Indescribable Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
Posted , 8 users are following.
38 y/o male who is a distance walker 4 miles or more daily. Decent health despite being slightly 'flat footed' I guess you would call it. Someback ground: heels always wear out on shoes. Throw them out when it happens. Started noticing gradual heel pain on R foot. Changed shoes. Last night while walking, I had pain beginning on heel. Limped home. put Liniment on it. (Salonpas) downed 6 aspirin, had some of my prescibed cough medicine so I took some just for the pain, then went to bed. Woke up this morning with indescribable pain. Stumbled out of bed. Iced it for 6 hours. Felt like a stabbing pain. And intense stabbing pain. Been reading about home treatments, using the R.I.C.E. method. However, I am questioning if the conservative treatments will be of little use since I am of the opinion that mine may be more advanced. Used to be able to get on after using the "conservative treatments" as listed on line. Having trouble walking. Not a big fan of seeing a doctor. They might prescribe a steriod or Norco. Saw some youtubes about steriod injections. And those are absolutely painful. Not sure if Surgery would help. Or if it would be needed. Mom thinks it's plantar fasciitis. Dad thinks it's a bone spur. He had one removed about 30 years ago. Mother in law thinks it's a stress fracture. The patients in the youtube videos have the pain located in same location. Saw some disparity between foot surgery options. Some more graphic and advanced than others. I'm a pragmatic type so naturally I am exploring my options. So you have the back ground. Now my questions:
1) is this a minor case of PF?
2) could it be a stress fracture?
3) should I abandon the RICE method and proceed to more advanced options?
4) has any of you had same problem
5) is it a bone spur?
0 likes, 16 replies
terri74 nick30180
Posted
Nick-
You absolutely should see a doctor. Putting off going to see a professional will do nothing but make things worse. I suffered from plantar fasciitis for a while before I broke down and went to see the doctor. I didnt get a cortisone shot at the time, though I wonder if that wouldn't have helped right away as it did when I had a shot years ago for my shoulder.
As others have said on this thread, do your stretches 3 or more times a day. Stay off the foot as much as possible. Wear a PF boot at night (if you can bear it - personally, I've tried several but can't deal with the numb toes and discomfort.)
Most important: Get proper shoes that provide the right support. You want shoes that provide cushion, cup your heel and offer firm arch support.
Good luck and let us know how you're feeling!