Heel Pain 7 months

where is the heel pain precisely?

did you have anything happen that might have triggered it?

ok, here is what you probaby should do ...

if you go to rheumatologist or GP they will look for clinical signs. The sign they will look for on PF is a pain UNDER the heel in the middle where the plantar tendon attaches to the heel.  Unlikely they will state it is PF unless the pain is here. 

If it is at the back of the heel, e.g. where the achiles tendon attaches to the foot, then it is not PF. If here, then imperative to go to GP and it is likely to be a soft tissue rheumatic injury to the achiles tendon, which needs physio or it will get worse and even trigger osteoarthritis.  be fairly firm with the gp to get referred asap if here.   The question might then be what caused it. I would not get too hung up on standing per se and go pop see a podiatrist to see if you are pronating your foot and placing strain on the achiles if at back of heel. If so, they can give you orthotics to correct tis before it gets too bad and chronic pain sets in. 

All of these things are treatable and generally have good outcomes within 6 months.  Wear cushty soft shoes - soft underfoot as you can get to give it a chance to heal. Ice and ibuprofen if you are ok on ibuprofen. 

In either event, ice will help it. Cold as you can get for as long as you can stand in my view.

The above is the first port of call if you are in UK.  It may be osteoarthritis but i wouldn't go there until you rule out the above as it is likely to be one of the above and likely to have a good outcome if you are determined to correct it. good luck... 

 

Hi, mine was like this , by 7 months I practically stopped work and have rested.

Definately do exercises from a physio as the Achilles tendon semms to get tighter with the pain, and causes more pain.

Watch put what insoles you buy, some seem to make my heelpain worse. I also was wearing heavy shoes so bought lighter trainers which meant the pull on my knees and my gait improved.

Might help you, although painkillers can be taken to help for when you need to walk or drive.

the other thing which is probably helpful is to look up 'equinus' on web. How far can you bring your ankles up towards the leg? As you bring them up then do you feel the achiles pull / calf muscle pull? if so, then this has probably got a lot to do with it... so you need to exercise the achiles and calf muscles and gradually increase range of motion... lots of people compensate and raise heel to quickly when walking - you wouldnt know you had it - a very good podiatrist will see it.  IN any event, stretching exercises for achiles wont come amiss and you need a physio to massage the pressure points to get rid of the tension. 

I had it in one foot about 10 years ago and it took a year to go. However it's back in both feet. I've had it now for 10 months.

It's getting me down but I know it will go eventually. But once you get it you'll always be prone to it.

I am a retired OBGYN MD and a plantar fasciitis patient for the past 2 to 3 months.  I have researched extensively on the subject.  I am not a podiatrist, and I am not a chiropractor.  I think most of the stuff you read on the internet is a bunch of untested crap.  I don't believe in the foot exercises, the arch supports, the calf exercises, the night boots, etc.  I have read on the internet (from so called "doctor" experts) that you should have firm arches . . .   and I have read that you should have no arches - "walk barefoot only."  I have read "apply ice," and  I have read "apply heat - ice is harmful."  Noone seems to have any idea about how to cure P.F. 

Here's what I think.  I feel plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone, OR some minimal tearing of the plantar fascia - just a few fibers - that results, naturally, in inflammation . . .   like a "pulled muscle."  (You may know that a pulled muscle is simply the tearing of a few muscle fibers.)  Inflammation hurts until it heals and resolves.  So what's so difficult about curing P.F.?  Well we walk on it!!!  Let's say we take 5000 steps a day.  Imagine inflammation of your elbow, (i.e. tennis elbow).  Imagine taking your sore "tennis elbow" and wacked it against the wall, 5000 times a day.  Think it would heal quickly?  I don't either.

So my cure for plantar fasciitis is cushion, cushion and cushion.  That's right - cushion the heel.  Here's what I am doing.  First, I have the plantar fasciitis "relief bridge" gel-heel innersole in my shoes - that I got at Walgreen's for about $11.  Then I wear a pair of thick athletic type sox.  On my sox, I wear plantar fasciitis therapy wrap padded supports that I got on the internet for about $13.  But also, I sewed  onto the the padded foot wraps, the back part of some thick arch cushions for a little more cushion.  So under my heels I have 4 cushion layers and after about two months, I'm about 99% cured of P.F.  That's what I think, and I hope that this helps you and the many other sufferers of plantar fasciitis.

Hi Thomas,

Before you give up and resort to cushions and just praying the pain goes away, I'd really encourage you to ask your doctor/podiatrist about EPAT (Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology)--sometimes referred to as ESWT or shockwave therapy.  It works. It's effective. It's non-invasive and no anesthesia is required.

It is worth every penny and will get you better faster.  

Hope this helps!

Hi Thomas, sorry you are suffering, you have to have it to appreciate the effect it has on every day life.

Seven months is not to long for it to go away. Eventually it should fade away , mine took longer than that and just when it had almost gone I made the worst decision of my life and had surgery.

Wear the flip flops and avoid hard surfaces. Patience.