I have the classic symptoms of plantar fasciitis - a great deal of pain in my heels when I get out of bed, when I stand after sitting at work for a long time, when I walk distances or stand for a long time. I have a high tolerance for pain - two years ago I walked on a broken foot for 6 months before deciding it wasn’t going to heal itself, and subsequently had surgery to remove the sesamoid bone.
I bought some cheap orthotics which help somewhat, but I’m still hobbling. I’m doing some stretches. I wear flat-heeled, sensible shoes. Does anyone have any other recommendations or specific stretches to try?
If you’re not already, stretch your calves.
You’ve already addressed the support issue though you may need better.
Ice several times a day if possible.
Roll a golf ball( baby food jar, rolling pin) under your arch after icing.
Sit on the floor or on your bed with your feet straight out in front of you toes pointing up. Roll up a towel lengthwise and hook it onto your foot right across the ball of your foot. With both hands on the towel, slowly pull your toes toward you as far as you can go and then slowly release them back. Don’t jerk. Repeat on other foot.
Another way to do that is seated with your heel on the floor, knee upright near your chin. Grasp the base of your big toe and pull it toward your shin, then release. Repeat with other foot.
Stand on a step on the balls of your feet with your heel hanging over the edge of the step. Slowly (don’t bounce) allow your heels to drop lower than the step. Then slowly raise your heels above the step and finish standing on the balls of your feet (tippy-toes).
Rolling a ball or jar it also good as it loosens the fibers and improves elasticity of the tendon. After the PF has heeled, continuing these exercises regularly will help keep your muscles conditioned and tendons elastic so as to not re-injure your Plantar Fascia.
I find that the best morning stretch is to lie on my stomach for a few minutes before I get out of bed and flex my feet and toes completely. I brace my toes against the mattress and stretch. Constant moderate exercise is also important; walk a lot, but don’t try to run until it’s much better (I jog now, but a couple of years ago it just caused damage and more pain).
It’s most important to get really supportive shoes. No more cheap shoes, nothing with no support–what I have is Dansko clogs for inside and Keen hiking shoes, with a Superfeet insert, for outside. Now that my feet are much better I don’t have to wear them all the time, but I still try to wear them the majority of the time.
The shoes cost money–I spent about $130 for each pair and I don’t have that kind of money–but if you don’t get them, it will only get worse.
Dangermom - I wear Clarks and Merrills and one pair of Mephistos. I might try Danskos. I walk a good bit when I’m not working - this weekend I was working on the fences on my farm and it required a lot of walking. The exercise on the bed isn’t going to work because I have a waterbed (I know, I’m the last person in the US).
Brown Eyed Girl, runner pat - One site recommended freezing a water bottle and using that to roll your foot. Have either of you tried that?
I use stretching, rest, comfy shoes, anti-inflammatories, hot soaks, frozen water bottles, sleep in a boot, pace activities and massage. I also gave up taking a cholesterol med that I suspect was an aggravating factor and tape my feet on bad days. I’m one if the unfortunate few who gets better and worse, but never seems to recover. I don’t do all these things every day, but they’re all in fairly regular rotation.
When my Plantar Fasciitis was really bad the most common bit of “wisdom” from my doctor and physiotherapist was to never ever go barefoot. After many months of no relief I found that going barefoot in grassy ares, running hills and such, fixed the problem within days. YMMV and all that but that’s what helped me. The stretches were good too. I just used one of the rubber balls my dogs play with since I was always stepping on the damn thing anyway.
Do a set of stretches before you get out of bed in the morning and put weight on your feet. Sit on the edge of the bed with your foot sitting on the knee of the opposing leg, then grab your toes and pull your foot back and hold for about 5 seconds. Do that 5-10x with each foot 2-3x a day but especially first thing in the morning.
Also powerstep insoles were really effective for PF for me.
Those two things (stretch and massage the bottom of the foot, esp before getting out of bed) and using powerstep pinnacle insoles took care of it in a month or so. The powersteps feel weird at first, you can really feel the arch support. But you get used to it.
Plantar’s sufferer for the past ten years: All the advice is good, but when this flared up this last time, nothing was working. Even my Keen shoes let me down. I went to Good Feet, as I had poor luck with a podiatrist some years ago. Don’t do it. It’s a lot of hype and salesman bullshit to sell you $500 worth of over-the-counter orthotics. I went to a local podiatrist, who had custom orthotics made for me, and I am nearly pain-free now after about two months of wearing them. Good luck.
Vitamin D. I know, I know…I’m a huge skeptic when it comes to naturopathic “cures”. I have myofascitis and used to suffer horribly from plantar fascitis (thank goodness I don’t have to work on my feet anymore).
But vitamin D helps a LOT with the keeping me from being in so much pain.
I’m a massage therapist, a reflexologist, and a PF sufferer. All of the advice listed here is good. You want to reduce the inflammation first and foremost, then work on stretching things out. The things that worked best for me, in order, were: #1) Taping #2) Wearing a night-splint #3) Wearing arch-supportive shoes at all times, even when getting out of bed at night to go to the bathroom. (Birkenstock high-arch slide on sandals next to the bed.) #4) 2 Advil 3x/day
What do you mean by a cheap orthotic? My wife had PF problems and the Dr Scholl’s “custom fit” orthotics worked wonders. They’re around $50, which is cheap compared to the custom made ones, but pricey compared to the inserts we usually get.
Some people get good results from OTC products. I was able to control it for years with those sorts of things, good shoes, and stretches. But this was the flare-up from hell and took two years to abate, and then only after paying $350 for custom orthotics. Some people have luck with Good Feet, but if you’re going to spend that much, you’re better off going to a doctor.
I was in agony for about a year with PF (self diagnosed). I tried pretty much everything already mentioned in this thread. Then it went away. Just poof. Hasn’t returned, not even a twinge, and it has been about 8 years.
I’ve done that. It works just fine. I wear socks when I roll it though. A non-opened (still pressurized) bottle of soda works fine too (I do that at work when someone chucks my frozen water bottle). I usually have a bottle of very flat soda under my desk at work that I roll my feet on a few times over the course of the day.
Calf stretches. Calf massages (I use “The Stick” with great success but a rolling pin would work just as well).
If mine flares up I often sleep with a splint too. It keeps the foot at about 90 deg to the leg (like when you’re walking). That helps keep the calf in an extended, very light, stretch. I otherwise point my toes a bunch.
My bit of advice: don’t stop stretching/massaging when the pain goes away. It’ll come back Just make it a daily habit.
