My plantar fasciitis is getting worse

Hi

I had this painful condition a few years ago and had several injections of steroids into the foot. These helped for only a short time and then I discovered a shoe insert called Gaitway which are available in Scholl shoe shops. All I can say is that they worked like magic and it releived the pain immediately. The inserts are not cheap but worth every penny. I hope this helps you too!

Thank you for your advice! At the moment I am using Footbalance insoles from the Sweatshop. They seem to do the job. Cost me £45 which is quite affordable. How long did it take you to get rid of the pain and go back to normal?

The pain lasted for several weeks. It happened during the summer time but the insoles that I discovered are only small and they can be used in sandals. They stick to your shoe with a small dot of velcro and I just bought some velcro dots from a stationers and that enabled me to change from one pair of sandals to another or use shoes when necessary. I wish you well but don't resume running until your foot has healed completely.

Plantar Fasciitis is common as your muscles start to tighten. This happens naturally as you age starting around the age of 28+. The effect you feel is your plantar fascia tendon rubbing against bone and becoming inflamed. The only solution is to relieve the tension on the plantar fascia tendon. Unfortunately you can't stretch tendon but you can stretch the muscles that connect to this tendon - your calf and lower thigh muscles. If you get on a stretching regiment and stick to it you should see permanent relief in about a month. You need to stretch as often as possible - while you're feeling the symptoms you may want to stretch 5 or 6 times a day. The goal is to stretch the calf muscle and lower thigh so anything that accomplishes this will work.

I've also had patients experience almost instant relief from a properly fitted pair of shoes with arch support. The company I work with is Dr. Comfort - they make products specifically for diabetics but they work very well for Plantar Fasciitis as well. You want to also look for something with a cushioned heel - the softer the heel the more pressure you'll take off of this portion of the foot.

Once the pain goes away many patients get off their stretching regiment and I see them shortly there after - don't make this mistake. The pain will go away if you stretch but it can come back if you stop. Stretching will also provide many other wonderful benefits to help you lead a long and healthy life.

Thank you all for your advice and support!

Just an update. I have PF in both feet since yesterday. Needless to say that I am devastated and miserable. What can I do to get rid of it??!! It's just getting worse and worse!

Hi Yasmiina,

How is your PF? I noticed that the last message you posted was on 4th April so I was wondering whether you had managed to cure it or feel a bit better? I totally recognise myself in your story as I currently suffer from PF (well I think...). I am a 32-year old active female, doing a lot of hiking and trekking and started to feel a sharp pain in my left heel when bending over to pick up something on the ground. I ignored it and carried on walking and hiking. Over the last few months I had been doing a lot of hiking wearing very hard trekking boots and I suspect thats what caused it as the paths I walk on here in England are not the rocky paths I would normally wear my trekking boots for. So I guess I used the wrong boots all that time.

Anyway, 4 weeks later I am now suffering from extremely severe pains in both feet, not just the heel but under the arch and near the toes. I cant walk around my house any more and the only "comfortable" position is when lying down on my bed with my feet on top of the quilt. The feelings I have under my feet are very strange : burning feeling, sharp tranchant pains as if someone is cutting my feet with rasors. Awful. I have done a lot of research and am wondering whether I have a nerve problems. I just cannot believe that PF would cause me so much pain. I cannot even go out the house and work.

Let us know how you are doing and any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am just so desesperate to get back to normal but it looks like it is going to be a long recovery...

Al the best to everyone on this forum.

AJ

My heart goes out for you, I know exactly how you feel and what you`re going through!

This is the worst possible injury you can get because there is no real treatment and it takes ages to heal.

I hade to quit my job 2 months ago because I simply could not stand up. Was crawling to the bathroom in the mornings.

The best advice anyone can give you is REST, REST AND REST!!! If somebody tells you something else that you can still do things while your feet hurt, don`t listen to them. They have never experienced this and they are wrong. The pain is the most powerful language and it`s telling you to stop and let your body recover.

You have to drop everything, no job, not even housework. If you need to lay down all day, so be it. Your body needs rest. Your heels have no chance to heal if you put your weight on them. When you step on the heels to propel yourself for the next step, the pressure that goes on your heel is that of double your weight. On average we take 8000 steps each day. That`s 8000 times double your weight on the heel. They can`t heal if they are constantly re-injured.

Whatever you do or don`t do, always listen to your body. Only you know what`s best for you. If the pain is unendurable try icing your feet. Or soaking them in a strong peppermint tea with added sea salt. Always did the trick for me. I still try to do it at least every other day.

And try to think positive, tell yourself that you will recover. One day this nightmare will be over and you will step out without any pain at all. Tell your feet that you love them and say thank you to them for carrying you through life so far.

I have posted my story on Experience project as well and quite a few people have commented and given advice. Have a look:

www.experienceproject.com/stories/Have-Plantar-Fasciitis/2125655

Other good websites are:

www.nwfootandankle.com

www.bodywindow.com/foot-pain.html

It`s been 4 months since my left foot started to hurt and almost 3 months since the right one joined in. I have been resting for 2 months and I am better. Not cured yet but much better. I can go out for 1-2h long walks in the park. I always try to walk on the grass wherever possible. Or tarmac in the worst case, the concrete is 4 times harder than tarmac and it`s our worst enemy at the moment. Most of the time I wear my trainers which have gel cushions in the soles. I can also wear any other shoes provided they have a thick rubber sole. I don`t believe in orthotics or custom made shoes. They don`t always help and you just end up spending money without any real benefit. I intend to start barefoot running in 2-3 months time if my feet are ok and let me. At the moment will have to do with cycling and swimming.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me and I will try to help you any way I can.

God bless us all & speedy recovery!

Hi Yasmiina,

Thanks for replying! and thank you very much for the links you included in your message. I will have a look at all these websites today.

I am still struggling and cannot walk around the house. It is like walking on glass and I get sharp pains under the arches, near the toes. I went to see a doctor three days ago, who asked me to do a blood test, which I did, and I should have the results later today. I think they want to check a few things like my Vtamin B rates, diabetes, etc. They say it is the first step before being referred to a specialist.

I totally agree with you that rest is mandatory !! And in my current state, it is impossible for me to carry on walking anyway. I work as a freelance translator so I am lucky enough to work from home on the PC and dont have to commute every day but sitting at my computer for long periods of time hurts, so I had to take the week off. I dont know if I will be able to work next week.

I tried to just stay on the bed all day but I find it hard. I am a very active person and get bored easily. Plus, It is impossible to lie down all day. I still need to go to the toilet, shower, make myself some food and do the washing up, feed the pets, answer the door for the postman, etc...I have to carry on walking around the house, and I am hoping that all these small steps wont make my PF worse , especially as my house has a staircase! I seem to suffer from full blow PF, which is scaring me ...

Yesterday I received my Birkenstock sandals which I ordered on the internet after reading that they help with PF. I tried them on as slippers for walking around the house but the arch support really hurts my arches, because my arches are already affected by the PF. Maybe It is too late for wearing these sandals and I need to wait until I feel better. I get the impression that Birks sandals help to prevent the problem but cant cure it.

Have you ever worn Birks sandals ? I am also planning on buying some good trainers as you suggested. I am waiting to feel a bit better to go to the shops. Can I ask you, which trainers you are wearing and would recommend ? Which brand and which model ? I currently have some basic Adidas trainers, they are ok but dont have any gel soles and I really want to buy some with gel cushions and shock-absorbing soles. I would really like to have your opinion on this because you are going through the same thing and I do not trust these sellers in the shops who dont seem to know what they are talking about and who obviously havent got a clue about PF !!

I tried icing my feet a lot last week but it got worse after that. Maybe I did the icing for too long, I have to say I was not really looking at the time and I may have overdone it. But I will try the peppermint tea and salted water.

Can I ask where you live? Do you live in the UK ? And how old are you ? You seem to be a bit like me, very active and sporty, and wanting to get back to a normal active life.

Many thanks Yasmiina for all your help and I really look forward to hearing from you again.

Have a good weekend and all the best.

AJ