Plantar Fasciitis for 1.5 years

Mfr234, 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.

That's what I think.  I hope this helps you and the many other sufferers of plantar fasciitis.  Good Luck to you, doknabox/JerryR

Most of us with pf think it is down to aging of the tissue tightening up the calf muscles and so calf stretching exercises cure it given time and cushioning of the heel with gel heel pads or insoles that distribute your weight over the whole sole both help I use both. We find that running is a problem as it pounds the heel so sports like swimming and skiing are great because you are not pounding that heel and my ski boots have insoles in them to spread the weight as I carve turn. Walking is no problem as I have gel heel pads in my walking boots and trainers, I avoid plimsolls, sandles and flip flops as they have little or no cushioning.

Your pf is due to injury so warm footbaths followed by calf stretching and rolling the foot on a tennis ball or standing on the rung of a ladder of edge of a stair of curb stone should help given time which as you are so young to have this problem at least you have plenty of. It does not help if you continue to play football and baseball so you should give them a rest for a few months or at least put insoles in your boots and trainers.

Injury to the foot takes time and is difficult as we have to walk on it so be gentle with it.

Hope this helps you to return to your sport in good time, you are young so should heal quicker than us oldies.

When I went to the doctor they bandaged the entire foot (both feet) for a week. (Use sandwich bags and rubber bands to keep them dry in the shower) Like you I was barely able to walk at that point. The purpose of the bandage was they stretched out the tendon and padded it and kept that way for a week. The first 4 days I didn't think it was helping but the last three it started feeling better. If you have help you can watch YouTube and it will show you how to do it. You can try that. Also a good idea especially while being active is KT tape. It holds up well and serves the same purpose. I use it when it flares up and needs support. Hopefully that gives you some options!