Severe plantar fasciitis came on suddenly

[RSteve]

For several months, I've dealt with moderate pain mostly at the right side heel of my right foot. It usually only occurred after a lengthy walk on a hard surface. I bought pairs of Orthofeet and Aetrex shoes and they seemed to help. Yesterday, I put my granddaughter in her stroller and we took a lengthy walk, about 1.5 hours. Last night, the pain was excruciating, even while lying down. I've dosed myself with ibuprofen this morning and the edge is off the pain, but walking is a challenge. I'm going to continue with ibuprofen and rest and hope it resolves. I've read a few articles on plantar fasciitis and all seem to say it could take several months to resolve.

 

[ftrplt]

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings...having suffered thru this mess several years ago, I'm gonna' bet there is a trip to your favorite podiatrist in your future!! FWIW, FTRPLT

 

[Idlefellow]

Agree; my wife suffered with it for months. Then I got it and headed for the podiatrist and was much better in a week or so. My only complaint is that he sold me on a pair of prescription orthotics which cost me over $400 (medicare doesn't pay for them) and later I found that there are non-script ones that are probably just as good and MUCH cheaper.

 

[ftrplt]

Whoa...$400?! My Dr. stuck me for $30 (gave me a $10 discount!!). Mine were not custom-fit (made from a foot mold); they have worked well; still have'em in my 'tenny runners!" FTRPLT

 

[Blackhorse]

I had PF back a few years. Not a good thing at all. I tried all kinds of stuff and came to the following conclusions re MY situation.

1. It will not just go away.
2. Ibuprofen does help...3 were better than 2.
3. Quality insoles do make a difference.
4. You cannot depend on either of the above by themselves...or together.
5. Staying the hell off it plus the other things is the ticket. Yes, you can walk, but careful stretching exercises are also a key.

As I recall, the injury is tearing, micro in size, to some tendon or ligament or something. That doesn’t just go away with anti inflammatory drugs. That doesn’t heal the tear. Only time and preventing re-injury will do it. So you’re feeling OK and decide you’re good and go out for your favorite 90 minute walk...WHAMMO! You just re-tore that tendon and you’re back to square one. You have to dedicate yourself to not screwing with it. My family learned that I couldn’t do the same things. I could go from the car into a specific store and get around...wife had to drop me off then go out and get the car to pick me up. No way could I go from the parking lit and walk around the mall and back to the car.

It took me 1 1/2 years to get back to fairly normal. And I was CAREFUL. It sucks.

 

[Zeno Marx]

When I played football in high school, we practiced on clay soil, so when it was dry, which was most of the time, it was as hard as concrete. Back then, cleats didn't have ANY padding. The insole was leather, pleather, or a piece cloth directly glued to the plastic molding of cleats. I was quickly diagnosed with heel issues. I had to find an insole with the proper arch support AND a heel pad. The arch supports were key, though they didn't seem like they would do anything because of where I was feeling pain. I was wrong. *Your feet are also connected to your hips via nerves etc, so your body can transfer pain up into your hips from your feet. After football ended for me (thank goodness), I didn't have this issue again until I started running for exercise. That time was all about arch support.

I would recommend Super Feet. You can find them for around $20 (and they go up from there), and they have measurement computers in some stores to help you figure out whether you need regular or high arch support. If you have an REI store near you, I'd give them a call. Hikers often replace their boot insoles with Super Feet. They don't have thick padding, so you might also need to buy an additional padded insole. I'm not sure about that though. I know I'd try a Super Feet insole first and then move to the idea of additional padding after that. And the Super Feet are returnable to REI if you don't like them.

 

[Blackhorse]

Ditto to the Super Feet. I got mine in an REI store and they worked well. Better than any other kind I tried.

 

[Carlos]

I had a classic heel spur 20-25 years ago. Ibuprofen, and decent shoes with Spenco Polysorb insoles fixed me up. Now, I always yank out the cheap insole and put a Spenco in.

 

[RSteve]

Last night, just to walk to the bathroom, I had to slip an orthotic into a pair of Crocs. For the day today, I dug around the closet for the pair of Aetrex lace up oxfords I wear when doing some volunteer chef work. They have a very distinct heel cup that seems to support the ligament. With ibuprofen alternated with acetaminophen, I got through the day. I was on my feet quite a bit, but no long walks on concrete sidewalks. Tomorrow, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, I have one, two, or all three of my grandchildren. Grandpa will not be running around with them.

 

[Blackhorse]

Good luck, bro.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I had a classic heel spur 20-25 years ago. Ibuprofen, and decent shoes with Spenco Polysorb insoles fixed me up. Now, I always yank out the cheap insole and put a Spenco in.

Spenco. Those are it. Those are the heel pads I used in my old cleats. They're good.

RSteve, maybe you just stretched that ligment and irritated it? I did that one time with a new pair of running shoes. They were the wrong size. They felt good, but I later found out that they were too small. It was a couple weeks until the bottom of my foot stopped hurting. Hope you're that lucky and not talking about this a month or a year from now. This is also why I started riding a bike for exercise and stopped running.

 

[Blackhorse]

Yeah, that would be a very good outcome. Fingers crossed.

 

[Timbo]

Ouch Steve, as my gran would say "You've been in the wars." Rest up and heal up mate.

 

[Catskill corn cob]

I had severe flat feet for a long time and insoles barely helped. Try rolling a tennis ball around under your foot, when I did it fixed whatever issue there was and I can use stock insoles now.

 

[RSteve]

It seems if I don't walk much and keep some ibuprofen in me, the pain is considerably lessened. Going barefoot or just in socks, even on carpet, is painful. Even in the shower, I had to wear Crocs with a padded insole.

 

[Blackhorse]

Hey...yeah...instead of being out and about so much you can post here more now!

 

[Bullwinkle]

If you are dealing with PF it should feel like you have a rock in you shoe under your heel. While sitting around roll a frozen pop bottle under foot. Search for PF stretching exercises. A couple I liked were to stand away from a wall and stimulate push ups keeping you feet flat. The other facing up the stairs with your toes on a stair lower your heels below your toes.

 

[Natch]

I've suffered from it for a couple of years now. Stretching, especially when I first get out of bed, helps. For me, it's primarily a first thing in the morning problem, or if I work a couple soccer games back to back or backpacking more than just a couple miles. I've worn custom orthotics most of my life and warring good shows with the orthotics in them helps, especially over sandals with no support. But alas, as I have no intention of slowing down (although my knees and ankles may have a different perspective on this), I just push through it.