Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To fear that plantar fasciitis pain is going to stay forever?

117 replies

whatishistory · 03/08/2016 11:50

I've been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis by my GP. It started a week ago completely out of the blue and I'm in so much pain that I can only hobble around the house. I didn't get any help, other than to take anti-inflammatories. She said it can be permanent. AIBU to really fear that this is going to be for ever? I'm hoping people on mumsnet may be able to offer a glimmer of hope.

OP posts:
accendo · 03/08/2016 13:57

It's self limiting, mine lasted around 2 years. Get yourself to a good sports pysio and the will work on your calves and cut down the time.

pinkunicornsarefluffy · 03/08/2016 14:18

I had this a couple of years ago. The physio said to never walk barefoot, always wear something with a small wedge heel in order to support the arch of the foot and not over stretch the muscles. Exercises can help, as can taping the foot. I had it after I damaged my hamstring and didn't walk properly for months, and then got PF in the foot on the same leg.

An ex DP of mine had this and he had special insoles made by a chiropist which eased the pain instantly, but they were expensive and needed to be worn all the time and replaced every few months.

I can't wear flipflops or anything with a flat bottom now, I always have to have a very small heel in mules or trainers.

WhereYouLeftIt · 03/08/2016 14:24

"I suspect this has been caused by me walking long distances in flat/thin soled ballerinas all summer."
Yep, that's pretty much how I did it to myself too! Calf stretches and wear shoes with good arch support. It won't be permanent, I haven't had it for years now. Don't worry, it's fixable.

gadget1974 · 03/08/2016 14:28

I've had it since I was a child, it has got progressively worse over the years despite doing the recommended exercises. I now have pair of custom made inserts for my shoes which cost £400 but are worth every penny. The worse case scenario is an operation to correct.

RowenaDahl · 03/08/2016 14:32

I would definitely see a physio or an osteopath.

I've got a problem with my back and feel much better after three visits. Planning to go back to yoga and pilates after a bit of a break too.

Banana99 · 03/08/2016 14:34

Mine started last autumn - it's improved hugely in last few weeks but wondering if it's because I am wearing walking sandals all the time!

I have the odd day it comes back but I used to be in agony every evening for months and couldn't go to the toilet during the night

Sassypants82 · 03/08/2016 14:43

You poor thing! I got this when my son was a few weeks old (prolonged wear of slipper socks!) it was horrendous. I was so upset. I used to put on my asics first thin in the morning & the arch support really helped. It was gone within a couple of weeks. I could barley walk with it. Hope you get better soon.

GertrudeMoo · 03/08/2016 14:51

My gp diagnosed me with it after I had heel pain for over a year after wearing very cheap boots for a few months. Anyhow, got a physio referral and three months later was seen and diagnosed with achilles tendinopathy instead. Worth getting a second opinion if your GP is being no help.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 03/08/2016 14:54

I had it a while back. It was bad for about 6 months then gradually eased, took about 2 years to go completely. My GP wasn't much good either. I tried using orthapeadic insoles and I tried stretching excercises, sports massage and rolling a massage ball under my foot. The best thing I found tho was Sketchers Go Walk shoes, they look like plimsols but have really soft flexible soles, cost about £60 (cheaper on ebay) but really helped alot.

FoggyBottom · 03/08/2016 14:54

First, see a good physiotherapist. This is not a thing that GPs are particularly good at.

Get the PT to asses your alignment & gait. Do you slump into your hips? Is your spine straight? Are you carrying a lot of excess weight?

Then, learn some simple stretches. The Plantar ligament inserts around the heel, and often PF is about tight calves and bad posture leading to misalignment through your hips and into your knees & ankles.

Basic stretches you need to do are the basic runner's calf stretch, and I find Alfredson's heel drops (google that phrase) help keep my Achilles & calves stretched and also develop my strength. I do 3 sets of 10 on two feet, then alternate 3 sets of 5 on one leg (3 sets each leg).

If you don't do some gentle exercise, once the immediate pain is over (and I know, it is really painful) you need to start tuning into your body.

Go barefoot as much as possible, but really think about working through your foot as you walk. Really roll through your foot, making sure you mobilise all the small intrinsic muscles. We Westerners tend to be rather squeamish about our feet for some reason & don't pay enough attention to the way that our feet connect to the ground.

Shoes should be supportive around the heel, with a small heel height. Trainers aren't that great to be honest.

Do some foot agility exercises: pick up tea towels with your toes. Train until you can pick up a towel with your toes.

Fill a 500 ml bottle with water & freeze it, and use it as a roller across your instep. It hurts at first, but the rolling & the icing help (the RICE: Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate principle).

Just because it's in your feet, doesn't mean it's not a whole body thing. So maybe do Pilates or yoga or Alexander Technique to learn how to align and use your body safely.

I had PF in both feet. but not at the same time, through physical activity (in dance class), so I got it via trauma. But I learnt that I needed to pay attention to my tight calves and alignment through my hips, into my knees & ankles. After 6 months, I managed to clear it fully & there's been no recurrence. But only because I stretch every day.

Falsenails77 · 03/08/2016 14:54

Ouch! I feel your pain I had it for the best part of a year and it was awful.

I had a cortisone injection's which helped a little, I then waited for physio through the NHS and they gave me a few sessions of acupuncture which really helped. I also had an innersole made by them which I wore in my trainers.

I still get the odd twinge every now and again if I've walked a lot and not worn sensible shoes but apart from that I'm okay.

Hope you manage to get it sorted

clam · 03/08/2016 14:56

I had this years ago; it's apparently very common. Was worse first thing in the morning until the muscles had warmed up a bit. Going downstairs to make tea was horrible so dh had to do it.
Was given some personally-moulded heel inserts (which were a pain, as I often wear different shoes each day), but the pain went all by itself after a few months. Never had a recurrence.

FoggyBottom · 03/08/2016 14:58

Shoes like ballerinas with thin/no cushion soles will increase the impact of your foot on something like the pavement

Ballet flat - outside of ballet class - are appalling for your feet, particularly the cheap ones. As are Ugh boots.

ginghamstarfish · 03/08/2016 15:00

Re shoe type, I cringe when I see so many walking around in those wafer thin flat ballerina shoes - I feel like telling them they might be storing up problems!

toldmywrath · 03/08/2016 15:04

I had it for about 2 years. GP advised me to avoid walking if possible & to drive or cycle place. (I sued to try & walk everywhere for fitness, so a bit counter intuitive to be told to stop by my GP)

I got some insoles from Boots- cost about £30 & they did help. Never wear flat shoes, a little heel is perfect but not kitten heels.

And finally I had the steroid injection along with a local anaesthetic at the same time. It was fantastic- the next morning all pain had gone! I had it repeated 6 months later & I have never been bothered with the intense agony of PF again (fingers crossed)

Don't be too down hearted OP -it will resolve eventually.

DimeNotDaim · 03/08/2016 15:05

I've had it for just over a year.

The pain can be unbearable at times, particularly if I go from having the weight off my feet (sleeping, sitting, driving) to a standing position.

I can't carry DD (1) downstairs in the morning because I have to do a half walk, half shuffle on my bum downstairs.

I have no advice but just wanted to say you aren't alone, and I'm watching the thread with interest.

budgiegirl · 03/08/2016 15:06

I had this for almost 2 years, I went to the GP, physio, injections, the lot! Then one day it just vanished almost over night. So there is hope!

Please don't walk around barefoot, it's really bad advice, you need support for your foot at all times. I found Merrell sandals to be great for walking round the house, instead of slippers ( I hate slippers!).

Stretch your foot out as soon as you wake up, before you even step out of bed. I used to keep a towel and a rolling pin beside the bed so they were handy first thing. Wear supportive shoes at all times, and use inserts in all shoes, even trainers. You can get a sort of brace that you wear in bed which is supposed to be good, if you can get comfortable with it while sleeping.

Good luck, it's horrible for a while, but it will get there in the end!

FoggyBottom · 03/08/2016 15:10

Re barefoot: in discussion with my GP & PT, they said not barefoot while I was trying to fix it, but once the plantar ligament had healed & was no longer painful, and I didn't get pain in the morning etc, then walking barefoot, and really using that as a kind of stretch in itself (rolling through the foot etc) would help prevent a recurrence, as it forces the tiny packed in muscles in the foot to develop & get strong. It's how ballet dancers get those amazing feet. They all start off with ordinary feet, but the constant working through the foot develops the muscles & strengthens them.

Lilmisskittykat · 03/08/2016 15:29

Everything I read when I suffered it was not to go bare feet. So if double check this for sure.

Mine flared up October 16 and although it's near gone still niggles after running ... But it def improved.

I paid for a few private Physio sessions after having it for over 8 months. Turned out mine was through hip and back tightness. I was given stretches which seemed to help

But from everything I've read just heals itself by 6-12 months depending if you get to the root cause. (Poor trainers, tight calves, misalignment, tight Achilles etc)

snowy508601 · 03/08/2016 15:37

Insoles made mine worse!
Stretching calf muscles and picking up pencils with toes completely cured year-long attack in days.

clorindaClutterbuck1 · 03/08/2016 15:39

I have had it too, after walking the dog in flip flops for the whole summer!
Someone suggested Fitflops to me, and they were great.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/08/2016 16:47

I've had this - just went and got myself some insoles from Boots - Scholl? - they were about £23 IIRC but well worth it. As long as I wore them it was much easier/much less painful to walk, and after a few weeks I no longer needed them. That was several years ago and I've never had a recurrence.

2 BiLs of mine have both had it, and both spent a fortune on made to measure insoles, but I found my good old Boots versions fine.

MaddyHatter · 03/08/2016 16:55

i had PF a couple of years ago, to be honest, the best thing i found for it is the scholl insoles!

A good pair of trainers, never walk bare foot, insoles. I also love the birkenstock betula with the footbed, the sole is shaped like the insoles so has a good arch support.

Supportive shoes really are a must, if the sole flexes too much, then each step will keep doing damage to your foot.

I havent read the whole thread, so apologies if someone already explained, but this is whats happening.

The plantar fascii is the ligament that goes from the heel, through the foot arch to your toes. What happens is the ligament tears from the heel.

When you sleep at night, like a sprain, that tearing begins to heal, so when you get up in the morning and go to walk, you're re-tearing that healing tissue.

Its important that EVERY MORNING you spend at least 5 minutes massaging your foot before you get up, warm up that ligament, you want to gently and carefully use your thumb to massage from your heel up the arch towards your toes and back down again, you will feel it ease.

Once you've done that, you want to sit on the edge of the bed, feet on the floor and gently, without standing, lift from flat feet onto your toes a couple of times.

When you feel there is no stiffness, then stand up.

I did this every day, and mixed with either my birkies or my trainers with the insoles in, it was fixed within 8 weeks, and it hasnt returned.

You have to treat it like you have sprained the arch of your foot essentially. baby it, dont force it, massage, ice, support...etc.

Grausse · 03/08/2016 17:06

I've had it. It lasted months but I eventually got rid.
Please ignore those who said walk barefoot!
The stretches on the NHS website are very good, you can feel when you are doing them correctly because it pulls the back of the calf.
Solid shoes at all times, even in the house and never wear anything that flips, so not just flip flops but loose shoe like ballerinas that often flip up.
Mine comes back every summer when we get a hot spell and I walk around for a few days barefoot.

frankie001 · 03/08/2016 17:15

I have pf in both feet. Predominatly left foot. Am currently off work and on crutches with the pain. Have tried everything
Night splint
Strapping
Icing
Rolling
Steroid injections in both feet
Osteopath
Podiatrist
Exercises
Insoles

Have now had a mri scan and am waiting for the results.

It's horrible. Gets you down, and I'm finding even strong painkillers, diclofenac and codeine are ineffective.

Mine came on after a 5 stone weight loss so am feeling pretty hard done by!

Swipe left for the next trending thread