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Plantar fasciitis

43 replies

LuckyLuckyWoman · 31/08/2021 21:01

Suffering with constant pain, which is really getting me down now.

How did you treat yours and how long till you saw some improvement?

OP posts:
GunsNShips · 01/09/2021 16:56

Any type? Even their ballet pumps?

Veuvelily · 01/09/2021 16:59

They all have support
I tried the ballet pumps and they were comfortable, but they rubbed my heel. I have never been able to wear a full shoe like that!

MissMarplesGoddaughter · 01/09/2021 17:03

Please can someone explain why Sketchers memory foam shoes are a no-on?

MissMarplesGoddaughter · 01/09/2021 17:04

no-no? (not no-on!!)

LargeBouquet · 01/09/2021 17:08

Honestly, while I’ve never had it, several close family members have had down the years, and tried virtually everything recommended on here to no avail. They all concluded (and these are people who are not in communication with one another) that it went away by itself, eventually.

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 01/09/2021 17:36

Custom orthotics every single day from the moment my feet exited the duvet. Foam rollering calves. Ice packs and a lacrosse ball under the feet, along with lots of non weight-bearing upper foot and toe stretches.

New footwear - running shoes a size larger to allow for the orthotics - Clarks (not heeled, flat with a separate half inch thick rather than thin sole) tend to be large enough to be able to lace up in terms of formal shoes, as the uneven wear pattern on older shoes increases instability. They also need to be lace ups so you aren't having to grip with your toes to hold them on or have your foot sliding around in them. Walking boots/shoes are also very good in terms of support.

The previous time I had it, I needed to wear a cast to stop my ankle moving around too much, as the constant wobble and overstretching of overpronation was what made it so bad. Being able to sort it by chucking everything but the kitchen sink at the problem as soon as the twinges came was a whole load better than that - and steroid injections had been useless (ridiculously painful, too), so I wasn't about to repeat that mistake.

I also made a conscious effort to adopt more of a mid-forefoot strike rather than landing on my heels and all impact related exercise was off the menu until I wasn't feeling any pain - so swimming, rowing and weights were my exercises of choice. And if I would normally stand up for something, I'd sit down instead rather than risk further unnecessary damage.

The memory foam shoes feel nice initially, but they make your foot even more unstable, rather than supporting it in the position it needs to heal, so they make it even worse.

You can't assume it'll just go away, as if you still wear unsupportive shoes, every time you put your foot on the floor you tear some more until you actually feel your entire arch dropping to the floor as it's torn through. The people who have it disappear without consciously doing anything are those who have been very lucky.

ExtremelyDisorganised · 01/09/2021 17:37

I wore low heeled black ankle boots (Chelsea type) with orthotics through the winter after I had my attack (but it was largely better by then, it started in March and was better by the autumn. I wore all-black trainers to work through the summer with trousers. Luckily my job is mostly sitting.

ExtremelyDisorganised · 01/09/2021 17:39

Unfortunately I have very wide feet with very narrow heels so have never found lace-ups I can wear with orthotics apart from trainers, if they're wide enough they flap off my heels.

crocus146 · 01/09/2021 17:40

Electric shock treatment on my feet seemed to work for me. Not come back.

Planttrees · 01/09/2021 17:50

I kept a tennis ball under my desk to roll my foot on whilst at work. After a few weeks I found I stopped needing it but it is kept in my desk drawer just in case as I still get occassional twinges.

Esspee · 01/09/2021 17:58

@GunsNShips

Can anyone recommend shoes for an office job? Needs to be smart - my go to are black ballet pumps (I know, I know), black court shoes or black boots. I don’t like being open toed in the office. Would somewhere like M&S be a good shout?
Look at Fitflops they have great looking shoes for work as well as sandals.
Esspee · 01/09/2021 19:06

I have had PF twice. It hurt so much the first time I actually cried when I had to put my feet on the floor. What I learned gradually over the year or more I had it was:-
Never walk barefoot EVER
Never wear flat shoes like ballet flats
Stretch your calf muscles often
Before putting your feet on the floor stretch your legs out rigidly and point your toes then rotate your toes up towards your head and hold. Someone suggested using a flexible band earlier in the thread.
By proper insoles for your trainers. The Scholl ones are no better than the Lidl ones.
Do calf muscle stretches often, loads of exercises for PF on youtube.
If you can afford it buy Fitflop shoes and or sandals. Birkenstocks were extremely painful for me though work for others.
Good luck.

ThisOldSaddo · 01/09/2021 22:16

Stretches before you take a step out of bed.
Ball for rolling over,
Preferably cold.
Step on the stairs and stretch down.
Wear the compression socks.
Brofen gel.
Pain killers.
Inserts for shoes.

Then there is surgery...injections etc...

But the only thing that really worked for me was losing 2 stone.

I feel for you, it's relentless and the only thing that's actually worse after rest 😆

lambchoc · 08/09/2021 13:01

Stretches didn't help mine. Electric shockwave treatment and buying vionic slippers to wear in house all the time seemed to do the trick

andyoldlabour · 09/09/2021 15:34

I am convinced that memory foam insoles caused my really bad bout of PF, back in 2017. I managed to rip out the insoles in the two offending pairs and replace them with insoles I had kept from old training shoes, one with proper heel and arch support.
Plenty of people in the comments section having problems with them.

findmyfootwear.com/are-memory-foam-shoes-good-for-you/

www.woowalkers.com/are-memory-foam-shoes-good-or-bad-for-you/

MsWalterMitty · 11/09/2021 21:09

Where do people experience the pain?

I have it in the typical place... the arch of my foot but it radiates deep in to my ankle too. Does anyone else get this?

Springleaves · 11/09/2021 21:17

See I found Birkenstock’s made my pain worse. I can just about tolerate fitflops. I have had steroid injections and that made no difference so next stop is surgery.
It’s so debilitating being in this much pain.

KaycePollard · 14/09/2021 18:18

Lots and lots of calf stretches. And heel drops off a step.

And using a foot roller - I have a wooden one, but also fill a 500ml drink bottle with water. Freeze it and then use that to roll out your feet. Hurts like hell but brings relief.

I know other PF sufferers say they always wear shoes but I found that walking barefoot as much as possible and being really mindful of rolling through my foot as I walked, helped a lot.

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