Update on my Plantar fasciitis.

[raccoon]

I posted some time ago about having plantar fasciitis.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8929405

Here’s an update.

I saw a podiatrist and got some orthotics (custom-made insoles you put into your shoes). I wear them all the time. (Oh, not in the shower, but most of the time.)

I do this exercise twice a day: I sit on the couch and put an exercise band around the part of my foot just north of the toes. I hold my leg straight and pull back until I feel a stretch in the back of my legs. I do this twice a day (morning & evening.)

I tie my shoes much looser now. I never thought they were too tight until I got my orthotics. Then I started having pain in the top of my feet. So I now tie them much looser.

Wow, what a relief...now I can take walks again. :-) :woohoo:

[rainbow4321]

1. Damn you have ESP

I've been meaning to ask here if anyone knew of high arch shoes because I have PF. I've gotten to wear I have to pause before I stand to brace myself for the stinging pain I get when I get up to walk. Sends shivers thru out my body.
May have to resort to going to going to pod doctor, also.
I'm tired of getting out of the car and limping my way along until the stinging stops!

On edit: I tried the nite time boot and it did nothing for me. Only time I had relief was when I was taking Lortab after getting a tooth pulled. Advil helps some.
Being a nurse on my feet a lot, I really need this to go away!!

[raccoon]

2. Nite time boot didn't do anything for me either.

Hope you get some relief! :hi: :hug:

[meow2u3]

3. I had to have surgery on my left heel last year

That's because my plantar fasciitis was so bad it caused a heel spur. Nothing worked to alleviate the heel pain--not the night boot, not the foot cushion, nothing! They only worsened the condition, so surgery was a last resort.

Only surgery and a supply of Percocet afterwards, coupled by some naproxen (which I still take for my arthritic knee) got rid of my plantar fasciitis. I couldn't post this last year because I had no internet at the time I had the surgery.

[mike_c]

4. standard calf stretches saved me from YEARS of pain....

Finally went to an ortho doc who agreed that while arch support insoles are very helpful-- I use Powersteps-- the real biomechanical problem in many cases is a shortened Achilles tendon and calf muscle. Stretching religiously for a couple of minutes, several times a day utterly fixed my PF. Now I'm down to occasional stretches, a few times a week, to maintain. It works!

[LibertyLover]

5. I feel your pain - literally

I have plantar fasciitis and need to get to new orthotics. I had a pair years ago that have long since given up the ghost. I was supposed to wear splints at night as well, but gave that up when the kid came and I had to get up in the night. Getting out of them was a nightmare in the dark. One of these days I'll have to scrape together the insurance co-pay and get this done so I can walk again without pain.

[UTUSN]

6. I had my first and PLEASE last? outbreak a year ago. It's supposed to depart, isn't it?

I didn't know what it was when it struck. About a month into it, I found out NOT from my doctor who just blew off my report and told me to get inserts like him. Later, at a happy hour where I glean all sorts of practical information, a phsycician's assistant dropped in and told the barkeep and me that he knew EXACTLY what we had, and gave us the name of it and the elastic band or towel therapy, saying it would be gone with the stretching within a few weeks. Mine lasted a bit longer than that but eventually went away completely and I don't use inserts now.

So I hope it subsides for everybody in the thread.

[grasswire]

7. mine came and went away

I had a lot of pain for several months -- could barely put one foot down to walk. It went away, totally. I have no residual effect. It's been more than a year ago.

Oh, and I did nothing for it. It just went its course.

[yankeepants]

8. Same here

I had it really bad. I went on line got some info and did what they said. I do physical labor for a living btw. I changed up shoes/boots a lot, did the exercises. It went bye bye never to be seen or heard from again.

Life is good. I wish you all the best. As we say in the horse business . . .

"No hoof. No horse."