Miracle cure for plantar fasciitis ?

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Is there anything that definitely helps with plantar fasciitis? I've had it since August, I've been wearing arch supports, I've been doing the recommended exercises, rubbing in voltarol. Nothing is helping. I've an appointment with physio just before Christmas, but am in holiday the week before and we'd hoped to walk around quite a lot. At the moment after ten minutes I'm in agony! Is there anything I can do or use that will help?

Hrt - it can be low oestrogen linked - fascia, muscles and tendons all lose ‘lubrication’ from your 40s onwards

I’ve just come out the other end of it, took 4 months for me

it is different for different people and you have to try things out

for me what helped was wearing super cushioned shoes (asics novoblast) with orthotic insoles (online physio ones that mould to your feet)

and keep walking but try and remain within pain limit 1-5 (out of 10)

rest is bad, but over use and too much stretching is bad too

it DOES get better. I found great benefit from strength training too

I tried everything. Even the expensive running shoes someone mentioned on here.

I got some stepprs off Amazon. They're not the genuine stepprs but apparently that site has issues delivering stuff promptly.

They're surprisingly excellent. Reduced the pain massively so it's not in my face anymore.

I doubt they'll last for months, but short term is recommended.

Stretching legs and feet often - wearing shoes that aren’t completely flat. Rolling your feet on a bottle of frozen water.

I had it for a year or more but changing footwear and stretching my legs and feet regularly has almost eradicated it.

Don't wear flat shoes or go barefoot. You need something with a slight heel all the time, even indoors. That will take the pressure off the tendon. I don't think arch supports help - they just press on the sore area. Quite a few people have recommended different footwear, but choose something that is comfortable for you - everyone's feet are different. Cushioned insoles can help.

Massage your calf muscles and achilles tendons a couple of times a day - chances are that tight calf muscles contributed to the issue in the first place.

Use ibuprofen gel liberally on the soles of your feet, and don't let your feet get cold, they need to be kept warm. You can use a tennis ball as a massager, but don't go overboard and don't do it so firmly that it hurts. Gentle massage to the sore area will improve circulation and aid healing, but over-zealous massaging will just stir up the inflammation.

Do ankle circling exercises while sitting down, one leg at a time, 5x one way to start with, then the other way. Strengthening your ankles will help prevent pronation or supination (rolling inwards or outwards).

Avoid standing still for long periods, and if exercising hurts - stop. That is nature's way of telling you to knock it on the head.

Ten years ago I had a steroid injection.

This year I rolled a hard ball under my foot for a few weeks for 10/15 minutes each evening and stretched my heel down frequently through the day. I also stretched it down whilst standing on the edge of the stairs after rolling the ball under. Miraculously it worked.

I empathise OP. Sorry this is long, but long story short- it was time and then stopping ALL interventions which helped mine! I had it for nearly 2yrs!

-I saw a podiatrist privately and got some exercises
-Had a gait assessment and bought new trainers to help with pronation
-Bought a sock with a ribbon thing from the toe to the top of the sock at the knee which was supposed to help by pulling the toes up. It was agony and when I finally got to sleep with the thing on, I'd kick it off in my sleep
-Rolled my foot on spiky balls, frozen rolling pins and frozen bottles
-Saw GP who finally referred me to NHS physio
-Follow ALL the physio exercises/stretches etc
-Never wore heels or any shoes other than the approved types
-Saw a private osteopath for another issue and the few minutes of her massaging my foot were bliss!
-I lost 10kg and it remained the same
-I took part on a research study where I had to log the pain/disability monthly on an app. The study lasted 18mths and my answers never improved!
-I was on a waiting list for a laser/shock therapy. I caught a virus and stopped the daily stretches and exercises I'd been doing.

Within 2 weeks, I woke one morning to no pain. That was 8yrs ago now and other than a single day when I could feel it, it's never re-occurred. No idea if co-incidence but it was awful. All the best op.

Shoe inserts with 3.5 height arch and joining the gym and working on whole body strength, including my calves. Obviously not a help right now.
Keep blood flow to the area so rolling on one of those foot massager things. Gua Sha - you can use a dinner knife or spoon

Sympathy, had mine on and off three years.
Taping feet also.

Loaded calf raises, think it’s called Rathleth protocol?

I found strength training really helpful for my PF and recommended the same class to a friend suffering it too.
We’ve both pretty much cleared it up… but rolling on ice, supportive shoes etc etc also needs paying attention to.

Thank you. I do wear supportive insoles and around the house I always wear birkenstocks. I'll keep going with the exercises. I don't do any other exercise apart from walking which I can't do at the moment. I have chronic pain anyway, walking is the only form of exercise I can do.

It is awful, I'm so fed up of the pain, it's like a dagger in my heel.

I can't take ibuprofen, it really affects my stomach badly. I've been rubbing in voltarol gel but it's not helping with the pain.

I've not heard of hokas but I'll look them up. I wear birkenstocks around the house all the time.

I've been rolling a frozen bottle of water under my foot as I heard that's meant to help.

I'm taking paracetamol, it doesn't touch the pain. I can't take ibuprofen but I've been applying voltarol twice a day, also not helping.

I really don't want to use mountjaro after reading about the side effects. I have got a stone and a half to lose, I've lost one stone in the last two months.

I'm retired. I'm about one and a half stone, maybe two overweight. I've lost one stone in the past two months. At the moment I sit most of the time due to the pain, but I used to walk a lot before the pain got so bad.

Can I buy a brace online?

Like the ones for painting your toe nails?

I bought some flip flops on Amazon for about £7. They have tiny pressure points all over the sole. When my plantar fasciitis was really agonising, I would wear them and they worked like magic. Two hours of flip flops and the pain was gone.

This was the make that worked.They last forever, too. I still have them, and haven;t had plantar issues for a few years.

Nothing else helped - not anti-inflammatory painkillers, not calf stretches, insoles, heat or ice.

Wearing very thick socks with good boots, and never going barefoot around the house helped, as did giving up all sorts of exercise which involved jumping. These prevented flare ups, but if I had one, only cheap flip flops healed it.

I had a couple of session with a sports massage therapist and I cannot tell you what a difference it made. I went from barely being able to walk to being virtually back to normal after three sessions.

Thanks. I'm on hrt so should be OK.

Sketchers for me. I feel quite protective of them when people say they’re frumpy lol.

Crocs.

Sports massage of the feet and calves.

ballet exercises

Same here!!

Tried everything. Sketchers Go Walk was the thing that sorted it for me.

Definitely a pair of crocs, they saved me. I now keep them by the side of the bed. I don't even touch the floor in the morning, straight into crocs to go to the bathroom.

I also used ice packs every few hours to reduce the inflammation. This combined with the crocs at home was a game changer for my PF.

I hope you find something that works for you, PF is one of the most painful conditions. Maybe hire a wheelchair on longer days out so you can enjoy some of your holiday?