Hi, all!
For about five days, I've been fighting what I believe to be a bout of plantar fasciitis. Ow.
The pain is bad when I get up and eases throughout the day. If I'm still too long (sitting, etc.), it gets really painful again.
I've been doing ibuprofen, rolling a frozen water bottle, stretching my toes against a wall, using a stretch band for my feet, calves and hammies, and wearing a boot. I just ordered a Strassburg sock that I read is supposed to really help.
Does anyone have any experience with this that can pile on? I'd rather not get shots, etc. for it and am not convinced of their long term effectiveness, either. So any advice or direction would be appreciated.
This sucks.
Well, my wife went to a place called "Good Feet" here in DFW and got some custom made inserts for her shoes. She's worn them for 15 years with absolutely no pain. Orthotics are probably your best bet.
I have plantar fasciitis. It was actually diagnosed with it many years ago, it showed up on an x-ray (a heel spur) when I suffered a severe sprained ankle, long before I was experiencing any symptoms.
I used to play a lot of golf and often walked the course instead of using a cart whenever I could. Great exercise but my feet really suffered, and that’s when I first noticed the problem. Then I worked a seasonal temp job at Target and was on my feet for 8-10 hours a day. That’s when I got my first really bad flare up, some mornings I could barely walk.
I got one of those boots/splints to wear while sleeping but found them not only uncomfortable to sleep in, they also left my ankle and lower calf really sore.
I found that regular stretching of the foot, the ankle and the lower leg and calf, and doing this several times a day, really helped a lot. But it has to be done regularly.
Last year I went to see an orthopedic because of a flare up of my lower back issues but also mentioned my plantar fasciitis as it was also flaring up at the time.
She watched me walk and said I had a pronounced over pronation (flat feet and rolling inward when I walked). She recommended a local independent shoe store and to go there to get fitted for a shoe to wear when I was walking or on my feet a lot.
While they mostly specialize in high end athletic shoes, mostly for serious runners, the owner fitted me with a pair of walking shoes (Brooks) made for people with pronation. He measured my feet for size and fit and spent nearly an hour with me and also fitted me for orthotic inserts to provide arch support to wear in my other shoes including dress shoes.
This has really helped.