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

I had bad PF a year ago. What helped was physio for exercises Inc calf strengthening, massage and ultrasound. She also sorted out a decent pair of 3/4 length orthotics - the pair I'd bought at Boots were pretty much useless according to the physio as they were nowhere near firm enough.

I wear the orthotics religiously and it's helped enormously. If I walk any significant distance, I wear my running trainers which have arch support, plus my orthotics, or proper walking boots. Summer is more challenging as orthotics don't work in sandals but I wear a Birkenstock style pair or a pair of FitFlop sandals with decent arch support.

I use Footbalance arch support in my slippers. they are moulded to your foot and you can get them in running shops or specialist shoe shop - cost about £40 but worth it. Then I wear FitFlop outside the house. I so miss going barefoot.

Have you considered sports massage on the foot and taping? I’massage therapist and often seen people with plantar fasciitis. Yours sounds like a pretty serious case but might be worth a go. I’ve attached a pic of two different types of taping used to help relief pain...

I had/have PF...I say 'had' because I have got it to the point where it is manageable but if I don't use my insoles or walk too far, I can feel it getting worse again. I wear really old lady type shoes - try 'hotter' shoes. You need ones with a small heel and the cover your foot well.
I had cortisone injections twice at the GP surgery but the relief lasted only a short while. Had a bit more success with cortisone injected at the hospital where the doctor used ultrasound to guide exactly where he was injecting. All horrendously painful.
Keep trying with different types of insoles - I had two or three different 'styles' from the podiatrist before I got ones that did the trick.
Good luck.

You poor thing! I have had PF for three years and it is awful. I wear orthotics, never go barefoot and the only thing that helps is stretching my calves and foot yoga - they really, really help done religiously.
I have hypermobility and overpronate so do my exercises several times a day otherwise I am in a right state.
You need to go back to the doctor and make a massive fuss about this - it's not on leaving you in agony. I really feel for you .

It's your shoes. Wear very supportive lace up trainers, good ones, I have asics. Wear them all the time. When I ha E to wear wellies I have a custom insole on them. This hasn't got rid of it completely but it's now manageable

Me and my husband suffered terribly. I was offered acupuncture but waiting list was so long I got better.

Just to reiterate what others have said:
Wear crocs at home defo not flip flops. Make sure you’re not having to manoeuvre your foot awkwardly to keep croc on.
I have men’s (wider fit) reebok trainers and in the past Nike have also been good and Skechers.
A little foot massage at bedtime
Little exercise on the foot while lying down before getting for the day.

Im going to be controversial here but my foot got 90% better by doing nothing. I lay on the sofa for week and only moved to go to loo, kitchen or bed. Walking your dog daily in my opinion is making it heal slower. Can anyone else back that up?

I think it depends martell. I am sure that half the time PF is diagnosed as an umbrella term for myriad foot problems so what works for one doesn't necessarily work for others. My feet fizz, pop and almost move independently of me if I rest too much. Thing is, it's one of those conditions that doesn't seem to be mentioned much but when you start to suffer with it, you certainly know about it.

My podiatrist did tell me that total rest for a few weeks probably would do the trick but that just wasn't an option. I did cut back to some extent, I can see from my Fitbit record. I had a 6 week break from my dance classes (tap and ballet) which I think helped but was ok with them again after that.

Iell your pain as im the same. Mine started on a holiday to new York and i dont think my friends will ever forgive me i feel such a fraud. I also nurse and am on my feet 12 hours a day by the afternoon i can hardly walk. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? Ive started on thyroxine and its helping. I went to a podiatrist and it was the best £49 ive ever spent. I bought special insoles even they were very painful at first. I wear nike flip flops in the house they are quite built up and sketchers for work with the indoles in. Did you get a ball off Amazon?

I had PF and it was helped by physio.Still have foot pain most days but use an orthosleeve (google/ amazon) and that does really help.
I am able to run again and wear the sleeve when running as well and the taping already mentioned helps.
I've also found that Adidas pureboost or ultraboost running shoes are really good as some of the styles (and theres a fair few!) in those ranges have an adaptive arch to fit your foot shape:
www.adidas.co.uk/pureboost-xpose-shoes/BA8272.html?cm_mmc=AdieSEM_PLA_Google--GS-OPT-UK-Categories-SubBranded--SUBBRAND%2B-%2Boutlet-_-PRODUCT%2BGROUP&cm_mmca1=UK&cm_mmca2=&71700000023915746=true&ds_agid=58700003062194753&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1dG1r86J2gIVEOEbCh0tAAyJEAQYBSABEgLFl_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJ6go7TOidoCFTIw0wodi48H7Q

Have had friends with PF who have benefitted greatly from osteopathic treatment.

My feet fizz, pop and almost move independently of me if I rest too much

so do mine!! Its awful isn't it, almost worse that the PF pain