Plantar Fasciitis. If you have successfully treated this please can you tell me how? I'm thinking of shock wave treatment.

[dontrecycle]

I feel like I've tried everything but willing to give anything a go.
Currently rolling my foot on a ball.
I have the sexy sock too.
Don't wear flat shoes.

I've just read that you should not take ibuprofen but I've been taking it up until now to ease the pain.

I have just been reading about shock wave treatment. Anyone had this?

Thank you.

Birkenstock's. Originally I couldn't bare to pay for them but now I have birkie slippers, birkie sandals and birkie boots so my feet are never out of them. If I wear non-birkie footware for a few days the pain comes back but wearing them I am completely pain free...

I second the Birkenstock. PF is now a thing of the past but I still wear Birkies regularly (and as slippers)

Total sympathy, op, ivs given birth and it wasn't as painful as plantar!!
A steroid injection into my foot was the only thing that worked for me, if wasng nice but it worked! That was three years ago and it hasn't returned, touch wood. I don't wear hard soled or flat sandals anymore now, I pay more and get better quality shoes with support and cushioning in them.
My Go Walk Skechers trainers have been fab, and I've got some really nice walking sandals from millets which look nice for everyday wear (I know, I know, but honestly, they do!).

Having suffered with this for 8 years as a side effect of a different long term condition, the NHS actually gave up treating me after providing me with physio, hydro, painkillers, shoe inserts, acupuncture and laser therapy.

I had tried the rolling pin technique, all the physio exercises in the world etc etc.

In the end as a last resort I saw a therapist of the Bowen technique which is a gentle muscle massage.

It was about £40 an hour, I only needed 4 sessions. That was 7 years ago and it’s not come back. If it did, I wouldn’t go anywhere else for treatment now.

I know people dismiss what they see as ‘alternative’ therapies but honestly, I was blown away by this.

www.thebowentechnique.com/what-is-the-bowen-technique/

What are you wearing around the house OP? I found getting rid of traditional slippers for more supportive sports style flip flops a real help. I also binned all my converse type footwear, basically anything with a totally flat inner. Rolling on a can helps, but I found stretching my calves as often as I remembered helped too.

I am a physiotherapist and I have had success treating plantar fasciitis with taping.
Just google taping for policeman’s heel on YouTube.
It basically relieves the pressure on the inflamed bit of the heel and you can do the taping yourself.
Also second the suggestion of Birkenstock’s or Sketchers.

dontrecycle Around 10 or so years ago the physio suggested I buy a TENS machine

I have quite a few musculo-skeletal problems and hate taking medication unless absolutely necessary but if I use the TENS (as required) I don't need medications.

I had a flare up of PF about a month ago and used it several times over 2-3 days with no more pain since. I probably wouldn't have bought one except for the recommendation of the physio...it's really saved a LOT of money that I used to spend on treatments at the physio practice.

Hope this helps, because I know how painful PF can be and feel for you. ;-)

@user1471463807
That's very interesting.
Could you link the correct sort of tape for this please?

I wear Birkenstocks and orthotics in my shoes, it helped a lot when I had PF and I'm continuing to use them to avoid any recurrence. . My PF lasted nearly two years and, from what I gather from other sufferers, it will go away after about 18 months whatever else you do.

I had this and my god you have my sympathy it hurts the most hurts I’ve ever had.

I taped my foot with Kinesiology Tape, I bought ASICS gel nimbus trainers and fitflop flip flops.

I also had 2 lots of steroid injections, one via ultrasound, I lost weight and it vanished. Good footwear, I also used ice, cold cans and rolling my foot on it, lots of stretches as well. It was a long process

I didn’t suffer as badly as you OP so you may have already tried my suggestions but here’s what helped me anyway just in case!

Fit flops/Birkenstock’s around the house- never barefoot!

Before getting out of bed, gently stretch and mobilise your calf and ankle

Start doing more focused calf/Achilles stretches. I have small calves, which were being overloaded with the job I had (teaching exercise classes) so contributed to the intensity of the PF pain.

Strengthen the muscles in the calf and make sure when you’re standing your weight is even so not locking out your knees and you’re not ‘dropping your arches’ by making sure some of your body weight is distributed to the outside of your foot.

There isn’t much evidence that interventions like shock therapy work so it might be worth going to a podiatrist or a physio who is knowledgable about lower limb rehab to help with a long term plan to help reduce the pain, or even better, fix it!

I had this until I saw a podiatrist rather than a physio who said it’s all about tight hamstrings so to focus on exercises for those. I did and it went.

Totally agree about Birkenstocks! Only thing that helped mine and I wore mine round the house, and another pair for going outside

I tried lots of things that didn't work- special socks, gel shoe inserts, fitflops, taping,even a leg brace at night.

What worked: wearing crocs all the time around house, never wearing thin-soled flat shoes. And most of all, doing stretches a lot, especially after walks, runs and long periods of standing. I did Adriene's (short) post-run yoga stretch after every run and walk. I'd had PF for 2 years until I started with the crocs and serioys stretching. It's been gone for a couple of years now.

I'd had PF for 2 years until I started with the crocs and serioys stretching. It's been gone for a couple of years now.
I'm sure the crocs made a difference to you and made it less painful walking about but it seems to go away after this amount of time whatever you do, hence people recommending a range of strategies. I'd like to hear from anybody that had it for a couple of weeks and then got rid of it.

Special orthotics, custom moulded for me at the podiatry clinic

Exercises

Injection into one of my heels.

Never wearing flat shoes

Crocs.

I even wear mine to work.

When it's cold I wear them with socks.

Haters gonna hate.

I've had shockwave treatment for arthritis and it's bloody magic. I can't wait for the physio to open and I'll be first in his queue to have it again.
Can't say how it works for pf though, sorry

Another vote for Birkenstocks, also orthotics (off the shelf) in trainers, calf, achilles and hamstring stretches, rolling on a knobbly physio ball. It always felt better after my ballet classes too, I think all the stretching helped. I agree about making sure your weight is on the outside of your foot, we do this as part of my yoga classes and I can feel the difference if I slump into the arch when barefoot. I also have to avoid really soft squidgy shoes such as Crocs and Go Walks, they set it off again as not enough support.

Angus Thermopyle I normally use a rigid tape like Zinc Oxide or Leucotape.

Birkenstocks helped in summer. Stretching my feet out and keeping them warm in winter.
Other than that, wait it out. It just...went.
Having said that, my nan had to have special insoles designed for her feet for it.

I tried massage rollers, stretching, heel inserts etc for ages but my PF got progressively worse over 18 months and then I started getting a pain in my hip.

I went to an amazing sports injury therapist who at initial appointment used two scales (one under each foot) to assess my weight distribution-I was putting 5kg more through my less painful left foot than my right, hence the hip pain, which would have led to back pain. He used shockwave and laser therapy, coupled with theragun massage all in the same session. Also took me upright rehab exercises to treat the cause in the gym (all tailored so I could do them at home if no equipment). It was expensive but worth it, pain totally went in my left foot and still lingers in my right but is 90% better (and I should do exercises a lot more!). Weighed on 2 scales after 8 sessions and virtually even weight distribution

I’m back to running again and so happy. Still have to stretch a lot (yoga a few times a week) and I massage with a golf ball. I have also found that turmeric supplements help a lot with controlling it - worth trying as it’s a much better option than ibuprofen.

Pm me if you’d like details on therapist in Central London, I believe his is the only clinic that uses shockwave and laser treatment in conjunction.

Upright should read ‘through’!

Physiotherapist for calf and hamstring stretches.
Podiatrist for tailored insoles.
Asics or Ecco trainers.
This combination works for me.

Removable fixed ankle boot cast with inflatable support for 3 months. Went on every morning before my foot even touched the floor, only came off for baths or as I sat back down on the bed that night. There was no way I was putting my body weight on it to tear apart the night's attempt at healing every morning.

Teaches you to run like the Terminator, too.