Foot issues

[zeus307]

I was wondering if anyone out there has had a bout with plantar facitius?
A VERY, EXTREMELY painful :(foot issue where the plantar facitius ligament on the bottom of the foot bacome strained or pulled.

I have done my research on the topic and am under Dr. care but was wondering if anyone else is dealing with this type of issue. Just curious!:rolleyes:

[modiyooch]

I currently have been suffering since my backpacking trip in Aug. I'm going to go for an xray this week. I keep putting it off because I am a runner, but I guess I should at least id the problem. It's not getting any better, or worse. My pain isn't in the heel, though. It's in the pad at the base of my toes. Worse pain is in the mornig.

[le loupe]

I have/had plantar fasciaitis.

I had orthotics made that corrected the problem in the problem foot. However, the other foot became a problem. I don't know if this was the result of the appliance or not.

I have found that a little more exercise and some weight loss has done much to almost eliminate the pain in my foot. I even started walking on the treadmill barefoot. I thought this might strengthen things.

It worked, one way or the other.

[zeus307]

I to have inserts I forgot to mention that. It has gotten better over time and that is what I am learning and hearing about the issue. I am not over weight. I have over 20 years of military experience all over the world as well as a former firefighter and I have learned and been told that has attributed to my condition.

[Blissful]

My hubby is recovering now from it. Wears powerstep insoles and had his foot taped a certain way for 3 weeks. Its doing better. There are exercises you can do too - like trying to gather up a hand towel on the floor using only your toes.

[Hoop]

Had it, no fun. Took it easy, no treatment, healed on its own over several weeks.

[MedicineMan]

Yep I was one of the 5-6 million who enter the med. system do to PF...Some as you know walk (no pun intended) from PF in days or weeks, others in months, some in years and some of us tend to a crippling for. I enjoyed all treatment modalities ranging from the quick/easy steroid shots, night boots, phys. therapy, leg cast, and ultimately to a non-invasive surgery called Ossatron (which cost me 2k out of pocket)...I just finished NJ and NY, proof that the surgery works BUT as my orthopod pointed out I will never be cured; that I must stretch every day of my life and usually 2 times a day in the normal world and much more frequently when hiking.
I remember when 'it' happened. I was in the rollercoaster section of Va, woke up in the hammock and put the right foot down-no problems, then the left; and it felt like an ice pick had been driven into my foot. PF can hit several areas of the foot, for me it was just in front of the heel (and because of location often misdiagnosed as a heel spur~they suck too). I said 'it' and learned there was no it, no injury, no rock or root...for me it was up in the calf muscle and if you remember that old song about body parts being connected-calf muscle connected to the achiles to the heel cup to the fascia that actually gets inflammed.
There is a positive according to what I've read/experience. Most but not all who get PF have high arches...mine are very high. If you have high arches then you are unlikely to develope hip issues; those with 'flat' feet will probably never get PF but will sooner or later develope hip problems....
IF you think you are beginning down the PF road I'd suggest a trip to chinamart and a visit to the auto section, you are looking for tire chocks (called other things in some parts of the country); they are yellow and shaped like a triangle. I stand on them and stretch my calf muscle--took a while to get to where I could do it at the 45 degree angle but it now feels good and after several minutes on them I can feel the calf muscle relaxing.....Good luck.

[DaveJohns]

yep. PF isnt much fun if you like walking. I usually have to stretch the tendon for a moment a couple of times a day. Everyone looks at me weird when I get up after sitting for any more than a moment - I limp something terrible for the first few steps, then everything stretches a bit and I can walk fairly normally. Good advice MedicineMan, personally I have used frozen water bottles, the doc says the cold can help with the inflammation as I roll the bottom of my foot back and forth on them. Man, those things are good for a wakeup in the early morning!

[paintplongo]

switch to trail runners, they will help alot.

[WILLIAM HAYES]

try a rolling pin and roll your affected foot back and forth over the rolling pin while increasing your weight on the arch of your foot do this for 10 mins in the morning and evening it will stretch out the tendon worked for me

[mudhead]

Same. Needed arch support. I used a can to roll the foot.

Pretty freaky the first morning you get up with a dose of PF.

[thomas533]

I've suffered from PF for about 9 years now. It got really bad for me when I was working in the restaurant business and was on my feet all day. I tried all sorts of things and several docs told me that I'd never be able to fully recover and that I'd always have issues.

Last year I started reading about barefoot walking/running/hiking. The basic idea is that your foot has many joints, muscles and tendons that are designed to flex and bend, but we spend our lives putting our feet in shoes that don't flex and bend the same way. Parts of our feet get used while others atrophy. We learn to land on our heels rather than on the mid-foot or ball of the foot. This causes all sorts of stresses that end up really hurting us in the long run.

Nowadays, I don't usually go barefoot but I hike in water shoes (specifically NRS kayaking boots) and my feet have never felt better. Others use the Vibram five fingers and have great results. I still have some pains but I'm never completely out of commission any more and I seem to have less pain the more I exercise my feet. There are some great books out there about it and might be worth looking into.

[Trailweaver]

I had it several years ago, and was treated by a foot specialist in Atlanta who treats several members of the Atlanta Civic Ballet as well as some of the Atlanta Falcons. He was recommended to me by my insurance company representative. He told me to stand backwards on the steps with my foot on the edge, and (obviously one foot at a time) "drop" my heel downward, stretching the calf muscle/tendon as I did this. Hold it in place 10 seconds - don't "bounce" the foot, just hold it. Do this several times, each foot, several times a day.

I'd had PF for several weeks and seen three doctors by the time I went to see him. He told me about this and I tried it and it really works. I was better within a week. I couldn't believe it was that easy, but it is. I've had some recurrance of it, but whenever I feel it coming on, I just do the "step thing" and it goes away.

[take-a-knee]

Locate the book titled, "Fixing Your Feet". I found it at REI. Lots of good self-care for plantar fasciatis. I had a problem with it five years ago, I did some of the stretches in the book and no problem since

[DEHiker]

I've had PF twice. The first time came from a long-distance running event. The second time was backpacking after pushing it on a 27 mile day in Shenandoah NP. It's a very frustrating injury that can take a long time to resolve. What finally worked for me were custom orthotics. Two weeks after getting them, my PF was gone. I now wear them religiously and haven't had any recurrences for the past few years. I also make sure I stretch my calf muscles and achilles tendons regularly.

Good luck with it!

[Spokes]

As a runner, I've suffered from PF a couple of times in the past. It's no fun. Like you, I researched the topic plenty and found a simple yet effective treatment called the Strassberg Sock (or night splint). You'll find more information here http://www.thesock.com/

Don't dismiss the funny appearance. Night splints have been extensively studied and found to be a safe, effective, and inexpensive method for treating PF. Just make sure you read and understand how to properly size the sock to fit your leg before ordering one.

Good luck!

-Spokes

[Wise Old Owl]

try a rolling pin and roll your affected foot back and forth over the rolling pin while increasing your weight on the arch of your foot do this for 10 mins in the morning and evening it will stretch out the tendon worked for me

Yes I suffer from time to time - take it easy - Backpacker wrote - a tennis ball while watching TV. Inserts and trail runners are a good solution.

[Tenderheart]

I'll bet you a dollar that you have high arches and tight calf muscles. The first few steps in the morning out of bed are terrible, right? Take a glass Coke bottle and fill it with water. Put it in the freezer over night. While watching TV in the evening, roll your problem arch back and forth over the frozen bottle. It hurts like the devil, but it works. Make sure the shoes that you spend the most time in have good arch supports. The stretch by hanging off a curb that someone mentioned is a good one. This stretches the calf and the PF. Vitamin I is also good, as this is an inflammatory condition. For me, good high arch supports have been the key. If your present shoes don't have them, then consider Spenco inserts. Hope this helps!!

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