Flare-ups, stretching and ibuprofen gel questions.
Posted , 5 users are following.
I've recently been discharged from physiotherapy - after being referred by an orthopaedic consultant - as the stretches I've been doing seemed to help somewhat and I've been managing reasonably well. Now, 10 days later, the PF has flared up again and, even though I'm still doing the stretching exercises, I'm having difficulty walking today. I have an insole and gel pads, but they don't seem to be making any difference. I've only had PF for a few months, so can you tell me if this type of flare-up is common?
Should I be trying to do the stretches when it is so painful, or will I damage things further? Has anyone found relief with an ibuprofen gel? I saw an advert for a personal shock treatment appliance. Has anybody tried this?
I apologise for the many questions. I've just turned 70 and, with osteoarthritis in my knees, hands and feet, besides the PF, I feel as though I'm struggling a little. Any advice would be very welcome.
0 likes, 8 replies
Chrisy Cheetah
Posted
Cheetah Chrisy
Posted
Thank you Chrisy. I'm seeing my GP next week about something else, so I will ask him about this too. It's difficult to know whether I'm doing more harm than good when my foot is painful.
Thanks again.
Chrisy Cheetah
Posted
I know I had a similar problem. Turned out I had other problems which highlighted after an MRI scan. Don't give up.
moandrieu Cheetah
Posted
Countrylover, I understand the pain and questions. While I've never been treated by a doctor, I have done all I can on my own. After having both knees replaced, I started walking more and was plague with PF. I finally found some relief with hard insoles from a company called The Good Feet (I'm not sure how international they are, I do know they are in the US and Canada). There have helped the most, though the right foot struggles more. Freezing a water bottle and rolling it with my foot back and forth on the ground, with some pressure applied, can help too. I've also gotten a little relief with Voltaren Gel, which requires a prespcription (it's an NSAID anti-inflamitory).
-Mo
moandrieu
Posted
I remember a friend teaching me stretches to do before getting out of bed. So when you ask if stretches will be dangerous, I don't think so.
david12541 Cheetah
Posted
PF seems unique from other medical conditions in that its causes and remedies vary so much from person to person. One person may find toe stretches give relief, another found they actually caused PF, some find steroid injections give relief while others say that after temporary relief the pain increases tremendously.
It seems as I have said before that doctors, podiatrists, etc, just do not understand what it is all about. It is not life threatening and therefore not taken as seriously as other conditions would be. However, the total cost to people’s lives, insurance claims, NHS time, lost working hours, quality of life etc, must be tremendous. It affects both young and older people, sedentary and active folk, high foot arches and low arches, lean people and more robust people, in other words it does not discriminate between the young, lean athletic person with high arches and an older, sedentary, overweight person with low arches. Maybe an international PF Research fund should be setup!!
My last really bad episode was over a year ago. It laid me flat for nearly two weeks, and for months afterwards, I had a stiff, swollen, heel, that just refused to go away. Following this I have religiously followed a daily routine of arch rolling on a tube, stretching calf muscles by pushing against a wall, and wearing mainly Crocs, Asics Gel Nimbus, and other shoes with a gel heel pad.
I have experienced weird things like one day my left foot really ached and was tender under the arch (here we go again I thought!), but the next day this disappeared and almost immediately my right foot felt as though a horse had stamped on it (one of my PF type pains), and fortunately this went after one day.
I started to wonder if some of these pains were not actually physical but mental. Had my brain remembered the acute real PF pain, and then played it back to me to warn me of maybe a mild upset by stepping badly on a kerb? Who knows?
Apologies but I really am now on my soap-box, medics have great insight and knowledge into the heart, lungs, and other organs, and use their experience to treat them. What do they know about PF – very little and so they just try this and that, in other words tinker about. A heart surgeon doesn’t because they know what to do, but when it’s your foot, heigh-ho let’s give this a try, they ain’t gonna die after all, maybe just hobble around for the next year or two.
Sorry if this does not answer any particular question but the sooner we get some real investigation into the foot/ankle/calf mechanism which is a really a very complicated issue involving so many factors, I think we have to rely on the witch-doctors!
Chrisy david12541
Posted
I must be very fortunate to have an exceptional foot and ankle surgeon virtually on my doorstep who understands pf. I had pf but it was caused by other problems which were affecting the way I walked. A lot of the problems involved extra bones in my feet I was born with but also osteoarthritis which among lots of other problems, many are unaware, causes spurs on the heel which in turn can cause pf. Like you say there are many reasons why people can develop this problem which is why docs treat the pain not the cause. Sometimes surgery on feet is so debilitating and not always successful. I am 3.5 months post surgery for many osteoarthritis related problems and still recovering in a walking boot. 12-18months recovery expected. My first foot took over 18 months nearly 24 and I was totally reliant on my husband to care for me. I was even unable to get up one step let alone a flight of stairs and had to sleep in my recliner. I had the surgery because inactivity was causing me health problems, Angina, diabetes to name 2 so pf IS life threatening. It is understandable whyvdoctors are reluctant to suggest this treatment unless absolutely necessary. Not everyone could have 3 to 18 months off work to recover. Or have carer on hand 24/7.
Osteoarthritis can also cause bunions/large toe joints, pain in joints with boney growths on joints/nodules, back and neck pain from poor gait or spurs on spine. A very cruel disease.
ebh2403 Cheetah
Posted
Dear countrylover,
Not quite sure what you you saw for a "personal shock treatment applicance." I can speak on behalf of EPAT (Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology) sometimes referred to as ESWT or shockwave that would be provided by a healthcare professional.
EPAT has been a life saver for folks suffering from incredible pain from PF--my beloved included. If you're in the states, I'd highly recommend you find a podiatrist in your area who is familiar with EPAT.
Here's a recent story you might want to google. This article recently appeared in the St. Cloud Times "EPAT helps heel spur patient avoid the knife" and talks about a patient suffering from plantar fasciitis.
Best of luck to you!