Plantar fasciitis & nerve entrapment

[Nyksg]

Hi All

I was diagnosed with acute/chronic PF with nerve entrapment early January and I literally cannot walk without crutches. The pain under and around my heel and inner ankle is brutal. I am in constant horrific pain. Unlike typical PF I can walk in the morning on waking, it hurts but it’s ok so to speak but as soon as I’ve walked my dogs that’s me done for the day as I am in agony. If I sit down I cannot put my foot down to walk so I have to hop on my good right foot then gradually drag my PF left one. I’m on constant pain meds which do nothing to hel the pain other than relax me or knock me out. I’m having acupuncture regularly which I feel is not helping if anything the last session has made it worse. Physio is not needed as I have good movement apparently. I also have nerve entrapment so I am getting random very sharp stabbing pains that reduce me to tears ... literally. I can be sitting on the couch or in bed even and they just come from nowhere.
I am very active and I feel at a loss, this is really getting me down 😢.
Please tell if you’ve tried anything different that helped you and also what shoes may help me to get walking. Ive read thst sketcher go walk are recommended I do have fit flops but they are for work but obviously I use crutches with them as I cannot keep my foot on the floor due to the pain.
Please share your experiences
Thanks Nyksg

Help please

I wear Birkenstocks round the house and my running trainers (with arch support) when I have to walk anywhere either quickly or over a longer distance of about 1 mile. Sorry to hear you're in so much pain, mine wasn't as bad as yours, but I really had to restrict my running and walking for around 3 months to give it time to heal :-/

You have my upmost sympathy, I had severe PF for approx a year and I really lost that year, the pain was like nothing else and affected everything I did, it was probably two years to be completely pain free.

Shoes - definitely Skechers go walk, I got a Mary Jane ballet style of them for work, that's all I could wear. Never go bare foot, I wore and still wear crocs as slippers (really don't care about looks if I can walk without crying). I found some crocs wellies for dog walking
Now it's improved a bit Fitflop ballet shoes are fab and I found some Heavenly Soles memory foam boots for winter.

After being in despair I found yoga was the thing that really helped, as I was told it is a lot to do with tight calves, so I really worked on stretching those and also a physio exercise that involved standing with the balls of your feet on a step and then letting your heels drop down stretching your calves again.
Rhus tox and Ruta cream from somewhere like Holland and Barrett is also good.
Wishing you all the best.

I ruptured my plantar fascia in October and the pain is horrific so much sympathy.

I also wear furry crocs for slippers, they look hideous but if it reduces the pain then I don't care.

I might push for physio,I have found it so helpful, I know we have different problems with the plantar fascia. The physics straped it up with fancy tape which worked really well, plus lots of different exercises, for stretching the plantar fascia itself but also the supporting structures around the ankle so it has to work less. And I will second tight calf muscles as well that need stretching out.

I hope the pain eases soon.

When you got your diagnosis what was suggested to help and to alleviate the pain?

Ouch - so sorry OP, I had PF for about 9 months and it was awful.

I echo what others have said:

• wear crocs around the house. Never go barefoot
• wear Skechers go walk (with PF insoles) as much as possible. I now wear mine for work whenever I can
• if/when you're up to it, do the heel raising while standing on a step exercising & get a spiky ball to roll around the sole of your foot
• my physio did ultrasound on my foot, which helped a bit

I'm suffering too, albeit not to your extent. The shoes I have found to be the most comfortable are normal ankle boots with a 1.5 inch heel and gel heel insoles.

I had PF and I found it more painful after wearing my trusty Birkenstocks. I found Crocs useless for mine. The only comfortable shoes for me for ages were Fly London Oily low wedge sandals and Fly Mes boots.

It sorted itself out and now I have no issues. For me having my foot securely in a shoe with a cushioned slight lift was what was needed. I had previously worn Birkenstock and sensible shoes for years so was a bit pissed off /surprised I got it.

These were excellent....

Crocs. Bottles of water frozen to roll my feet on. Turmeric and black pepper capsules. I benefited from ultrasound treatment, but at £40 a go I bought my own machine for £99 from amazon. It has really helped.

Thanks everyone I'll go and get some crocks hen my partner is off over the next few days do they have to be real crocks or will the mock ones do for in the house? I will have a look at the go walks too.
I went for a cortisone injection but th doctor wasn't comfortable doing it due to the obvious pain I was in that particular day as she said if I jumped with the nerve pain then she could do a it of internal damage. Physio did ultrasound but said I was too sensitive to touch due to the nerve issue but I have been doing all the stretches daily since I was diagnosed so they said there is nothing they can do as I'm already doing it at home. I do the stair stretches!, balls bottles Epsom salt soaks the lot and acupuncture twice a week. The last acupuncture on Friday has left me in severe pain. I am now waiting to see another orthopedic doctor so they can see what is going on and hopefully do an MRI as even the doctor said the level of pain I'm in is not typical.
As I'm sitting here now on a kitchen stool with my feet resting on the bar I can feel the nerves fluttering.
The constant ache in the underside of the heel, ankle and Achilles heel is tiring and when I get off this stool I literally fall as my foot cannot bear any weight. I've also found when I can bear weight I walk on the outer edge of my foot hi honey is obviously not good at all.
I've been wearing trainers at home but it's still the same unfortunately.

OP sounds horrific, poor you

Have you been referred to a podiatrist? I struggled for months with PF and got dr to refer me. I got made to measure orthotic insoles and some exercises and it made such a difference I cancelled my cortisone injection. Wasn't instant, probably 2 months.

Mine was not as bad as yours but like you would be worse after walking/exercise to the point it would make me cry.

Prior to that I found Birkenstocks a godsend and also bought some more work friendly shoes with arch support from iconic online.

Incidentally my podiatrist is not a fan of Sketches, he says they don't offer enough support.

Sorry Vionic!

And agree with PP about yoga - has made a difference although some of the stretches were v painful at first

I was advised never to be barefoot, so I have some Birkenstocks for slippers as they have the arch support.
I was also told not to wear anything soft and without support such as crocs, so it may be best to check with your physio before spending money as they may not be suitable. Everyone is different, and I think only a physiology would be able to suggest what is best.
I know I needed/need a definite arch support already inside the shoe or from an insole.
As I'm no longer in the acute stage, I can wear most shoes for short periods but this is because I wear the birkinstocks around the house.
I have changed from converse (not good for PF) to addidas gazelles as these have a slight arch support inside and are quite firm and not too soft.
Hope it settles soon.

Mine is better now, but my podiatrist specifically told me to avoid Go Walks and Crocs made it worse too, I can only wear them for very short spells now. I spent several months in trainers the whole time with off the shelf orthotics from the podiatrist, then moved onto Birkenstocks, the sort that fit snugly and don't flap about. Ice, massage, calf stretches, spiky ball all helped mine.

Yes, I moved onto Adidas gazelles once mine started easing and found the support just right.

*physio, not physiology.

Agree, yoga is helpful and Pilates.
Also investing in some decent insoles, either shelf bought or even better made to fit though this is quite costly.

I’ve had this ever since our holiday in Devon last year. I’m sure I damaged it with all the bloody walking, castle climbing and gorge hopping. Bloody agony when you first put weight on it but then will walk off a little until you overdo it and then it’s agony again. Really encouraging to hear that people have had it and it gone away. Will follow with interest. Op I hope you get to the bottom of it.

Honestly, I would not suggest buying any new footwear until you’ve gone down the medical route. I’ve suffered from foot pain for the best part of 2 years. I first had plantar fasciitis and then had surgery for arthritis at the beginning of last year. The follow up from this involved ibruprofen, physio, podiatry including expensive custom insoles, nothing alleviated the pain which was as bad as you’ve described in terms of my daily mobility. Finally last month I went back to my surgeon who sent me for a MRI scan. This showed the inflammation that was causing the pain. I have now had steroid injections in both feet and honestly it’s just amazing. I don’t know if it’s permanent yet, but finally I can get out of bed without wincing, walk the dog and the school run and also did my first exercise class in two years. It’s life changing. Follow up on the medical stuff and don’t stop until you get some relief.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions & kind wishes.
I need new slippers anyway as my current ones are too flat with no support so maybe I'll look for an older persons comfortable slipper in the meantime. My next appointment is April 13th so maybe I will wait until then to see what if anything they can recommend. The podiatrist was my first point of contact, I have insoles, night splints and a special shoe with no heel, (it stops after the arch) so that I don't have to put my heel down but even that it too painful now. I also have a heel spur which apparently should not cause pain, this was found in the X-ray.
The doctors have asked me numerous times did I hear anything pop of which I did not, I had a sharp intermittent pain for a few days then I couldn't walk without screaming. My acupuncturist say he treats PF a lot but he has never seen anything like mine. Currently taking amiltriptiline, zapain, codeine & cbd oil so you can imagine how I feel. I go out of the house once a day with the dogs & that's it, currently off work also.

Dog walker for the present? See if a week or two off dog walking would help?

I didn't walk them for almost a month and it didn't help and now I only walk them when my partner works. My doctor said I need to try and keep mobile and get me walking without crutches too

Ah okay. I know there's a company call Foot Solutions which advertises on Irish radio... seems they specialise in PF footwear. Worth a Google?

..... called...