Plantar Faciitis BEFORE THE TRAIL...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!

[WorldPeaceAndStuff]

Green Superfeet made me feet worse. I went slow on them and was fine but one hike with a serious climb left my right leg and knee in bad shape. I was told to ditch Superfeet and buy SOLE or Montrail Enduro soles.

[Don H]

If you go with Superfeet you need to get the color that fit your foot. Green for high arches, black for flat feet.

I've had PF twice and for me it was caused by foot wear. Both times it took several months to get over it even with PT. Now I always hike in trail runners and change them out to new ones about every 500 miles. Even though they still have tread on them the inner cushioning is gone. Went through 5 pairs of shoes on my thru but never had PF.

[squeezebox]

My issue comes from a cut nerve about 1/2 way up my inner calf. stab wound.
No problem with my heel .
dull ache / numbness in arch and ball of my left foot. lowered sensation in toes.
Pressure pain, not sharp pain.
I often sleep with my left foot hanging off the end of the bed, so it can be in a more natural position, rather than pointed.
Not much of a problem during the day, most of the day I do not even notice it. But I do not walk 20 miles with 40 lbs on my back.
I've never tried one of those stretch braces. I will. and I'll try stretches and rolling on the frozen can.
Another problem no health Ins.

[no-name]

My pain is in in my left foot, the arch to the toe next to the big toe. Doctor prescribed Meloxicam, which I have been on for at least a year. I don't know if taking it for so long is bad, but the pain is relieved. He has offered no other remedy. Arch supports in shoes and the exercises do help also. DWG to Duncannon in 10 days did me in, but man I loved being out there, almost alone, a couple of March's ago!

[snifur]

roll a tennis ball under your feet each morning for five minutes or so and night to increase circulation, relieve foot stress, and stimulate the nerves to recover in the foot. hike with the tennis ball and do it twice daily. simple lightweight therapy on the go.

[Danl]

You will be okay. rest it and take your vitamin I. Get them arch supports. on the trail if it starts bothering you slow down.

[googlywoogly]

I cured my PF by switching from boots to minimalist style footwear. I discovered this by accident. I can walk pain free for miles upon miles with these type of shoes, as soon as I put on a pair of boots and try to do a long walk the same debilitating pain starts back up after some miles (no rhyme or reason, sometimes it will hurt after 2 miles, sometimes after 10).

Your mileage will vary of course, but it wouldn't hurt to try the same hike with minimalist style shoes and see what happens. (When I say minimalist I'm not talking about the shoes that look like giant feet, but instead just light 0 or close to 0 drop shoes). The pair I had when I discovered this cured my injury (and it was so bad I was sedentary for 3 months and bought these shoes on a lark after multiple type/brand of boots gave me the same issues) was the Reebok #104409435.

They no longer make that number (I think anyway I can't find them), but there are plenty of other brands/styles that fit the minimalist mold.

I hope you find a remedy to your PF, it is certainly not fun to deal with.

[leaftye]

Please come back in a few months and let us know how things are going and what you think did and did not help you out.

[googlywoogly]

Green Superfeet made me feet worse. I went slow on them and was fine but one hike with a serious climb left my right leg and knee in bad shape. I was told to ditch Superfeet and buy SOLE or Montrail Enduro soles.

Same here. I tried Green Superfeet and they made both my feet hurt worse. Once they were removed the issues went away. Obviously they work for a lot of folks. Just throwing it out there so folks having problems with pain will not be too disappointed if they turn out to be one of the people that the Superfeet makes it worse instead of better.

Admittedly I may have been using the wrong color, but after they were such a dismal failure I didn't feel like trying a different color. (Felt bad about taking back the ones I did try to REI because I REALLY wanted them to work and went on several plus 10 mile hikes in them hoping I would get used to them).

[AttorneyAtLunch]

So if you don't feel foot pain, is it worth it to buy Superfeet?

[leaftye]

So if you don't feel foot pain, is it worth it to buy Superfeet?

Adding support that you don't need makes you weaker. That's what some of us think contributed to the OP's injury.

[wdanner]

Do some research on the muscles/ligaments in the foot/heel area. They run from the ball of your foot to just before your knee. Muscle tightness can be a source of this and it may not even feel like your muscles are tight in the traditional sense. Someone mentioned before rolling your foot out with a large ball. If you really want to big in, use a golf ball. Use a lacrosse ball on your calves and make it hurt. You may be amazed at the increased range of motion you can have from just a 15 minute roll out session. Used continually, your problem may disappear altogether.

The topic is called myofascial release and it does wonders.

[takethisbread]

I have plantar fasciatis pretty bad. my doc put me on meloxicam for a year and it came with side effects I didn't like. I wear supports . they help. actually hiking helps me . I m not sure that's it's not the presence of dozens of new ailments that distract me . ice directly on my arch helps. I don't let it stop my hiking . yet anyway


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[ratherbclimbin]

Don't feel too bad, I've been training for my AT thru hike that I leave on in 2 weeks, 3/1/14 and I actually just injured my peroneal tendon (side of foot and ankle bone). I believe it's because of improper footwear (Asics Kayano). I've been rehabbing the tendon by staying off of it for the past week and using rest, ice, ankle brace and ibuprofen to heal the tendon Hopefully I will be back to training in a few days. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck with everything. Remember rest is super important for any injury.

[Venture Flt]

Don't sweat it. Roll your foot on a frozen water bottle to stretch things out and reduce inflammation. I had a flare up a month before my GC trip and started to panic too, but doing this a couple times a day fixed me up.

[Sheriff Cougar]

Dealing with it well over 2 years and it is finally getting a lot better to almost 'cured'. Went to podiatrist a lot. Prescribed anti-inflammatory (Mobic), over the counter inserts, ice bath for feet, exercises for feet and calves (you can find these online), finally made special orthotics which were no better than over the counter type. I bought foot orthotics (CVS) that locked my feet in at 90 degrees from my leg while I slept. This helped. Finally, I found some Youtube videos demonstrating using a ball to roll my feet on. Thought I would DIE when I first started rolling the (rubber) ball under my feet. It really stretches every part of the foot. I believe doing this helped me more than anything. Now I have no pain when I take my first steps in the morning and rarely notice any pain. Good luck!

[gsquare]

Had it 6 years ago. Orthopedic surgeon mentioned many of the usual remedies, but said the most important by far was to stretch the muscles. The exercise he gave me was to face wall, arms length way, lean forward against wall while keeping heels on floor and knees straight. (I feel the stretch in my upper calves.) He recommended I do this for a minute every hour during the day. Don't overstretch trying to speed recovery! I also added bending my knees some to move the stretch to the lower calves, and then lying on my back, bending my knees and pulling on my toes to move the stretch to my feet. I agree with Leaftye about stretching ALL the muscles along our back side. Hadn't reasoned it out like Leaftye before, but I do start up high and work down to my feet. (I've also had lower back problems for 40 years that are kept under control by stretching my back and hamstrings.) Anyway, I recovered in few weeks and have kept the fasciitis at bay with the stretches.

[Mountain Maiden]

Have hiked with (green) Superfeet and Hi-tecs for the last 10+ years with absolutely no probs. I am over 50 (yikes!) and on my feet almost all day everyday so I have worn ortho support type shoes (Orthaheel) for the last 5 years . They have good support arch and heel cup and they are not ugly Great success--no foot probs and no backaches!

However, about 6 months ago---PAIN! PF reared its ugly head! I dreaded the first steps every morning and feared I was headed to a bad place of no return. Did all just about all of the above mentioned remedies with moderate success but barely kept the pain at bay. Got to the point where nothing was helping and each day started with misery....

Then, I happened to go to the CHIROPRACTOR for another issue (carpal tunnel numbness.) After two adjustments--PF disappeared COMPLETELY and has not returned!

I guess improper alignment was causing the strain, stress and tightness that resulted in the PF. So you might consider a trip to the chiropractor. Worked for me and hope it helps someone else!

[Grinder]

one more data point.

When I was a regular daily runner, I had really bad plantar facia. I pretty much just stiff upper lipped it and played with OTC inserts. It more or less disappeared over time. A twinge was always there, though

Two years ago, ( after three years of LD backpacking annually) when I began to wear my pack for my training walks, PF reappeared big time. On advise from a friend, I purchased "Heel the Pain" inserts. These have an internal rib that massages the plantar facia right where it hurts so bad.

It worked for me and now I wear the inserts every time my heel twinges.

[Outdoorsman88]

Thanks for all the replies and input everybody! I have been living on a steady diet of Advil, ice, elevation, and rest. Things are getting a little better...it doesn't help that I work landscaping and have been forced to be on my feet to wory...just trying to take things slow. I put some green superfeet in my boots, and am looking forward (but very nervous) to taking them out on a hike hopefully this weekend. I hope everyone is doing well, and hopefully I'll be seeing some of your out on the trail here soon!