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Plantar Fasciitis, anyone?

96 replies

MoreProseccoNow · 31/08/2019 07:18

I think I've developed this; due to walking about on holiday in bare feet. I've always had quite flat feet & tend to wear heels, plus I run 5K 2-3 x a week.

I've had a couple of weeks off running, switched to soft soles/flat shoes etc but still have pain sometimes (especially if I over do the walking).

Should it be better now?

Anything else I can do?

OP posts:
Livingthedream12345 · 31/08/2019 07:21

I've got this.
I've been told to put a golf ball on the floor and massage my foot with it. Also to freeze a plastic bottle of water and roll that under my foot (not tried this one yet)

barryfromclareisfit · 31/08/2019 07:23

I’ve done those exercises.
Best thing for me are support insoles, around £25 from Boots etc. Complete absence of pain now.

SophieJo · 31/08/2019 07:26

I remember the pain of putting my feet on the floor in a morning after getting out of bed!
If it’s any consolation, it does ease over time but I always wear insoles as I was told my flat shoes were the cause. I tried quite a few before I found some that suited me. Would not be without them now.

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CaptainMyCaptain · 31/08/2019 07:30

As above I always wear rigid orthotics in my shoes although the pain has gone now. Birkenstocks round the house instead of bare feet or well fitting slippers (I have mahabis) plus orthotics. Some people swear by Skechers but they made mine worse.

CaptainMyCaptain · 31/08/2019 07:31

Mine lasted nearly two years btw and this is not unusual. Keep doing the exercises.

iMatter · 31/08/2019 07:33

I had this after running on a beach in bare feet once too often.

Sympathies OP - it's so painful.

I ended up having the steroid injection which was transformative for me. I would also agree with others who say golf ball to ease the pain.

MoreProseccoNow · 31/08/2019 07:35

Thanks, I think I'll have a word with one of the podiatrists at work & ask about insoles.

I don't want to stop running, having done couch to 5K 2 years ago & worked really hard to keep going.

The joys of middle age.....

OP posts:
quirkychick · 31/08/2019 07:39

Ow, you poor thing. Exercises, ball under the foot and iced bottle will all help the immediate pain. Arch supports will help in your shoes (I got mine from local podiatry through my gp, so they are moulded to my foot) , but you can wean yourself off them in time. I would really recommend Katy Bowman's foot pain books which help restore foot mobility. I had pf for years and wore inserts for years but over the last couple of I have gradually worn shoes with less support and now no longer need them, I switch around my shoes a lot and I also walk a lot.

ExpletiveDelighted · 31/08/2019 07:42

I had a very bad bout of this a couple of years ago. What worked was massage with a golf ball, calf massage, calf and achilles tendon stretches, roll a frozen water bottle under your feet. Also orthotics in lace-up shoes or boots, or Birkenstocks adjusted for a snug fit. Also flex and stretch your feet before getting out of bed.

Mine cleared up after a few months doing all the above, I am back to bare feet around the house and limited wearing of unsupportive shoes, but still mainly live in Birkenstocks or trainers/boots with orthotics. I can't wear soft soles such as Crocs and Skechers at all, the podiatrist warned me off them and she was right. I sometimes get a mild recurrence but know what to do to catch it early now - ignoring twinges for months was my downfall the first time.

TooStressyTooMessy · 31/08/2019 07:47

Me. So far nothing at all has worked and I have been seeing a physio and done loads of exercises. Had to stop running but am back to the odd 2k.

So frustrating.

Sliceofrice · 31/08/2019 07:49

Stand on a step and lower your heels below for a count of 10. Repeat 6 times and it it several times a day too. Do this alongside the other suggestions above.

sleepwhenidie · 31/08/2019 07:58

Lots of exercises you can do - not just foot strengthening (heel raises on one leg, towel/tissue pick ups with toes) but also gluteus medius (side glutes), balancing on one leg, wall sits and planks/side planks. Stretches - heel drop off a step, hamstring stretch and calves.

Ice after exercise and whenever painful. Golf ball and use you thumb to push into and stretch out the tendon where it feels painful (this hurts a lot).

Enertor insoles are v good off the shelf ones. Arch supports helped me a little but not enough.

Night splints highly recommended by some people as is steroid injection.

For me the solution after 18 months was laser and shockwave therapy (plus all the rehab exercises and i still wear insoles for tennis). I am just about pain free after a series of treatments and it feels like a miracle, expensive but worth it.

sleepwhenidie · 31/08/2019 08:04

I finally went for the treatment when my hip started to hurt which was alarming. The therapist put me on 2 scales, one for each foot...I was putting 5 kg more weight through my less painful foot than the other. It would have led pretty quickly to back issues.

redeyetonowheregood · 31/08/2019 08:11

Hello. I has this a couple of years ago. It had been going on for most of a year and I hadn't found anything to help and was in a lot of pain. I was in tears one day limping across the road and phoned the gp again...she prescribed a much stronger anti inflammatory than I had taken before and it really helped set me on the road to recovery. Sorry, I can't remember the name but it is usually used for arthritis...not diclofenac...not naproxen...

I wore custom orthotics anyway for flat feet and dodgy back and had developed the plantar fascitis anyway.

YeOldeTrout · 31/08/2019 08:24

Heel lifts were (are) the only thing that helps mine.
Most the other common advice actually makes mine worse.

I think it helps if you can figure out which part of your leg is overtight; most people seem to have tight calves but others say hips... my problem is hamstrings.
It seems to be very individual what makes you better.
Can get better though, just keep trying stuff.

Dontgiveamonkeys1350 · 31/08/2019 08:28

I can’t stress how important finding the correct shoes are for this. I tried so many different ones and nothing. Finally found some and the relief in the lain has been wonderful. Mine lasted two years and still going

MustardScreams · 31/08/2019 08:30

I had this along with Morton’s Neuroma and Achilles tendinitis. My feet are screwed.

Steroid injections and really good insoles are the way to go.

Heel-raise stretches also really helped, but hurt like buggery whilst I was doing them.

Plantar Fasciitis, anyone?
YeOldeTrout · 31/08/2019 08:32

What were the correct shoes like, for you, Dontgiveamonkeys?

Dontgiveamonkeys1350 · 31/08/2019 08:34

I tried everything. Even really expensive hotter shoes. I finally bought a summer pair of sketchers. My feet aches for a day and then bamm. Just like that they felt better. Not sure how I’m going to wear them in winter though.

Dontgiveamonkeys1350 · 31/08/2019 08:37

They were these ones. But I bought the more slide on version with only a tiny bit at the back.

Plantar Fasciitis, anyone?
MoreProseccoNow · 31/08/2019 09:21

Been doing my exercises this morning!

OP posts:
Frith2013 · 31/08/2019 10:12

All of the above and a weird manoeuvre I devised myself!

Lie on your front in bed then do a mini press up, taking the weight on your toes. (So your toes are pushed at an angle to the soles of your feet).

Frith2013 · 31/08/2019 10:13

Hard to describe... your toes will be flat on the bed but your feet will be 90 degrees from your toes!

bruffin · 31/08/2019 10:19

I had it quite severely for a few months. Chiropidists said
2 weeks of high dose ibroprufen which reduces inflamation
Ice pack 2 x 10 mins a day
Never walk on hard floor in bare feet
Wear soft soles
Mine cleared up in 2 weeks

JuniperBeer · 31/08/2019 10:25

Search for “pro 11 wellbeing insoles” on amazon. Less than a tenner. Really really good insoles. My old physio used to sell them for £40 with his brand name on- Really really good.

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