Chiropractor states I have a mild case. I have heard horror stories about how long it takes for it to resolve. Has anyone ever dealt with this? What treatments have worked for you?
My doctor recommended some specialty insoles called “Superfeet” when I started experiencing PI pain in my right heel last year. They go a long way toward giving me better foot support and stopping me from ending up in pain by the end of the day, but they’re a bit pricey ($40/pair at REI, which is the only place in my area that sells them) and I find that I need to replace them every 4-5 months or so because they wear out by then.
Looking for shared opinions? Moved from General Questions to IMHO.
samclem, moderator
Articlein the NYTimes just a day ago.
Don’t ignore it, whatever you do. My husband had it, and as a mail carrier he really couldn’t stay off his feet as was recommended, and eventually a ligament in his foot snapped. This resulted in his being in an above-the-knee cast for most of last summer. He now has custom stainless-steel orthotics and does prescribed stretching exercises every day and it seems to be much better. But my point is, take it seriously.
What worked for me were some exercises and orthotics (inserts into shoes). The exercises were that before I got out of bed in the morning, to use a towel or a yoga strap to wiggle my feet (make an alphabet: start by making an A with your toes, then a B, …, then a Z and repeat with the other foot). The reason it was important to do this before getting out of bed was to try to avoid tearing the healing that would have happened overnight. I did this for about 6 months and stopped. Meantime the orthotic is a couple of pieces of hard plastic that were made to measure for my feet. I put one into each shoe. They were not cheap (over $400, IIRC), but I have had no problems for at least 15 years.
I wore night brace on my foot for a few weeks. It kept my foot flexed so that it healed in a stretched position. Along with that, I wore supportive shoes, did routine stretches and some icing if I walked a lot. The shoes were just regular New Balance, I think–nothing expensive. The brace wasn’t all that uncomfortable. The morning sharp pain stopped within days, and all discomfort within week or so.
So it’s not hopeless…
Yeah…it takes a damn long time to go away.
I got the best results from shoe inserts, which were customizeable. My doc told me to thin down the parts directly under the worst pain. Just cut a hole right under (say) the ball of the foot, if that hurts worst. Most of the foot is riding on the foam insert, but that specific point is just “riding on air.”
Also, evening walks, nice and slow. Exercise therapy, but very gentle.
Took about a year, but it’s gone now.
Lots of good advice so far in this thread.
The thing that I think was key for me was every single time I got up after being in bed or even sitting for a while was to flex my feet several times before getting up. I also noticed that I tended to curl my feet in my sleep, so while falling asleep, I would make sure to hold my feet in a flexed position.
Exercises, good shoes, gentle walking all helped as well.
I’ve had it twice. The first time was maybe 15 years ago and was in the middle of my foot. I did nothing, and it went away in a couple of months. The second time was this summer in my heel. I did nothing except ice it a few times, which really helped. I also walked a LOT. It went away after about 6 weeks. It hurts a little today, probably because I went hiking in my old sneakers which probably don’t provide much cushioning any more.
Now, I’m not saying that “do nothing” is the right treatment plan for you, or even for me, but I wanted to make sure you knew that not all cases are horror stories.
I changed running shoes to a brand that makes arch support and sole shaping specifically to correct over-pronation (Montrail). Then over the last couple years I’ve changed my casual and dress shoes (and sandals) to brands that have better footbeds made for arch support and faciitis issues (Chaco, Dansko, Earthies and Orthaheel). I find that just replacing my shoes over time has been cheaper than replacing inserts over and over for shoes that aren’t made for my needs in the first place.
My feet are much happier now that they get the proper support every day. When I had the faciitis at first, I also took an old pair of running shoes with orthotic inserts, took the laces off and made them my “slippers” for around the house. I wasn’t without support on my feet while standing unless I was in the shower. That was a couple years ago. Now that all my shoes are good, I can wear my regular slippers without support around the house. I put shoes on if I’m doing heavy cooking or cleaning for more than a couple hours, though.
I had it for several months a few years ago and got rid of it by doing floot flexing and stretching exercises before I got out of bed in the morning or after I’d been sitting a while. I would try that before buying expensive inserts and such, unless you’re really incapacitated.
I’ve had it for years- chronic and in both feet. It is very, very troublesome and I don’t anticipate I will ever be ‘normal’ again.
Things I do or have done, in no particular order:
visit the podiatrist
motrin
tylenol
prescription anti-inflammatories (Celebrex- didn’t help me as much as I had hoped)
rest
heat (bucket full of hot tap water)
ice (frozen water bottles- take a little out so they don’t explode and wear socks)
sleep boot(s)
massage
stretching, stretching, stretching (upon awakening, during the day)
shoes- two new pairs of athletic shoes about every 8-12 weeks
changing shoes during the day (I work 12 hour shift work)
insoles- both custom made and store bought
steroid injections (I have the max allowable by my physician)
lifestyle changes (‘saving’ feet for work, so limiting other activities)
I find I get best results by switching all those therapies around regularly
I have not done:
losing weight (not much loss needed anyway, but ability reduced by foot troubles)
surgery
I had it for probably six or eight months and what go away for me were insoles, better support from my sneakers (which I wore everywhere) and freezing a liter bottle, then rolling it under the offending foot for 10 - 15 minutes before bed each night. Thank goodness it finally quit because that shit hurts. Good luck!
I just tried the stretch recommended in the NYT article ethelbert and I could only do 4 reps, but can feel that that is a really good stretch; better than the method I have been using. I can feel it in both my arch and the achilles tendon (where I’m pretty sure a lot of my problems start).
I’m going to add that to my already large repertoire of therapies and hope it helps. Thanks, ethelbert
I used to have it. I got it from working in a job where I had to do a lot of standing and walking on concrete. What got rid of it were theseinsoles (Powerstep Pinnacles are about $25 and some of the best for PF) and doing a stretch each morning before I got out of bed.
I cant find the stretch online but it basically consists of sitting on the edge of the bed with one foot on the knee of the other leg like this. Then grab your toes of the foot on your knee with your hands and pull your toes back and hold it for about 2 seconds. Then release, and do it 10 more times. Then do it with the other foot. Do this before you get out of bed and put weight on your feet.
Those two things cleared up my PF within a month. For me it was getting to the point where I couldn’t walk without pain but those two things fixed it for me.
Thanks everyone- I am going to try some of your suggestions. I am happy to hear that walking is still ok- because if I don’t exercise every day I am going to be depressed and weigh 400 lbs! :eek:
Like others, I’ve had it for years. I finally ended up with custom orthotics from a podiatrist that ran me about $300. I still use them and they work. Calf stretches also help a lot. You can also buy a night splint for the affected foot, which keeps your foot tipped back and thus keeps the calf stretched.
Some people have success with minimum OTC orthotics, but they never worked for me. Wearing Keen shoes really helped me for awhile.
Forget about Good Feet. They’ll end up charging you as much as a podiatrist will, but for OTC orthotics; and they’re salesmen, not medical personnel.
You might also think about seeing a physical therapist to help you out.
The night splint worked for me. That’s the only thing I tried using. Could have been a coincidence, but who knows?