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Ongoing Plantar Fasciitis causing additional foot issues

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Maddi010395
Maddi010395

For as long as I have been working (16yrs old, now 24) I felt like my feet were always more sore than other employees working on them too. Originally I passed it off as me being a pansy and the pain is what everyone gets for being on your feet all day. Years later (22rs old) I brought it up to my GP who then told me all about Plantar Fasciitis. When he told me all about it, the symptoms were exactly correct (all of them) but it never made sense me to how or why I had it. I'm not an athlete, never had an injury, & when I changed to an office job (sitting at a desk) the symptoms would come back straight away, even from just walking around a mall (& I had a desk job for 2 years! It didn't heal after 2 years!) I was overweight which is a risk factor however didn't believe I was active enough to have my weight cause the difference.

8 months ago I changed from a desk job, to a job where I'm on my feet about 50% of the shift (Night Auditor at a hotel). I knew about plantar fasciitis this time so I was fully prepared to avoid getting it again (not that it ever really went away). I got really good shoes, shock absorbing insoles, & I lost 24kg(!!!) and made sure I was on my feet as little as possible throughout my shifts. The same symptoms again though? & here's what bugged me; Even though I was more prepared this time round, for some reason my symptoms were 10 times worse & I was even experiencing new ones! The standard plantar fasciitis symptoms were no longer the case. Instead of pain at different times of the day, my pain was constant no matter what. Never had a break. Instead of pain on the fascia only, I also had it on the heel bone, ball of the foot, and around the inside of my foot (where the flexor digitorum longus is). I also suffered burning sensations, uncomfortable feeling when walking, and a sharpness on my heel when pressure is applied to it. (I also started to suffer morton's neuromas like symptoms but then believed it might have been because I wore small shoes one day and my toes were cramped).

After hours of looking at things online, scared that a Dr. would just palm if off to PF, I figured maybe I just wasn't allowing some fascia tears to heal, or wasn't giving my feet the time in general to get better, so I took 10 days sick leave! (I did not try stretching or physical therapy as a treatment as I read somewhere if what I had was plantar 'Fasciopathy', AKA dead tissue build up due to lack of blood supply, that stretching the fascia would make it much worse) Naturally, I caved in and popped into a GP to really organise treatment while I had some time off & I was referred for an ultrasound. The ultrasound ultimately only showed 'mild thickening' on the fascia. This would explain standard plantar fasciitis type symptoms & I was advised by my Dr that my symptoms did NOT correspond to the ultrasound & that cortisone injections would be a good idea. Well, I got those... (It's important to note that after the injections the symptoms can worsen for about 48 hours but you should feel relief afterwards for about 3 months). Unfortunately the injections only raised more concern. After 6 days I had deep pink pigmentation along the bottom of my foot, severely around the heel, and lightly travelling up the back of my ankle. My foot fat pad felt more soft & 'squishy', just really weird the touch in general. Maybe that may have been due to decreased inflammation as I even had wrinkly lose skin on my heel! (Not sure?). The burning sensation really worsened also. These worsening symptoms were only progressively getting worse even the week after the injections took place. I went into a different GP whom confirmed that after a week, the cortisone injections should not be causing these issues so something has gone wrong. I was referred to get an MRI & then if nothing is clear from this, that a discussion with an orthopedic surgeon would really help.

Now to today! I'm currently scheduled to get my MRI tomorrow & have an appointment with a podiatrist in a week. I will DEFINITELY provide an update on everything from these appointments.

The reason I chose to write this before I go into these appointments though, is because many times during this journey, the only times the GP's suggested something to me that made sense, was when they were repeating something I had told them already that I found online. I wouldn't of even been referred for an MRI if I didn't suggest it myself. If it wasn't for my hours of strolling online, my literal debilitating foot pain would still be passed off as fasciitis. Therefore, I am hoping there is someone who is willing to read all of this whom may have experienced something similar, or has a field of study in this, or anything to shed some light? Then I would be able to go in with more knowledge to ask the right questions should I need to go to a orthopedic surgeon down the line.

These foot issues of mine are literally controlling my life. My feet are always too sore to go anywhere or do anything, so all I do is work and stay at home. I barely even eat because I'm so frightened to put any weight on making the pain worse, and I'm already in constant agony, and now It's really affecting me mentally (difficulty sleeping, depression, etc).

I hope my next post I have some answers xx image

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • leah24211
    leah24211 Maddi010395

    Posted

    Sorry you have had so much foot pain at such a young age! And congrats on losing that weight. that's not easy to do! I've suffered with PF 6 years and also have other issues: dorsal compression, fallen arch, and 5th metatarsal tendonitis. I'm not sure which problem caused the others. I have every shoe, insert, pad, band, etc. plus slant board, frozen water bottles, ...you name it, I've tried it. 6 steroid shots between 2 feet. and 2.5 weeks ago PF release surgery on the right. it still hurts. and my MRI only says some thickening, deep edema and one bone spur. seems like the amount of pain I've suffered, I should have a more severe sounding MRI description!

    I've found expensive Hoka shoes are wonderfully cushioned and feel great. But no stability to hold my right foot upright. I don't know what the answer is. Wish I did. Good luck to you.

  • hilaryanne
    hilaryanne Maddi010395

    Posted

    these problems dont always show up on ultrasound an MRI or standing CT SCAN is better. Are you in UK, USA or where?

    The treatment now for longstanding PF is medial gastrocnemius release. Your gp wont have a clue. In the first instance you need bloods to rule out rheumatoid arthritis and a good podiatrist who does gait analysis and can assess you walking with in shoe electrodes that will produce computerised pressure distribution charts. anything less is basically a waste of your time and money. in US u will probably get this in UK there are some pods with the advanced diagnostic equipment. all depends where you are.

  • Maddi010395
    Maddi010395

    Posted

    SO before I had my MRI results, I went and sore a podiatrist. She watched how I walked and mentioned I don't walk into the inside of my foot enough and walk mostly on the outerside of my feet. She also mentioned my fascia was REALLY tight, but I knew it would be since I had been too scared to do any stretches on it. She strapped my feet up, and walking on them during it being strapped didn't seem to do too much difference pain wise but it DID help with the 'burning sensations' which makes sense as it would of worked like a pressure bandage?

    and OK so here I am with my results of my MRI!

    I am so shocked, relieved, and even more confused?

    I had two bad falls down stairs about 1-2 years ago, and about three months apart of each . I was walking down them each time in the same pair of heels... I had actually forgotten about this until my Dr brought it up when he read the report from the MRI because I had assumed this foot pain was an ongoing thing from way before these falls.

    WELL....NO plantar fasciitis whatsoever! Yes, I did have thickening on my plantar BEFORE which were shown on the ultrasound, and it is very likely I WAS suffering from PF in previous years too, however, since the cortisone injections, the fascia was completely normal (yay). But why have I been in so much pain?

    When my Dr brought up the fall, I do remember having extremely sore ankles for some time, but I always assumed I had only sprained them. But I also do remember they've been easier to crack when rotating my ankles since them... Then the MRI report made so much sense when it was read out to me.

    I had fluid on my bones AND joints of different areas on my ankle which could be due to athritis, or an injury on both, as well as on my right foot (the one that's actually been in the most pain recently) a small about on my metatarsals (bursa). & possible ganglion on my anterior process of calcaneus (above heel bone)

    I have been referred to an orthapedic surgeon to help better make sense of it all but as soon as the focus went to my ankles, I've realised that I do have foot pain yes, but a lot of it is actually from my ankle but because I've had the pain in multiple areas and foot pain in the past, it was hard to separate really where it was coming from and I had assumed my ankle pain WAS foot pain. I've purchased some support things for my ankles for the time being while I wait to meet with this surgeon

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