Shall a just be done with it and cut off my foot?

[TokyoSushi]

I have severe plantar fasciitis in one foot. I've had it for about 10 weeks. It is beyond painful and quite frankly every step makes me feel sick.

I have:

• been to the GP, 'it's plantar fasciitis, nothing you can do, hang your heels off a step a couple of times a day and eventually it'll go, could take up to 6 months though. Ooh it is painful isn't it, look you can hardly walk on that foot, hey ho, crack on with it... 🙄'
• taken ibuprofen, didn't do much, stopped
• done the exercise where you hang your heels off the back of a step
• done calf stretches, heel stretches, foot stretches, all the stretches
• rolled my foot on a frozen water bottle
• rolled my foot on a golf ball
• rolled my foot on a special spiky massage ball
• bought expensive recovery sliders and worn those without fail around the house
• worn Birkenstocks around the house
• worn trainers around the house
• gone to yoga
• completely rested, elevated and iced it for days
• carried on as normal
• done stretches before getting out of bed in the morning
• placed my foot very carefully on the floor when getting out of bed

NOTHING WORKS, it is hurting all the time and I can't bear it anymore. DS(13) says the way I walk looks like I have my foot in a bear trap!

Please help me!!!

We already had the holiday booked and I thought it would be miserable. I think the boot worked as a ski boot is fixed at ankle and keeps your foot flexed. It was cured by the end of the holiday. So when I got it again I got the splint which I wore in bed and around the house when just watching tv. I was almost prepared to wear a ski boot again as it had worked so well!!!

These worked for me and I still use them now, plus making sure I never walked around barefoot at home. Insoles

The splints are really effective in curing PF as they hold the foot and ankle quite immobile, while providing arch support and cushioning on the heel. This enables the fascia to rest, healing the micro-tears associated with the inflammation. They also gently stretch the achilles, which are implicated in PF. I imagine a ski boot, which is fairly rigid and holds the foot in a position would do the same thing.

I'd definitely give a nighttime boot splint and Toeability physio a try.

I've had all kind of foot problems and had major bone fusion surgery etc. Crocs are the only shoes that helped me get my life back! I live in them still and think they'd help with plantar fasciitis.

The only thing that fixed mine was a British insole that pushed into my instep . It was very uncomfortable for a while but fixed it eventually

My feet still hurt me but not like they did .

I only wear trainers now and always an insole ( less brutal but one for Pf..

Keep trying

I'm sure you could try Botox too maybe

It is awful. I had it for about five months and was almost sliding down bannisters rather than step on stairs. Good shoes, stretches, heat in the night all helped it feel better

@TokyoSushi

i had it for YEARS. I tried pretty much everything (but not injections. I would have if I'd known about them. Cutting my feet of ... I'd have considered!!)

what worked for me was wearing sketchers. (Go walk) Not glamerous admittedly but I'll take 'pain free'. I can occasionally wear dressy normal flat shoes (I don't wear heels anyway) but most of the time in winter I wear those BJJ boots indoor & outdoors for just everyday wear but sketchers when I 'go for a walk'

and 'touch wood' I haven't had it again.

given you've not had it very long (I know it doesn't feel like that to you) you should be able to return to your normal foot wear, but wear the sketchers as often as you can, even around the house ( I had slip in ones just for that)

I know you've had a lot of suggestions, but none of them worked for me 😢I'd go sketchers before injections!

best of luck, I remember how absolutely fucking awful it was!!

I can sympathise, I tried nearly everything too. I had plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinopathy.
I can see pp have said it too but Fitflops trainers cured mine. It was at its worst just before the pandemic and I had an old pair and wore nothing else for months. I’m almost to scared to wear anything else now for fear of it returning. I even have the slippers.

Oh & in the summer I walk about barefoot at home all the time & use crocks for going in the garden, to the bin etc I'd wear them to other places too for comfort but my 'self consciousness' won't allow me!!

My mum and my 9yr old son both have plantar fasciitis and the only thing that has worked is sketchers arch fit.

We call my son the sketchers kid because he wears sketchers trainers/boots to school. Has sketchers archfit crocs that he wears as slippers and sketchers wellies.

I had an injection of steroid into the heel.
It worked amazingly.
But it hurts.....

I had PF and it was caused by wearing flat shoes . When I moved to shoes with a 1 inch heel it sorted itself out quickly.

I found sketchers made it worse. I bought special insoles and avoided flat shoes

Everyone who is saying get crocs, which ones??

Only crocs helped with mine.
I still wear them as slippers at home and at work.

Just the standard original crocs - I walked 2 hours in mine the other day, no pain at all.

My husbands long term PF was cured practically overnight by taping with zinc tape. His was done initially by a physiotherapist but there are instructions online. Honestly try it. It was like a miracle.

My advice would be do not ignore it. Speak to the GP. I got mine from wearing 5 year old wellies that still looked good and felt fine. I am a farmer so in them constantly over the winter months and yard boots the rest of the year. GP told me to go back in 6 months if not better. I tried everything and although laser treatment helped nothing cured it. Other than that I put my foot in really hot water with salt that helped. Reason not to ignore is I put so much pressure on the front of my feet from walking on my toes I now have morton neuroma in both feet due to be operated on next week! I am also 52. I now wear ridiculous expensive Crispi boots as could not have insoles because of my neuromas instead of wellies but the consultant recommended them and the lined crocs in the house. But a male friend also had it at the same time and has now been diagnosed as having arthritis and is now on medication and pain free. Hope you get better soon

The normal original ones. Or I have the fluffy lined ones as slippers. Wear them with the strap round the back of your ankle though, not as backless shoes as shoes with no back can make foot issues worse.

I’ve had PF since August. It is slowly getting better but it flares up and down. Similar to others what’s definitely helped is never going bare foot. I wear Hoka sliders at home and have insoles I wear in all my flat shoes. It’s made a huge difference.

Im an NHS podiatrist. Dont waste time with insoles. Get a surgical referral and have surgery. It will get worse the older you get. In the mea ti.e use biofreeze. It takes about 20 mins to work.

Steroid injection?

What kind of surgery? I seem to get PF every couple of years.

I thought it was tiny micro tears in the fascia that causes the misery.

I did not know you could have surgery for plantar? Steroid injections yes and they are no more painful than the plantar. It is simply two injections one to numb and one the steroid. Takes 10 minutes. It certainly got me back on my feet walking correctly. I had some in October and then again in March. It did not cure it but helped me get through the month of lambing.