairly new "drop-heeled" shoes that he said likely started it.
I've been suffering, this time, for a year or so, trying several different inserts, splints, NSAIDs, stretching my Achilles, etc. I had put inserts in new shoes from the day I got them and started hurting soon after. I quit wearing those shoes and bought another pair and put some nice inserts in, but it didn't help, either. Wanted to avoid the Prednisone this time, so didn't go to doc.
A month ago I got the idea, while watching an ad about that "foot reader" in some stores, that the machine ignores what your shoes are like while its basing suggestions upon your bare foot. Seems to me, inserts are only half the puzzle, at best.
So I took the inserts OUT of my shoes. Within a week I could tell it was better and now I haven't had pain in two three weeks.
My suggestion is to go to your foot doc (Prednisone, if you can) then try a different shoe configuration for a week or two, while stretching it several times a day, then if that doesn't help try another shoe configuration (with or without inserts) for a couple weeks, until you more or less randomly figure out what YOUR foot needs.
I had chronic PF, tried every device and trick in the book and it was only
manageable at best. I switched to minimalist "barefoot" footwear like 5 fingers, went about 2 weeks walking mostly on my toes, strengthened my feet and I have not had a single symptom since. As far as I'm concerned PF is a malady of modern hyper-cushioned footwear.
I'm not sure I am man enough to get a shot in the sole of my foot. Damn! Although I sure dont want to suffer as long as some of you. Especially you Zim1. I'll take the advice and hope for the best. I hope you guys stay healed up. (No pun intended.) Best of luck to you all and thanks for the input.
So your not "jellin", Owl? ;-)
Buyse, my doctor 'froze' the area of the shot to help with the pain. still hurt some but having a good looking nurse in the room help me get through the pain because i didnt want to show her that i was a wimp. lol
I tape my foot when it flares up.
I am a weekend jogger. For may years I used minimalist jogging shoes with no problems. When they wore out I bought some normal, heavily padded jogging shoes. I immediately got mild cases of PF (where stopping jogging for a few weeks healed). I think Owl may have the right idea.
I have been cursed with it for almost five years now. I have to run... military. All my shoes carry insoles, Superfeet, SE and custom. Have had injections, therapy nigjt splints. The only help I get is mountain biking. It must stretch something correctly. Dr. wants to do surgery but my flight doc says not to. Apparently, they just "clip" the connective tissue on the bottom of your foot (lamen's terms) which, according to flt doc, will weeken foot and ankle. I have since developed tarsal tunnel syndrome. Another curse, pain in left ankle, calf and thigh. I only run as much as I need to to pass a fitness test, then cycle the rest of the year. Sure would like to see this go away.
Stretching , ice and good insoles. You might also try a Strasburg sock it's way more comfortable than the boot to sleep in.
Ain’t gellin’, Midwest. lol
It is too obvious that all the modern attempts to make us “walk on clouds” is unwittingly making our feet weak and actually misaligned enough to affect nerve and connective tissue.
For the record, I’m not talking about hunting a few times a year...stiffen up by all means, but, day to day we should allow our feet to work as they evolved.
I only ever had it mildly, but since going to everyday minimalist footwear, for everything but hunting, barefoot weight training and some occasional calf stretching I have had zero issues. That being said if its broke it needs to be fixed.
I've had PF three times. The shortest stint was 3 months, and the longest being close to a year. I agree with all the good comments that have already been mentioned. I think one of the best Ideas is to get a night splint or boot. They are not very comfortable in bed, but they will keep tension your muscles and will help ease the pain, especially in the morning when you get out of bed. I was also recently diagnosed with arthritis in my big toe and foot. I bought a pair of Hoka running shoes for my runs, and Hoka sandals to wear around the house. I have flat feet, and they are a very stiff shoe being hard to bend. Very comfortable with lots of support and I really like them.
I ultimately had a shot in the foot which cleared it up.
I've battled it for years. Pain comes n goes. Packing heavy weight seems to aggravate it.
I had it real bad a few years back. Nothing helped including several Dr. Visits and cortisone shots. Then I did a web search and found a site called heel that pain. I bought a pair and felt instant relief.
I suffered from PF pretty bad, started when we moved to Colorado and I was doing a lot of hiking and running in “normal” boots and sneakers. I tried everything, and there were some mornings, like the day after a long hike, where I could hardly get out of bed and walk across the bedroom. About 4-5 years ago, I heard about the barefoot shoe thing, and how it strengthens your feet. It made sense to me, as our bodies did not evolve to wear shoes. Getting as close to what Mother Nature intended is to work (from a biomechanics standpoint) really seemed to make sense, so I gave it s shot. I started off slow, just walking short distances, and also doing exercises like calf raises, and walking on my tippy toes. Fast forward 4-5 years later, and I have ZERO foot pain, ever. I jog, bike, hike all the time now and never have sore feet. The only downside I’ve found is that once you go the minimalist, barefoot route, you pretty much wont ever want to wear normal boots and shoes again. So finding hunting footwear becomes a little more difficult.
I got it from running, stopped running, took over a year to heal, I won't ever run again!
Here are the things that have worked for me. Stretch. Ice. Boot at night. Birkenstock Das Blaue Fussbett.
My last bout with PF ended when I got a foot roller, and did a nightly routine. Ice the foot until you can't stand it, then roll to break down the scar tissue, repeat for a total of about 15 minutes. After I started that routine, I was much better after about 2 weeks. Dr. Longbeard can weigh in on whether that was a good idea or not, but it did work for me.
I have been fighting it for almost a year. I got insoles from the Ft Doc and got the shots , they only helped temporarily. So I am now recovering from surgery and just got out of the boot they had me in for six weeks. The procedure entailed cutting a tendon in my calf and cutting part of the plantar facilities area. My heal is a little sore and can't walk very far, but that will improve over time. " Hopfully"
I had it bad about 8 years ago. My doctor said I could spend $400 or more on custom shoe inserts or go to a shoe store and buy a pair of Birkenstock inserts for about $50. It took several months but this cleared it up. I still use the inserts most of the time just for good measure.
I have had it for over 5 years. I have custom orthotics and the pain continues. I started wearing a boot couple weeks ago and I have seen some improvement. I'm at the point that I may go get surgery to get it fix.
I cringed just clicking on the title. I have struggled with it on and off for over 10 years.
Adding foot beds with support for PF in the majority of my shoes and boots has helped, but it flares up when I go hit it hard. I also have the plastic foot supports for use when sleeping but it is almost impossible to sleep in those.
Has put a serious damper on any running or jogging for sure. I am scared of the resulting pain and misery that results.
Those bare foot shoe things look funny, but I think they would help.
They sure leave funny tracks in the swamp!
You don’t need to wear 5 Fingers to get the benefits of minimalist footwear. Highly flexible, thin soles will also work.
I've dealt with PF for several years now. Custom insoles really helped & I use them in every boot that I wear. Freezing a water bottle & using it to massage the bottom of your feet seems to help. The one thing that helps me the most is to never go barefoot even around the house. I have a light set of boots with custom insoles just to wear inside the house.
The tendons and calf muscle shorten and tighten overnite. I did not get rid of it until I started stretching the foot and calf BEFORE taking the 1st morning step and undoing whatever healing happened in the past day.
"I have a light set of boots with custom insoles just to wear inside the house."
Ya OK I'm glad I didn't have to go this far. Several pairs of foam sandals around the house worked for me. Demanded by Asian wife anyway!
Interesting to see a few others on here who suffered 4+ years. This makes me appreciate every step I take these days, and prevention is constantly on my mind.
Treeline, when you run, try doing so running with a forward posture on your toes. If you're still exercising through the pain, I think you will REALLY benefit from minimalist footwear.
After mine finally went away a few years ago---------->
I went to a preventative application by wearing Suppression/Compression socks.
I like the high calf style but they have lower size ones too.
I hike with them pulled up all the way, then I lower them when I am bushwacking as they collect burr's and stickers.....
I took me about a full year to finally heal up.....
Good luck, Robb
In my case, a podiatrist figured out that my PF was caused by my calves. My calves are tight and quite strong, from a lot of time on an elliptical. And the ligaments in the bottom of my feet are not as strong, so when something had to give, they did. So, stretching exercises for the calves are part of my routine, about 30 seconds/calf 3x per day, every other day.
Didn't read all the comments so dont know if its been mentioned but rolling with a frozen tennis ball seemed to help me also.
The best preventative is to stretch your calves...a few times a day is almost not enough for me....embarrasses my kids
Stretching is a good preventative for a lot of maladys. As we get older or muscles get shorter.....and we lose flexibility....then we weekend warrior it and blow something out. Guilty here.
For house sandals buy trellis. U cant find them many places but thier the best damn $40 you’ll spend and they are great for your feet. I wear a 11 and the xl pair fit great
Like the Dr and others have said, stretch calf muscles, get some arch supports, freeze water bottle and roll your bare foot over it after activity. Conditions like this as well as shin splints often occur when you change activity intensity over too short of a time period for your body to adapt. Back off on the running until you are "heeled" and also consider the type of running shoes you are using and how old they are. If there is visible wear in the sole they have likely lost the majority of their shock absorption.
Just found this thread and it is priceless. I have been dealing with PF since May when I decided to randomly hop out of bed and run a 5k with my daughter and boom PF attacked. Now with a wilderness elk (gmu76 colorado)hunt in September coming up I am rethinking packing in and just using my UTV to hunt(around the edges of it). Even then it makes me cringe thinking about packing one out with PF. I am sitting here typing while icing my foot before starting to roll it on a tennis ball.
PowerStep Insoles. And time. If you rush it and try to be the “tough guy”, you will pay and it won’t go away and other problems will come into play because you will cause the body to compensate for that specific injury. For me, PF caused Achilles tendinitis because I tried to be the tough guy and ignore it. Big mistake. It’s taken a year to get over both of them.
PRP therapy.
I have had numerous steroid injections in my feet. Alcohol injections to kill the nerve in my right foot avoided surgery some years ago. When PF showed up in my left foot I opted for PRP. It worked as well as the alcohol shots in the other foot. And as mentioned definitely try ice, insoles and stretching.
