Interested in any feedback about surgery for PF

Plantar Fasciitis can be healed without surgery. However the longer your plantar muscle is inflamed, you are constantly building up scar tissue that can leave your plantar stiff and sore for the rest of your life.

Sticking you with needles full of cortisone will temporary stop the pain but unless you treat the injury, you will most likely find yourself in the vicious circle of pain management methods that will only work for a short time.

Given that you have been suffering for 9 years, you will have a lot of scar tissue built up so the treatment may take longer, but you can heal it.

Are you wearing orthotics in your shoes? If so, have you tried taking them out during a PF flare up? Often times, orthotics can aggravate your PF.

I feel your pain (literally). I've had PF in my left foot as a result of pregnancy complications (my daughter is now 17 years old so I've been dealing with PF for a while now). Unfortunately my work hasn't helped as most jobs I've held require me to be on my feet for up to 10 hours a day and now my right foot is also affected, although not as severely. I have tried everything, from cortisone injections to custom orthotics, from ice baths to night splints, from barefoot shoes to rocker sole shoes - if there's a chance it might help, I'll give it a go.

So you can imagine how surprised I am to find that the latest thing I've tried is actually having some results. I bought a pair of FS6 Compression Foot Sleeves online and have been using them now for around a week. I am stunned at how much of a difference they are making, even after a few days. As the name suggests, they apply compression to the foot, lifting the arch and apparently assisting with blood flow. I wear mine all day long and also to bed, and for the first time in years I can get out of bed in the morning and not have to hobble around. There's still a bit of pain after I've been on my feet for a few hours but it's a lot more manageable now. I'm going to buy some sturdy runners for Xmas as I do roll my feet inwards when I walk and I'm hoping that by correcting this and wearing my compression sleeves, it might make walking bearable again.

Good luck to you, I hope you find the relief you need.

My sympathies. If you've never felt the pain of PF then you have no idea what it is like. In my job in the Police I was on my feet most of the day. It got to the stage where I could no longer do the compulsory self defence as I couldn't run around any more. My hobby of dog obedience competitions went out the window as I couldn't bear the pain of walking my dogs. In short, my life was awful. I had cortisone injections which gave no relief at all, did all the exercises recommended, icing, stretching etc. - still no relief. I bought (and religiously wore) a night splint, no help at all. Spent a fortune online buying insoles, another waste of money. I only wore trainers at home and work boots at work, so no heels or silly shoes for me.

I was eventually referred for a plasma injection, blood is taken from the arm, put in a centrifuge then the plasma is injected into the heel. After surgery, I was non-weight bearing on my feet for 2 to 3 weeks, using crutches and wearing a splint. I expected that, even if the surgery didn't work then the fact that the foot had been rested all this time would help. It didn't, well, not at first. The podiatrist also arranged for me to have insoles made for my feet, my feet are fairly flat and these insoles had an instep in them. Well, for months nothing much improved. Then, last November (9 months after the surgery) my foot slowly started to improve. Now (13th January) I can honestly say the pain has gone. I can walk miles without any problem. It is slightly evident at night when I walk up the stairs but, hey, after the pain I had been in for 2 years, it is nothing. Maybe the surgery worked or maybe it was the combination with the insoles. Hope you have some relief soon.

PS I honestly found that the exercises did not help at all and sometimes made the pain worse.

Glynis

I ve had pf for around nine years..on and off. I think thats the issue in that it comes and goes. I ve had months pain free where I almost forgot about it then out of the blue it would come back. I could walk miles without an issue but when it crops up, every step is painful. What's happening research wise I wonder?

Probably very little!

There must be a solution? I am very flat footed, always have been since birth but was a professional dancer ffor 15 years with no problems. There must be a common denominator? My best tip is taping at the first sign f flare up plus wear shoes at home..keep a pair as almost slippers.

Didn't say previously that I had PF about 20 years ago for about 3 years, I was only given cortisone injections at that time. It eventually went away gradually. When it came back 2 years ago I was devastated. This condition really limits your life in so many ways and someone who has never suffered the pain can imagine how bad it is. My life was on hold. As I mentioned above, I had the plasma injections last February, and given insoles by the hospital, and something has worked. (I also gave up my job as I couldn't continue to do it.) At the minute, I can still walk a few miles each day with no (or very little) pain. I only wear trainers with my extra insolves in and wear crocs in the house (yes, with the extra insoles in). I live in hope that the PF does not come back but am well aware that it could.

Regarding Janet's question about what is happening research wise. Last year I noticed an article in the Daily Mail newspaper which explained about the plasma injection procedure for PF. I cut this article out and took it with me to my next hospital appointment. My podiatrist had never even heard of it and took the cutting and photocopied it (she later said that her superior knew about it). This did not inspire me with confidence, however, at my insistence I was referred to another hospital and had the procedure. It also seems that there is little, if any, scientific evidence that this treatment is effective, but it seems to have worked for me.

Glynis08

Update ??