Plantar Fasciitis

[doubleboost]

Had this for the last 4 months
Any help would be most welcome

 

[ronan]

What is it John ?

 

[doubleboost]

It is a pain in the heel of the foot
Not very nice at all
Inflamation of the muscle tissues
Ibuprofen & red wine give temporary relief whilst sleeping

 

[ronan]

Doesn't sound nice true enough, especially if you are standing all day. Have you been to the quacks with it ?

 

[hotrodder]

What have the docs said or was it the usual useless rest and NSAIDs? Do you have flat feet or high arches (pronation/supination)? Either can cause/aggrevate things like shin splints or plantar fasciitis... dunno about the later but footwear can make quite a difference to shin splints. I've smashed up my left ankle ankle several times and as a result that foot under pronates. No problems with newish shoes but as the soles start wearing unevenly even a brisk walk can result in shin splints. If your legs are slightly different lengths that could mess up posture enough to eventually result in muscularskeletal problems?
Do you have rubber mats etc to stand on when using lathes etc?

 

[Tommyf]

Mine started 2 years ago john, feels like your foots on fire doesn't it , especially when you get out of bed in the morning. Tried everything ibuprofen, ice packs , exercises etc. Finally went to a podiatrist and had some insoles made and used them all the time and wore crocs when indoors and after a few weeks it was much better . Worn the insoles ever since , I still have to watch what I'm doing though. Anyway hope you don't have too much trouble with it.

 

[ronan]

What have the docs said or was it the usual useless rest and NSAIDs? Do you have flat feet or high arches (pronation/supination)? Either can cause/aggrevate things like shin splints or plantar fasciitis... dunno about the later but footwear can make quite a difference to shin splints. I've smashed up my left ankle ankle several times and as a result that foot under pronates. No problems with newish shoes but as the soles start wearing unevenly even a brisk walk can result in shin splints. If your legs are slightly different lengths that could mess up posture enough to eventually result in muscularskeletal problems?
Do you have rubber mats etc to stand on when using lathes etc?

A mate of mine was having terrible back pain, which resulted in time off work etc. It turned out he had one leg slightly longer than the other (which i believe is very common), none of the so-called expert doctors twigged it, but a young aussie doctor did, and once a shoe insert was made the pain disappeared pretty quickly. Its amazing with the human body that something seemingly unrelated can cause you unending trouble.

 

[Turbo]

That's a very painful condition, my sympathies are with you. I suffered with it for a couple of years, used to dread getting out of bed in the morning, that's when it's worst.

I went through the routine with the NHS, anti-inflammatories, heat & cold packs & voltrarol gel (how on earth can you absorb that through the thick skin on your feet). Saw a podiatrist, she made me up a pair of special insoles. Wasn't until I got home that I realised that they were a size too small! I bought various gel insoles and heel pads, none cured it, only relieved slightly.

Then I came across Colin, a yoga teacher & sports physio. He told me he could cure me but it would be a slow & very painful process- he wasn't wrong! He spend several long sessions massaging out the knots on the sole of my foot, with me often roaring with pain & nearly jumping off the massage bench. He also gave me several exercises designed to stretch the hamstrings and plantar fascia.

One of the best ones was to stand with just your toes on the edge of a step and let your heel drop below the step. Do it for at least 30 secs per foot as many times as you can. Try it with your leg straight & then with your knee bent - it exercises 2 different sets of muscles. It's also a great stretch for hamstrings and tight or cramped calf muscles.

Another trick is to roll a golf ball around with the arch of your foot which massages the tendons there. You can also place a can of coke in the freezer and use it to sooth a sore foot by rolling it on the floor.

After a few sessions it was improving & he showed me how to massage my feet so I could finish curing myself. After a couple of months I was more or less cured and it has never really came back. If I feel them starting to tighten & do my exercises for a week or 2 & that sorts it.

One thing that I do now is always buy quality boots & shoes with good arch support. I think the problem was caused by a pair of boots I bought! They were dickies but I never found them very comfortable, very flat insole. I wore them for 3 months at a job where I was standing all day on a concrete floor.

Are you sure it's plantar fascitis? It could also be gout, and drinking red wine isn't good for either complaint. Might be worth cutting back on it and see if it helps. I would also visit a physio specialising in sports injuries asap, the sooner you get it seen to the easier & less painful it is to cure. I left mine too long by waiting on the NHS to fix it and ended up with slow & very painful recovery. It's a common injury among athletes so a sports physio should be able to help.

 

[awemawson]

John, I had it several years ago when I did loads of driving. Had special shoe inserts and all sorts of things from the podiatrist but nothing seemed to help much. However when I retired and stopped driving stupid amounts it cleared up, now I just occasionally get a twinge, but nothing like the agony I did have, so I empathise with you.

 

[Mick B]

I feel your pain, I really do because I have the same condition. I've had it very badly for the last 3 months, but had it for a total of about 6 - 8 months. I recently had a MRI x-ray thingie and the report says I have Plantar Fascitis with a small 7mm tear in the Fascia which is the tendon that runs from the front of the foot to the heel bone. Also noted is a "subjacent calcaneal oedema" and a 6mm spur (where the tendon attaches to the heel). The best footwear for me is a pair of thongs ($50 a pair !!) with really good support in the right place which are soooo nice to wear, but not that practical at work or for dancing in. I have a collection of heel pads etc I have bought over the time and so far the best ones are a pair that a local shoe repair man made for me after having made some for his mother who had the same condition. The work boots I wear are exactly the same as the last 4 pairs I have had over the years, so I can't blame them. Some shoes are more comfy than others.

I have read all the other posts and without going into detail, I have done all that .

I have spoken to 2 doctors (one of them a surgeon) and they both say that surgery can fix it, BUT, I would not be able to weight bear for 4 -6 weeks and sometimes the scar tissue calcifies and turns into a spur again.

 

[johnik]

I have suffered from this for 6 months or so now,after spending lots of money on a rubbish expert and various "cures" i tried one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Re...assager-Spa-/381354188120?hash=item58ca7b1d58

and it actually works

 

[BrokenBiker]

My soon to be boss (wife) has the same thing. Docs kept fobbing her off with crap explanations until we took our private healthcare for her and saw a consultant. Had some insoles given to her and it's much better. Still not perfect but they are still working on it

 

[lchris21]

common injury in runners............i know

improving your flexibility might help?? try some calf stretches, heel raises, Achilles stretch........... lots of info on YouTube on different stretches you can do. shoe inserts might help alleviate the symptoms but getting to the route cause will help longer term.

think of the tendons as a long elastic band running from your toes right up to your backside...any tight spots are going to pull on the weakest parts and aggravate you.

 

[ukracer]

I have a pain in the **** And a pain in the neck. Doctor sympathised with me on the pain in the ****. (Wife) And gave me Co codamol for my neck. This was after finding out I was taking ibuprofen for the last 2 months , which apparently does not go too we'll with citalipram and candersartan.

Quite why he gave me pain killers when I wanted it fixed not masked....I don't know.

 

[500e]

The physio helped mine a great deal + the exercises, you don't have tingly fingers as well do you?

 

[ukracer]

Me or John....I don't want to detract from his thread. ..but yes I do and they are also very numb in the morning

 

[clueless77]

Buy some insoles for your footwear, make sure they have decent arch support, the pain will start to go within a week. I got it last year, I now have insoles in all my boots, when they wear out replace them. If I don't wear them for a day or two my heels start to hurt again, podiatrist said it's because my arches have fallen as I got older. HTH

 

[Robotstar5]

My doctor referred me to a Biomechanics clinic, they sorted out (orthotic) insoles for my shoes and it's helped my feet no end.

 

[doubleboost]

The Doctor sent me for some Phisio
The exercises seem to help
I bought some "Doc Martin" work boots
They reckon it can take up to a year to sort out
Like has been said it is very pain full first thing

 

[the snooper]

have you tried things similar to this