advice please....finally 3rd GP and......

I suffered in my left foot 5 years ago had physio, strapping, massage,stretching, ultrasound shocking, shoe inserts and crutches for 3 months as was so bad I couldn't walk on it. Then it eased to bare able since then I've had mild pain in it on and off. It started in my right foot about 3 months ago but just niggling a little then suddenly a month ago the pain hit a whole new level and I had to go hospital emergency room because I thought I had broken it as every step I felt sick with the pain. They listened poked but that was it and said it was PF and gave me crutches said see my GP. I have seen 2 GP's who didn't want to listen just said it's PF time will heal itself. I have pain all down my 5th metatarsal to my heal. Pain in my heal and all round the back of my heal up the back of my foot and across the ball of my foot and through my arch. I still think it's more than PF but on seeing the 3rd GP he has assured me it is PF and the pain I'm experiencing is due to how I walk to avoid pain using the one crutch.

I often joke with my friend who is wheelchair bound that I could swap my feet with hers and we can take it in turns with a complete set of legs that work fully. So totally get u with that one :-( I've never heard of the term 'carpet bombing'

That's what I'm worried about mostly the pain from the jabs and fear it will be for nothing but at the moment even just a day with no pain will be a blessing.

Yup the shot hurts a tad

First initial poke and then about half way down again

its over pretty quick though

He'll probably feel around on your foot and ask is this where it hurt and inject in that spot

Thanks only a week of eased pain :-/ not good but better than nothing. I'm having to give up my job as a home carer being as the pain gets so bad I can hardly walk at all and need caring for myself.

It's so hard especially as my youngest child is a 4 year old whirlwind.

Thanks for ur input:-)

It's continously there but its excruciating in the mornings and after sitting and resting for anything longer than 5-10 minutes.

Yup that sounds like PF for sure

That shot should knock down inflammation

But it's not a cure unfortunately

The stretches are what suppose to cure it and strengthen the tendon so you don't keep getting it

A lot of runners get it

The only time I run if someone is chasing me )

Lol Ben I don't run either and I think this coming on so bad was a warning to me because ironically I bought a treadmill 2 days before it got excruciating to walk at least it's getting some use though as my dogs seem to like it.

Stretches are hurting it more and more so I'm wondering if I have a tear in it maybe.

My understanding is its tiny tears in the tendon from being over worked

That's what causes the inflammation

If it hurts to stretch I would get the shot first , then do the stretches

Every Google search came up with doing stretches and the doc recommended them too

For relief use a frozen water bottle

And roll it under your foot

It gives some relief

I hope some of this helps you... what i have gleaned from trial and error really... 

I broke my leg and hopped roudn on crutches. Think i overdid it (Was very active) and seemed to unbalance my body (unknown to me at time). About a month after getting off the leg plaster, got PF. GP's in my exprience diagnose it correctly and bang you on NSAIDs e.g. Naproxen). However, again in my experience, and in discussion on the medical specifics underlying how these chemicals work, we agreed that over the counter Voltarol gel you can buy in Boots is just as effective.

The PF got worse over 6 months and i was so fed up i took out a roper medical subscription and started to spend hours a day reading medical journals on the subject,  I visited the top rheumatologist in Uk, saw the podiatrist attached to Arsenal and  a physio wh managed team GB at Olympics. Gradually i worked out a plan which has ultimately worked for me.   After 6 months of PF, achiles started playign up also. 

try this - but determine to beat it as i think you will need to be ruthlessly determined..

1.Seriously ice your feet. I sat for hours with my feet in the frozen sleeves that go round wine bottles. Literally hours That seemed to be the best thing to get rid of PF - i think i just killed the inflammation by freezing it frankly. Then i was left with sesloinditis and achiles 

tendonitis to get rid of. 

2. Took up swimming 30mins a day and have become a bit of a seriosu swimmer. Watched loads of You tube vidoes of the various swimmign stars to get better at it.   This seems to work as its not weight bearing but you spend a lot of time stretching you feet and using them as paddles. I think this worked a lot for me.

3. Changed diet completely. The only people who seemed to be 'curing' all these tendon and ligament issues completely were on quite strict diets and i was worried that if i had it too long it would trigger arthritis. for 12 weeks just ate fish veg fruit nuts seeds i.e. no wheat dairy meat alchohol or nightshade veggies. (all these things were on lists of people posting on web so i thought i;d give the lot up).   After 12 weeks, started to add them back and added chicken first of all!   For me, i really now limit the wheat and dairy and nightshades as i havent quite worked out which of these sets off the pain - i kind of know one of them does... they are all linked with digestive issues.  There is a view that rahter bizarly these inflammatory things get kicked off following an upset stomach or food poisoning, when bacteria get through the gut wall and into the blood stream. Not a common view, but a view. So i tried to cleanse my gut through the "diet" .. and i spoke to one of the top rheumtologists about it... there are other views that the chemical interactiosn are set off if you e.g. lack certain vits like D etc.  So for brekkie i now make sure  i have some gluten free muesli with at least 4 different sorts of fruti e.g. bluberrise, rasperries strawbs, blackberries and chuck on 3 brazil nuts (selenium), couple of walnuts and a load of seeds with almond milk. AS much as you can eat. This is pretty much your 5 a day at start of day. Then lunch is salad and eve meal is protein (fish, chicken and veg).  Strangely this diet also cured Nvak Djokovic and he started winning everything after he gave up gluten and dairy too.   There is a lot in the medical journals that  link fat cells to inflammatory things like tendnitis and arthritis - even in the thumb where you would not think fat makes a difference. Apparently the fat cells trigger the immune system to work in different ways and can trigger it to attack otherwise healthy cells.   The diet has helped me - but i truthfully dont know whether this is because is lost a stone and half to date (so less weight on my feet) or whether it killed the inflammation or whether it was becuase i suddenly made sure i had all the vits and minerals my body actually needed to heal itself.  But i have kind of got used to it and like it now and i just feel better, mor healthy per se and my bloke loves it. 

4. Go to a physio - physio gave me loads of decent exercises to strengthen Core - and i now walk differently.. explained that 1/3rd of your weight when walking shoud really be from using your glutes (bum muscles) sort of from hips; then on heel through to big toe. Orthotics are meant to make you walk correctly without thinking about it but i find them uncomfy all the time so i conciously learnt to walk properly with the physio's help. This basically means boringly strengthening your core tummy and especially lower tummy muscles.   I do use the orthotics sometimes if i am off on a hike but otherwise i use Go WALK shoes which are soft and memory foam - i would say they have defeintiely helped me a lot. 

My overall experience is that a year down line i lost weight, feel a trillion times better and i think without me realising it, i kind of was unhealthy - didnt have the right diet to get all the vit and mins i needed; didnt do enough of the right core exercises; got body unbalanced being on crutches from one broken leg and i think it took 6 months of concerted effort on my part to get rid of the inflammation in my tendons but i think the body heals itself but you have to give it what it needs in terms of vits and stuff to do so. It was also a right pain inneck as i had to change diet, do exercises, go swimming etc i;e. bit of an overhaul. If i walk e.g. 10 miles now, then i might feel it a bit and i stick a bit of voltarol on but i am almost at stage of thanking my lucky stars i got it as now so much healthier and fitter so it was a wake up call to me.

HOWEVER 5% of people do rupture their PF and need operations so i think i would ask your GP to refere you to have an ultrasound to make sure you havnet got something seriously wrong as you seem to be in more pain than may be normal if it is continuous. Failing that ask for a rheumatlogist to check you out.  hope any of above helps.

Ahhh see my understanding was that it was like a sprain to the facia and if untreated or treated badly it can rupture and tear.

Either way it's really frustrating annoying and this last couple of weeks it's been really depressing me.

I've been using the ice roll it helps a little :-)

Wow u really did turn ur life around with/because of it. I am willing to do anything to be able to walk painfree.

I know I am unhealthy and also overweight. I've made progress because 4 years ago I was a size 28 now I'm down to size 16 and that's just through walking my dogs on 4-6 mile daily walks which I can no longer do.

I want to be able to get back to the walks and I'm hoping the pain does ease with the jabs because I really need to be able to do those stretches.

Thank you for ur advice and we'll done with ur hard work :-)