Plantar Fasciitis hell

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Need a hand hold, had PF since March and it's been getting steadily worse even with treatment. Currently getting weekly shockwave therapy, halfway through the course and it's gotten so bad again, I'm struggling to stay on my feet as it's so sore and they're constantly burning and painful. Doing all the recommended things, you name it I've tried it. Seem to be just burning (pun intended) money away trying to solve it. Anyone who has had it, do you just have to ride it out and it'll go on its own? Need reassurance as really struggling, have two kids under 5 and a demanding events job where I need to be on my feet for 12 hours plus at a time. I've lost a stone, not overweight, I've got autoimmune conditions but nothing drastically out the ordinary. Just looking for reassurance I'll get better eventually and idea of timescales that others experienced 🫠

I don't have this but I do have achilles tendonitis which had got gradually worse over the last two years and which is treated in similar ways to plantar fascitis . I found exercises on the nhs website which I did (not particualarly religiously) for a while then it seemed to improve so I of course forgot to do them.

Then it came back worse than before and gradually deteriorated again until about 5 weeks ago I ws in a lot of pain so deciddd to see a physio (really should have done that earlier ). He gave me exercises and said clearly that I need to do them religiously at least once a day and ideally 2-3 times a day. He said it would take a min of 6-8 weeks to see any real improvement and that even if it improved, I needed to continue to do the exercises several times a week for up to a year afterwards. He said he would then give me exercises to ddo for the rest of my life to help prevent it coming back. He said I should only try shockwave therapy if after 8 weeks of doing the exercises religiously, I had seen no improvement at all

Well I have been doing the exercises he gave me pretty regularly (5-7 times a week, 1-3 times a day) for 5 weeks now and I am beginning to see some improvement. I am not sure that it will ever go away completely but I can walk better now without so much pain. It is not gone though and I expect it wont be completely gone for ages, if at all. I can live with it as it is now though, whereas before it was really impacting my walking and very painful

What struck me was how clear he was about how long the exercises took to work, sometimes up to several months. The exercises absolutely don't work for everyone, and of course you need the right ones for you but he said if they were done properly they worked for 80% of people . The key thing being doing them properly and consistently for long enough. I am embarassed to say that noone had actually spelt this out for me so I sort of imagined I could do the exercises for a few weeks and if I saw no improvement very quickly, that they were not working so gave up. Or if they worked fairly quickly then I didn't necessarily need to keep them up

I have psoriatic arthritis and this is one of my first symptoms the feet under arch and under heel !!! Wear crocs then Birkenstocks !! Keep walking walking is painful but it will ease and also the maxi strength ibruprofen cream from boots is good rub it in right into the foot regularly! It could be part of one of your Auto immune problems xx

Supported Footwear. ALL THE TIME.
stretching exercises before putting foot on there floor when getting out of bed
i did the trace the alphabet in the air with your toe
feet straight into supported arch slippers
no bare feet on the floor.
looked up exercises on the internet and also foot massage (which I did to myself).
I also found out about what it is medically and read lots on what to do to try and fix it. Found useful YouTube videos.
I saw improvement with a month, kept it up for six months and am pain free but always wear supported footwear now.

I had it for months, I sympathise!
I saw a podiatrist who did a gait analysis and prescribed specific exercises and orthotics to change my gait. Better within a couple of weeks.

Hiya, I can totally relate to this. I worked in an office for years and would wear heels every day, I then had my little boy and started to wear flats all the time as heels no longer practical. The change in footwear caused my plantar fascia tendon to stretch and then I developed plantar fasciitis and a heel spur in both feet. I went for scans and was referred for shockwave therapy which did not work for me unfortunately. I had regular pain for around 4 years and I still get occasional flare ups, but nothing like the pain I experienced previously. The things which helped me were 1./ massage - when you wake in the morning, before getting up, cross your affected foot on to your opposite knee, pull your toes back as far as they will go, hold them there and use your thumbs to massage all around your heel area and the base of your heel, then massage from the ball of your foot along the base of all your toes. 2./ Never walk around bare foot, try Timberland hoverlite sandals, Sketchers, heel cushions in your shoes. Don’t wear anything too flat (like ballet pumps). A slight heel helps if you can bare them. 3./ If you know that you’re going to be walking a lot on a particular day, take ibuprofen. You can take paracetamol alongside this as one will deal with the inflammation, while the other helps with the pain. 4./ Ice packs can help. I rarely have it now, so rest assured that it will get much, much better in time. Massage and carefully chosen footwear are the things which made most difference for me. Good luck!

I can confirm that research has been done investigating the link between underactive thyroid (an autoimmune condition) and PF.

Found a book, quite by accident, in Alnwick, Northumberland (you might know Barter Books, in the old train station), and just browsed the index looking for any reference to PF.

So interesting as it does seem worse when I'm stressed for sure... So busy with work and have health anxiety too so doesn't help with the stress at all

I've had PF a couple of times and gone through the prolonged pain. Getting out of bed putting feet straight into Crocs helped but still took forever to heal.

Recent recurrence and I found this video and it was like a miracle cure. Took more than a week (maybe 2-3 weeks) but stretching shin/top of foot muscles rather than calf and then the pain just disappeared overnight.

That’s interesting. I have an underactive thyroid.

When I had a frozen shoulder a few years ago, my consultant also said that this can happen more in women in menopause and with underactive thyroid.

Taking hrt with Oestrogen is well known to help prevent P.F.

@Daftapath I wasn’t really expecting to find anything, and I’d only been diagnosed with my thyroid about a year before. You coulda knocked me down with a feather!!!

Mine lasted about two years. I had a very bad flare up then poof - disappeared pretty much overnight one day never to return.

The only thing that did help relieve it though was a tennis ball massaged under the foot - but you have to use a lot of pressure and almost be able to hear the crunchy tissue for it to break down the knots.

I put the ball of my foot on a step and stretch my foot down, that really helps. Plus loads of walking. It was agony first of all, when I had finished walking but the more I’ve walked the less painful it’s become.

12 years ago I was in agony with it and struggled to walk some days. GO gave me cortisone injections in both feet. Was painful for a few days and once that subsided I’ve never had pain again, it’s gone completely.

Definitely agree with this. I am 11 months in and it's finally no longer debilitating and I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I still do calf stretches daily, and keep flexing the foot when sitting down for any length of time.
Acupuncture didn't really help except that she said it was a calf issue as much as a lower foot issue. Ultrasound and binding by the Podiatrist didn't really help. So regular stretching, shoes and slippers with arch support, and time are what I recommend.

I really feel for you OP as I had this horrendously a few years ago. I could barely stand in the mornings and the pain even just showering was awful! I went to a private physio and they used a blunt knife and oil on my feet stretching out every ridge in the arch of your foot and it made a massive difference. I also used a golf ball as you can roll it in all directions for 15 mins per foot, 3 times a day. I now try to wear Skechers with the higher gel heel as much as I can and mine had cleared up completely! If I ever get a slight twinge I make sure to use the golf ball before bed and first thing in the morning. Hope you get it sorted!

I had PF a few years ago. Tried foot exercises, bought Vionic trainers etc but nothing helped until my GP prescribed a short course of anti inflammatory medication and that worked like magic for me within a couple of days. I hope you find a cure soon.

I've found pressing a massage gun with the ball attachment on high to the heel is a miracle temporary cure. Hurts but the pain disappears totally. Until the following morning!

I’ve had it since April and last time I had it unfortunately it lasted a year
I roll a tennis ball under my foot in the arch.
its bloody miserable I do also see a podiatrist every 6 weeks for the obvious reason but also had orthotics for my shoes via her

Which medication was it?

Naproxen

Thanks. I've been prescribed it but can't take at at the moment as I'm having shockwave. How long did it take before the pain went for good?

Unfortunately the only thing that worked for me was complete bed rest as i was struck down with covid and then long covid and couldn’t stand up for two weeks with very little walking for a further two months. It went completely. Prior to that, I tried shock therapy, exercises with a ball from a physio where I actually ended up in A and E as it made it 10 x worse. I was in a bad way and really thought it would never go.

I wear asics trainers almost all of the time now and crocs as slippers. I rarely go barefoot. Touch wood, I haven’t had any issues since 2020.

Honestly, I only took Naproxen for a few days and to my great surprise the PF disappeared (I had it in one foot). It has not returned and that was 4 years ago.

It's horrible.
I had it for 8 months. Tried everything and spent hundreds , went to my doctor and showed them everything I had done to help it , including losing weight.
Dr said come in tomorrow before my holiday or in 3 weeks , chose to go next day , he did a steroid injection and after 48 hours it had completely gone , this was 5 years ago.