My plantar fasciitis is getting worse
Posted , 69 users are following.
I am a very active and sporty female who has had plantar fasciitis for a month now. It all started with me sitting in a chair and trying to curl my toes upwards when I suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my left heel. At first I thought that it was a cracked heel but was puzzled at how on earth it would have happened with me taking a good care of my feet and doing regular pedicures.
And then I immediately thought about plantar fasciitis because I have two friends who have had it. I was waiting for a week for it to go away, hoping that I was wrong but that didn't happened. Went to my doctor who confirmed what I suspected - plantar fasciitis. I was devastated as I love going for long walks, running and doing boot camp style circuits several times per week as well as regular personal training sessions. I work as a housekeeper in a private home, so most of my day is spent being on my feet. This was the worst possible condition I could get!
I spent 3 weeks feeling utterly miserable and depressed. Lost my appetite, lost 3kg of my weight and had nightmares about dead bodies.
Meanwhile my personal trainer tried to persuade me to see a physiotherapist in a clinic where he used to work. I went there 3 days ago and regained my peace of mind. I am lucky in that respect that I caught it early, I knew what it was right away and stopped running and exercising except for walking. I had a full gait analysis and the results were quite shocking for me. Apparently my lower back muscles are very weak and cannot support my pelvis when I walk or run. Also I have a tight calf muscle (soleus) in my left leg. Both these things combined make me pronate inwards heavily while walking and running. The stress of it was too much for my plantar fascia and it resulted in a mechanical trauma.
The physiotherapist was quite optimistic about my recovery and even advised me to continue exercising including running but avoid jumping. I am not sure about running but I am happy that I can continue my daily walks and not worry about causing any further damage to my foot. I will also have to do exercises to strenghen my lower back muscles and release the tension in my left calf.
I also did a research about dietary requirements with this condition and herbal remedies. I am against synthetic drugs. Haven't taken anything since I was 17! Apparently, we should eat lots of salmon, sardines and pineapples. Luckily I love all these things and am very well stocked up on them now.
From the list of herbal remedies stinging nettles caught my eye. Four years ago I cured my lower back pain by placing nettles straight on my back. So, now I am putting them on my foot inside the sock. I am also drinking bucketloads of nettle tea and even soaking my feet in it. It might be just psychological or a placebo effect but all my pain and discomfort is gone.
I am not saying that everybody should try it but it certainly helps me. I definitely think that it is worthwhile having your gait analysed. As resting and not exercising alone will not cure the root problem.
Unfortunately, this thing is getting worse for me. Been in pain for 4 days, cannot put the heel to the ground, so I am half limping half tiptoeing around at work.
Needless to say it's making me depressed and miserable again. I am ready to try anything if it helps! If there is somebody who jas succesfully got rid of this condition, please, please, let me know how you did it!
Thanks for reading and good luck to you all!
4 likes, 163 replies
perlatabora18 yasmiina
Posted
I think is a very rare injury
yasmiina perlatabora18
Posted
I hope you are better and wahtever you are doing for PF is working.
It is a rare condition indeed however I have 2 friends who have also had it.
Take care!
perlatabora18 yasmiina
Posted
Hello all of you with the same discomfort!
I'm really really happy after every thing i have try I found a person that makes prosthetics and he made me a insole with a personalise arch support. It was like a miracle as soon I put in my shoe no more pain ( but wen I say no more pain I mean was from 100 to 0 in a sec) the support of arc make my feet be balance so it doesn't collapse to a side and don't stretch the facia.
I don't mo why nobody told about this before.
Now he says to be heal takes time with the use of this. But I even went running 2 times this week and fine no pain.
Hope all of you get the cause and don't only treat the symptoms.
Wish I could send pic of the insole he put even belcro to my sandals so I can use at home with that.
Thanks for all the advises have been really helpful
SethLee yasmiina
Posted
I know you've recovered already Yasmiina. I myself was diagnosed with PF. Pain radiates from my heel all the way to my pinky toe on my left foot. I've tried soo many methods. Stretching, icing and even bought custom shoes for PF which didn't really help at all. What DID help me a lot was taking Aleve. I know you don't take drugs but that is what helps me. Temporarily anyway. Just like you I myself dont like using any kind of drug for pains and all that. So mostly just staying off of your feet as long as possible helped you? Its been 5 months now and my left foot PF is still pretty painful. Not as bad as when it began maybe because I took 2 weeks off of work.
yasmiina SethLee
Posted
Hello SethLee,
I think I took Ibuprofene when the pain was at its worst but can't really say it helped me much. I took a year off work (luckily I could afford it) and gave my feet time to recover. As far as I remeber I spent most of the time on my couch reading books and watching dvds. I did go for about an hour long walks every day as well. And about 8 months later (since I first got PF) I was at a friend's birthday party dancing my head off. I read a lot about esotherics, about mind and body connection and I kind of started to believe that everything is in our head. All the disease and ailments we have come from supressed emotions, dissatisfaction with our lives and here comes the cliche - not loving ourselves enough. :-)
As I mentioned before I still don't run or jump, with one exception - dancing. I've always loved it and with the right mood and right music I can dance the night away and my feet never hurt afterwards! As soon as I run 20m after a bus I pay the price next day. So, it's definitely psychological in my case.
I wish you and everybody else reading this a speedy recovery, understanding and love for yourselves!
Take care!
kelli83072 yasmiina
Posted
Hi..I know it's been some years since you had plantars I'm just so grateful for your story all these others stories have me wanting to jump off a bridge. I had this for 2 months now..I'm doing what you said and I'm completely staying off my feet..I have plantars in bother feet in the middle of my feet more then the heal but a little in the heal..I'm just trying to stay sane and not keep crying. I'm clinging to the hope that maybe in month this will be better.. how did you stay sane while sitting or laying around this is totally consuming. I not sure why I'm messaging but your story is a life line for me and I just want to thank you. Kelli
perlatabora18 kelli83072
Posted
I'm totally cured I actually ran a marathon on last Saturday 42 k free pain, I really encourage you to visit a podologist that can make you a sport insole to keep your feet out off stress even when you walk, I was wearing the insole all the time with all my shoes and took about 3 months to not have any any more pain, good luck.
yasmiina kelli83072
Posted
Dear Kelli,
I am glad to hear that you find my story an inspiration. I am also sad for what you're going through because I know exactly what it feels like. I remember wishing that I had broken my foot or had cancer instead, anything just not this! It was tough because people don't understand it, you seem perfectly healthy and fine. I even got questions from my friends - why is it taking so long for you to recover? As if I knew and could influence it!
I think the thing that helped me through this was my faith in God. I knew all the way long that He is with me and whatever happens He will not abandon me. When I could not walk I knew He was carrying me in His arms. I spent lots of time reading books about esotherics, metaphysics and analysing my life. I remeber the worst pain subsided after about 4 months, then in about a year I started feeling confident on my feet again.
Now it's been 5 years since I am pain-free. I can wear whatever shoes I like, I can walk 25km per day and I am fine. I still do not run or jump but funny enough I can dance the night away and I am totally fine.
I strongly believe that you will recover too. Just give your body time to heal itself. Tell your feet that you love them and thank them for carrying you through life. I know these sounds like platitudes but they worked for me.
God bless!
All the best!
JerryR yasmiina
Posted
Yasmiina, I am a retired physician and plantar fasciitis patient. I got plantar fasciitis around February 2016. After about four months, it completely resolved.
Here's what I think. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone, and/or some minimal tearing of the plantar fascia - just a few fibers - that results, naturally, in inflammation . . . like a "pulled muscle." 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 wacking 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 did. First, I wore the plantar fasciitis "relief bridge" gel-heel innersole in my shoes - that I got at Walgreen's for about $11. Make sure your innersoles are soft and preferably made of gel. (I plan to use mine indefinitely in my shoes.) Then I wore a pair (usually) of nice thickish sox. On my heel I wore fasciitis therapy wrap padded supports that I got on the internet for about $13. (I don't wear them any more.) So when I had my PF, under my heels I had 3 cushion layers. I wore this about 24 hours a day - except when in the shower or swimming. And after about 4 months, the PF was totally gone. And I would suggest to you, have patience, not surgery.
Yasmiina, that's what I think. I hope this helps you and the many other sufferers of plantar fasciitis. Good Luck to you, doknabox/JerryR
jj2013B yasmiina
Posted
Update : several years went by and PF disappeared. Probably 4 years ago.
Time sometimes heals