My feet always hurt

[Oceangreyscale]

For about a year, started with plantar fascitis in one foot. Changed to better shoes and it did get a bit better but then the other foot was affected too.

Now they just seem to hurt all the time. I can walk a fair bit (did 20k steps the other day) but I have to ignore the pain in my heels/arches, and afterwards will be in significant pain. I've changed how I walk and am using my big toes to push off more as advised by a podiatrist but it's not fundamentally getting better.

I am about 3st overweight (size 14-16) so I imagine that is not helping. I'm trying to lose weight but does anyone have other suggestions? I'm really fed up of constantly being in pain as I'm someone that likes to be active and walk a lot!

Put gel insoles in your shoes. Do not put your foot down on the floor without something on it, so slippers at home. No flip flops or sliders, footwear should be attached to your feet. No flat shoes like ballerinas or Vans.
What style of shoe are you wearing? They need to have a good thick sole and a very slight heel.

I had this on and off. I then wore a pair of spongy based slightly wedged sandals (about 3cms high) alternately to my usual trainers for a week or so and it's gone. I walk 5 miles a day.

I'd try insoles but not too hard ones which many are.

No totally flat unsupported shoes as pp says, like ballet pumps.

My shoes are pretty good I think.

Brooks and On Cloud trainers, Merrel hiking sandals. Other shoes don't get worn for long. I wear those or slippers at home too

Much of the body's healing takes place at night during sleep - including your feet.
When you get up on a morning, do you leap to your feet, or are slow and steady?
If you leap on to your feet you need to stop as this can undo much of the healing that has taken place. Instead, sit on the edge of your bed, and very slowly allow your feet to take your weight.

Also, get yourself a foot roller - something like this...,. and use it!

www.maskura.co.uk/products/foot-roller-for-plantar-fasciitis

Ok thanks I'll look into a roller. Never thought about stepping gradually in the morning but I'll give it a go!

Are your lower body muscles particularly tight?

I suffer with PF on and off and I find that stretching my calves provides immediate relief. I also roll by feet on a trigger point ball which feels really good.

I also saw a video that suggested gently massaging your feet before getting out of bed in the morning helps to sort of 'prepare' your feet, and it seems to work well for me.

Hasn't the podiatrist recommended orthotic insoles for you? If not, I'm surprised. If you can get referred to an NHS podiatrist (not that easy these days) you can get orthotics free.

You mention you don't want 'hard' insoles. The thing is, proper orthotics need to be a bit hard so they put your feet into the right position. You build up wearing them by increasing the amount of time each day and it's amazing how quickly you get used to them. I didn't actually need the build the time up and my feet were amazingly painful with Morton's Neuroma. The type of shoes you are currently wearing usually have removable insoles so that you can swap them for your own. Also, get a really solid pair of slippers that can also take the insole.

If you're feet aren't in the right position, it affects all your joints, particularly if you are carrying a little bit of extra weight. You should tackle it now or you'll suffer for it in the future.

The very blunt podiatrist I first saw told me it was lucky I wasn't overweight or, with my gait, I'd be in a wheelchair by the time I was sixty!

Massage gun on your calves - my hyper mobile feet hurt ALL the time unless I batter my calves into submission every evening. Rolling works too but takes longer.
stretching doesn't work because of my (mild) hyper mobility

I hope you find a solution having sore feet is absolutely miserable

Hyper mobile - interesting, the podiatrist did say my feet were overly flexible so it sounds like that's a thing I should look into further.

Not cheap, but Hoka trainers changed my life. Mine were around £60 in a sale and worth double that in the comfort they give me (long-term foot pain sufferer).

I've started stretching my feet before bed to release the plantar fascia (it stops twitchy calf muscles) but this stretch I do is supposed to loosen up all kinds of things.
All you do is sit back on your heels and tuck your toes under.

I found it on this Youtube video - it is right at the end from about 6:50.

I have some hyper mobility but also very tight calf muscles and often have foot pain - I'm going to go to a podiatrist to see what they suggest

Arch supports worked wonders for mine. Memory foam trainers made it 100 times worse

Ok thank you, I think I will need to go back to the podiatrist.
My hiking sandals which fit very well and have a firm arch were super comfortable but are now really hurting the arch of my foot so it's very confusing.
Never heard of massage gun but will look it up!

Mine too! It’s easy to pass things off as due to being overweight, but overweight people (you don’t sound massively so!) can still have other things wrong with them. Mine is down to a connective tissue disease. Constant agony!

Im hypermobile too. Hypermobility and connective tissue diseases (and anxiety and depression) often go hand in hand IIRC.

In fact I just googled and hyper mobility IS a connective tissue disease 😄 sorry duh, makes sense!

PF sucks and just seems to last forever, hope you get rid soon OP.
I dont think I found anything that helped TBH. I tried every kind of insole, shoe type, rollers, stretches, etc...nothing worked. It just kinda went away on its own!

I think losing weight has stopped it coming back and finding a shoe type that works for me (in my case its anything very flat and minimal soled).

Podiatrist made orthotics in firm soled shoes.
Vionic shoes/sandals with in-built support
Slippers are the devil's work and need support too. I wear Josef Siebel's Betsy Clog instead. Do not forget how much you wear and stand in your slippers.

PF is common in middle age, not sure your age. And being overweight will not help it.

I had it really badly from walking a lot in ballet pump shoes on hard pavement and was 2 stone overweight. So painful.

I eventually went to GP. She told me to take ibuprofen for three weeks, 2 tablets 3 times a day. Seemed excessive. But I did it and it worked. It went.

I'm 39, just about middle aged, I guess?

I've never worn very flat ballet shoes, converse etc, have always found those super uncomfortable, so I don't think this is from unsuitable shoes. I'm sure the weight is not helpful although guessing it's not the only cause.

Hi there,
It doesn’t seem likely that you have this from your post but for anyone else reading this I want to mention an illness called acromegaly. It is caused by excessive growth hormone produced in the pituitary gland.
Acromegaly can cause a wide range of symptoms, which tend to develop very slowly over time.
Early symptoms include:

• swollen hands and feet – you may notice a change in your ring or shoe size
• tiredness and difficulty sleeping, and sometimes sleep apnea.
• gradual changes in your facial features, such as your brow, lower jaw and nose getting larger, or your teeth becoming more widely spaced
• numbness and weakness in your hands, caused by a compressed nerve.
• periods becoming irregular
• fatigue
• aching joints

If you have these symptoms you want to see an endocrinologist and have your IGF1 levels checked. It’s probably not this. Acromegaly is a rare disease. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s worth checking if you have any concerns. The earlier it is caught the more likely it is to be curable!