To be clear, I believe what you mean is that Podiatrists are not MDs. They are, however, real specialists in problems of the feet, and plantar fasciitis is one of the kinds of conditions that are in their specialty. I’m not sure what other real specialist you would recommend – I think an orthopedist is probably overkill for PF.
I like Crocs for comfort. There are designs with a hunk of leather on top that look more like a conventional sandal.
My PF vanished when I lost 20 lbs — along with some nagging knee and back issues.
Nice. I knew I wasn’t the only one, like the Lil’wrekker says I am.
(Wearing Crocs)
Podiatrist are not all great.
But the good ones are a life saver for diabetics.
There are 6 at my diabetic clinic. Over worked, probably.
We need these practitioners. I can’t expect my Primary care doc to be available for foot checks and my goofy toe problems.
I’ve had my bouts with Plantar fasciitis…what I wear around the house are LL Bean moccasins (sorry, I can’t make out the model name from the inside…they’re similar to some slippers they make that I’ve seen…suede, with a pretty soft but durable sole…adequate for indoors or out).
Unfortunately, the insole is glued in on these (terrible design for any shoe), so I put my standard Spenco Total Support Max insoles right inside on top of the built-in insoles (I use those on every pair of shoes I wear, mostly), and they give me very little grief.
Just as an edit…I’m sure the OP knows, but do those elongating stretches like nobody’s business! That is definitely not woo…especially if you catch the PF early enough.
Moose moccasins are apparently the bomb.
(Minnetonka)
And this really doesn’t address PF specifically, but all kinds of minor foot/toe problems were put to rest, mostly, when I switched to high-quality socks. Darn Tough brand, in my case. They’re all I ever wear…took me a while to save up for enough pairs (they’re about thirty bucks a pair, but lifetime guarantee…a real guarantee, not like the fake Duluth Trading Company guarantee among other companies who cheaped out).
Word. Experience bears this out from me as well. Those first steps out of bed…excruciating. Probably best to not pour salt in the wound by doing a round of jumping jacks (as though that were possible with PF, incipient or in full bloom!).
Crocs Santa Cruz are the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever had. No socks required, canvas slip on with great support on the sole and arch. Only problem I’ve had is that after about 3000km in them, the big toe on my right foot makes a hole in the top.
@Grrr Did your doc recommend wearing a night brace? I had plantar fasciitis (emphasis on HAD). I slept with a night brace on for about 3 months and the problem disappeared to never come back.
I need wide-fit shoes, and they are often hard to come by. However, I found a pair of Skechers slip-ons that are as comfortable as bedroom slippers. I don’t think I’ve ever worn more comfortable shoes. I wear them all the time.
Yes. Podiatrists have a DPM degree (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine). They are foot specialists. An orthopedist might specialize in feet also, as could any medical doctor. The particular degree isn’t going to tell you if one is better than the other in general.
Best not to put painful stress on the foot at all, but if you have to walk on it I think you’re best off not irritating the tendon any more.
I recommend Olukai shoes. They’re a sort of hybrid slipper/Keds type shoe that according to their promotional literature, are supposed to replicate the feel of walking across a Hawaiian beach.
I find them comfortable, easy to put on/take off, and the foldable heel makes it easy to just slip into them and wear them like slippers.
Here’s the pair I’ve got:
I wear Docksider slip-on deck shoes. Leather, so they last a long time, and thick soled. I think I’m on my third pair in 20 years. The only problem with them is that the leather laces like to come untied. I double knot them to keep that from happening. I always hated wearing shoes indoors until I smacked (and likely broke) my pinky toe on a baseboard radiator one day. Still hurts, 20 years later.
Try needing wide TOES. My feet are short and wide, and my toes do not taper. My big-toe toenails are all messed up, partly from years of wearing shoes that, although the best I could find, nevertheless assume as even supposed wide-toe-box shoes do that your toes taper at least a little. And yes I need closed-toe shoes, at least for most purposes.
A couple of the things suggested in this thread do look interesting. The ones the podiatrist wrote me the prescription for are better than most; but I can’t afford them, and Medicaid will only cover one pair a year.
Right - but if part of the problem is that things get tight overnight, any kind of walking will stretch things out first thing in the morning, and it’ll be painful - those first few steps were always quite unpleasant.
Wearing high heeled shoes may well avoid immediate pain (though I have my doubts; as I never wear them, I don’t know from personal experience) but come with a host of other issues related to oddball distribution of weight and overall shortening of tendons.
High heeled shoes are basically doing the exact OPPOSITE of what a night splint does. The night splint keeps things stretched, rather than allowing the ankle to extend in a shorter-tendon position.
The best solution is to deal with the problem, one way or the other (rest, stretching, icing, steroids, NSAIDS, orthotics, better footwear choices), and minimize time in shoes that cause problems.
I could swear that I once read an explanation for first-morning heel pain that boiled down to “the injury starts to heal overnight as you rest. Then you get up, and re-tear all the stuff that was starting to fix”. I cannot find any cite for that any more. A simpler explanation is that any body part can get stiff from not being used, and one that is already inflamed may be more prone to that.
Sure. The big problem is stepping out of bed directly onto a tendon tightened up overnight. You end up putting your entire weight on your heel as you get up. Instead you can swing both feet out first, stretch your foot before stepping on it, if only one foot is a problem step on the other one, and get up on your toes instead of putting your weight on your toe. Prevention is worth a lot of cure with this problem.
I swear by my L L Bean “moccasins” and have been wearing the same two pairs forever!
Usually without socks, too.
I’ll grant you that!! It may be easier to start in a heel-up position for a little while and get it gradually stretched out, rather than all at once!
The night brace will make a huge difference. I see that @enipla also mentioned getting good results by doing so for 3 months. I think mine was even faster than that. Huge PITA to use, however - made impromptu nighttime potty trips a hassle, since mine was one that had inflatable air bladders to help push the front of the foot up into a more tightly flexed position. This meant I couldn’t walk on it, so I had to go through the trouble of taking it off, then putting it back on when I went back to bed.
My husband is DILIGENT about never going barefoot. He keeps his Crocs by the bed and puts them on even for a bathroom trip. I couldn’t handle the hassle; like the OP, I hate wearing shoes around the house. And my terminal clumsiness makes barefoot generally much safer for me anyway (that clumsiness is one of the reasons I never wear high heels).
My understanding is that the tendon relaxes at night, and in the morning, it has to stretch when you get up to walk. Making tiny tears in the tendon. It hurts, but sort of goes away. Then rinse and repeat.
I went through that daily while touring the Smithsonian and all the monuments in DC. On foot. It sucked. I had no idea what the heck was going on with my foot, and needed to walk, and walk.
The boot worn at night, fixed me right up. Don’t have to wear the boot anymore. That was about 10 years ago. The issue never came back.