Has anyone ever tried complete bed rest for plantar fasciitis? And was there any success?

I had this extremely painful condition several years ago. I tried all the recommended exercises to no avail. I paid privately to see a sports physiotherapist who tried massage, taping and acupuncture but the agony of the acupuncture only seemed to make the plantar fasciitis even worse. I was desperate as nothing seemed to alleviate the pain. All my doctor could offer was that it would go eventually. He refused to give me a steroid injection and said he would not let anyone give him one. However, I did lots of research on the internet and found a site that sold something called aircast airheels. They are made of lightweight neoprene. They have an air sac that fits under the foot and cushions the area where the fascia is attached to the heel bone. There is another air sac that fits around the achilles tendon above the heel. There is a tube connecting the two air sacs and there is movement of air from one sac to the other as you walk. I paid £50 each for them - including P&P. When they arrived I was tempted to send them back. I did not seem to have got much for the money. However, I decided to try them. Absolute bliss! I could not believe that I was immediately pain free in those first few steps after putting the devices on. I wore them for over a year and enjoyed pain free walking whilst doing so until I became confident enough to leave them off. I do wear either trainers in the house or proper walking shoes outside as they provide good support for the feet. I also have a night splint that I still use from time to time as I can suffer from tight calf muscles. So long as I use it whenever I get the slightest hint of trouble it keeps the worst away. One thing I have found is that it pays to walk daily. Now that I am free from pain I aim for between 7,000 and 10,000 steps over the course of a day. I wear a pedometer that is designed to hang in a trouser pocket to monitor the number of steps I take. I have a mountain bike that I use on holiday and to ride along canal tow paths and forest trails at home. I have found that this can cause my calf muscles to tighten if I do too much cycling and not enough walking. Alternating the activities on alternate days seems to work for me. If I am away from home for more than a couple of nights I make sure I take my splint and aircast airheels with me - just in case. Knowing I have them with me gives me the confidence to engage in activity. Having suffered the pain of the full blown condition I am anxious not to give it any excuse to return. I hope my experience helps others find ways of managing this incredibly painful condition.

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There seems to be an advert for the website on this page.  If it is not on yours try googling physioroom or aircast airheels.  I have just checked and they still sell them.  There are some good reviews as well, although not everyone had quite the blissful experience I had all seem to have been helped.  Best of luck.  Be nice to know how you get on.  I feel for anyone with this agonising condition that gets very little publicity and therefore probably little or no funding.

How are you getting on.  Do you still have the cast on and resting.? and any improvement?  I have managed to find some 'clarks' sandels that have a squashy heel and support round the back, and don't look too hideous! lol, they are 'reid sun sandels' - at least they don't aggrevate it too much, it's so hard trying to find footwear that actually comfy enough to wear, especially in this hot weather!   I have continued with gentle swimming at least twice a week now and do think it helps, but the main thing for me is that it doesnt hurt in the swimming pool so at least i am doing some sort of exercise as walking is just too painful to do anything other than the absolute necessary as i'm sure you know that feeling!. 

So fed up with having this, but i think for me it is probably taking much longer than it should because of having achilles tendonitis too, i am so careful what i do and how much, I will never ever take simple tasks like walking to the shops, cooking tea or even standing talking to your neighbour for more than 2 mins for granted again, i just keep doing to icing, stretching and hope it will go at some point!  And i really do hope the same for you plus anyone else who is suffering with this painful foot condition, there really isnt enough help for it and half the information is contradictary as to whether you rest or keep moving? which really isnt very helpful when you are suffering and just want to do the correct treatment to make it go away.   

Sarah.

Noticed the discussion on swimming.   i swim a couple of times a week but find I have to be careful not to do too much front crawl as my calf muscles tend to tighten.  This is my preferred stroke so it is a bit of a nuisance.  Breast stroke action - if done properly - helps to counteract this because of the foot/ankle action.  So after a few lengths front crawl I do a few breast stroke - or alternate, depending on how the muscles feel.  If I feel the need I do a few calf muscle stretching exercises between lengths.  If you have access to warm water such as in a jacuzzi that can be a great place to do stretching exercises as they are much more effective when the muscles are warm.  I am lucky to be a member of a gym with a swimming pool and a jacuzzi.  best of luck.