Those of you who have plantar fasciitis.....

[Dontgiveamonkeys1350]

I have bought myself some hotter shoes. And they have been great. I would imagine it has to do with having a proper sole on the bottom. Cost an arm and a leg though. But worth every penny. My feet love me again.

What shoes do you have. And how have they helped. Not sure what to do about flip flops this year. Didn’t have them last year as my feet were at their worst. Not sure if they are something I could wear. But thinking hotter ones would be the best bet? But. They are expensive so want opinions first.

Vionics

I have boots, trainers and sandals. They're all I wear these days.

My birkenstocks were really comfy to wear when I had PF but I am sure they made it worse in the long run or actually caused it in the first place.

I suffer worst towards the end of summer - when I've been wearing Birkenstock's all summer...

I like the look of the Strive ones, don't look too frumpy.

@crunchymum I’ve been wirrying about arthritis, GP brushed me off so hopefully not but did you have other symptoms? Had ‘PF’ since last June.

Fitflop shoes
Gel heel inserts in my trainers - which themselves are zero drop, so as to keep the calf muscle elongated ("traditional" thick heel trainers shorten it which makes things worse)
Sports massage to release tight calves - by far the biggest relief.
Good stretching after exercise.

Orthotics hobbled me and they can fuck off.

All of you who wear things that elevate your heels may well be masking the problem and storing up worse to come.

A huge majority of PF is exacerbated by tight calf muscles pulling on the plantar fascia "bowstring" under your foot. So tight calves pull it taut, then when you stand on it, you force it to flatten out and cause lots of tiny tears (hence the pain).

By elevating your heel, you are keeping the calf artificially short and avoiding the flattening bit.

But if you can release/lengthen the muscle, you give the fascia a bit of leeway to work with, hence less flattening and tearing.

Sports massage does that really effectively, but if you can't get that for whatever reason, then heel drops, looping a towel round your foot and pulling towards you, foam rolling etc are all helpful stretches.

I have my insoles privately made by someone who works mostly with footballers. Cost an arm and leg but they work like magic. Around £170 for a pair that needs changing every 2-3 years.

But then, I have a life long problem with fallen arches so no shoe would sort it by itself.

Go walks, fit flops for when it is really bad and Birkenstock's!

Orthotics in flat ankle boots in winter, or trainers. Adidas Gazelles without orthotics (they have shaped insoles). Birkenstocks in summer (the types that come quite high up your foot, adjusted to fit snugly, not flopping about). I have some orthotic flip-flops too, not very attractive, but way better than regular ones. I wear orthotics in boot slippers in winter at home. I never wear heels or wedges. The above cover most occasions luckily I work somewhere with casual dress.

My biggest problem is shoes, I can't wear orthotics in shoes because I have narrow heels and the orthotics make the shoes flop off my feet, even lace-ups, I have tried numerous pairs of DMs, brogues, Clarks etc to no avail. I can manage a few hours in them without orthotics for smart occasions though.

Other types I specifically can't wear - Crocs, Skechers Go Walk or anything with soft squidgy soles. I keep a pair of crocs for popping out to the dustbin, but can't wear them for more than a few minutes, they are a lot worse than barefoot for me. I'm pretty sure Croc flip flops are what caused mine in the first place.