stretching out plantar fasciitis?

[lonestarrunner]

+1 on the calf muscle stretching; works for me every time. Make sure you focus on stretching the calf muscle and not the Achilles tendon.

[ScareBear]

And yes, orthotics are a first-line treatment for PF. For me, the SuperFeet green did just fine. My ortho advised to try them prior to forking out 300 bucks for custom orthotics.

The trick is, you have to wear the orthotics in every shoe...for ever...just sayin...

[joec]

I tried all the tennis balls, frozen water bottles, etc forever. Someone on this forum pointed me to a device called "One Stretch" and I bought it and problem solved. It offers support for the entire arch while you stretch you calf muscles.

[TexasBob]

In addition to other good advice wear one of these while you sleep at night. https://www.amazon.com/ACE-Plantar-F...+support&psc=1

[ScareBear]

In addition to other good advice wear one of these while you sleep at night. https://www.amazon.com/ACE-Plantar-F...+support&psc=1

My ortho said no go on the Ace. Here's the generic version of the ortho night splint. The key is the ability to adjust the "pull" on the foot with the side straps. You have to tighten it as much as you can stand at first and adjust tighter weekly...

https://www.amazon.com/Plantar-Fasci...%2Bsplint&th=1

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Does it come with the model?

My ortho said no go on the Ace. Here's the generic version of the ortho night splint. The key is the ability to adjust the "pull" on the foot with the side straps. You have to tighten it as much as you can stand at first and adjust tighter weekly...

https://www.amazon.com/Plantar-Fasci...%2Bsplint&th=1

[One Half]

Interesting. Penny Pincher says "do not stretch using step . . ."

I had PF & was treated by an orthopedic MD associated with Emory. I know that he treats many Atlanta Ballet and Hawks professionals. He diagnosed the PF in my case in just minutes after I had been to three other doctors over months of pain.

He recommended that I stand on steps, facing "upward" and in sock feet, that I place the affected foot halfway off the step and slowly lower the heel downward till I felt a "tightness" or "pulling" in my calf muscle. Do this, count to 10, rest 10 seconds, & repeat maybe 10 times. Change feet, do the exercise, then stop. He said it was important to gradually "lower" the heel an do not "bounce." Just lower, hold, count, rest. He recommended that I do the exercises several times a day until it was better, and told me that if it came back, to exercise again in the same way, but that if I regularly did "stretching" exercises it probably wouldn't return.

I did as directed, & I haven't had this problem return. It's been years. I do understand that if you've had PF long enough that it's become chronic, it will take longer to "fix" but really - I think this is the best way to do it without surgery or some other drastic measure. It really is horribly painful, & you really do have to walk, so it is pain with every step. You have my sympathy. The trick is to treat the cause & get rid of the inflammation, but how to do both at the same time.

I'd be curious to know why Penny Pincher doesn't recommend this? And please know - I'm not trying to get a fuss started here - I'm genuinely interested to know.

The method you describe, foot off step, puts more strain on the tendon and will often do more damage than good. Many times it doesn't actually get the calf stretched. See the article I linked. I too suffered from PF until I followed the methodology in the article. I actually learned it first hand from Eric Beard. I know y'all don't know him but trust me when I say that in the world of personal training instructors he is a "Guru" not just for his knowledge but for his ability to teach others. He does corrective exercise with professional athletes. Last I knew he was traveling with an up and coming tennis star who had stalled out because of injury affecting her performance. He fixed her issues. He has several degrees in exercise science etc and actually was the education coordinator for the National Association of Sports Medicine. Plus, he's a "local Irishman" with a Boston Celtics tattoo on his calf! What's not to love?

But back to the point, read the article. He explains it well. I had much success employing this method for myself as well as clients who suffered. I also used to just share this info freely with anyone in the gym who asked about it. Word travels when you take away a person's pain!

[One Half]

And yes, orthotics are a first-line treatment for PF. For me, the SuperFeet green did just fine. My ortho advised to try them prior to forking out 300 bucks for custom orthotics.

The trick is, you have to wear the orthotics in every shoe...for ever...just sayin...

right. unless you correct it. I actually went to VFFs exclusively after correcting this problem. Your feet get really strong with VFFs, including the arches. Prior to this I had custom orthotics in my sneakers as well. But that didn't correct the issue.

[gbolt]

Interesting. Penny Pincher says "do not stretch using step . . ."

I had PF & was treated by an orthopedic MD associated with Emory. I know that he treats many Atlanta Ballet and Hawks professionals. He diagnosed the PF in my case in just minutes after I had been to three other doctors over months of pain.

He recommended that I stand on steps, facing "upward" and in sock feet, that I place the affected foot halfway off the step and slowly lower the heel downward till I felt a "tightness" or "pulling" in my calf muscle. Do this, count to 10, rest 10 seconds, & repeat maybe 10 times. Change feet, do the exercise, then stop. He said it was important to gradually "lower" the heel an do not "bounce." Just lower, hold, count, rest. He recommended that I do the exercises several times a day until it was better, and told me that if it came back, to exercise again in the same way, but that if I regularly did "stretching" exercises it probably wouldn't return.

I'd be curious to know why Penny Pincher doesn't recommend this? And please know - I'm not trying to get a fuss started here - I'm genuinely interested to know.

+1 on the Steps. Instead of "Toe Raises", these are called "Heal Drops" but it's all perspective. Also suggest using a band/towel looped around toes to pull towards chin to stretch calf and counter the Night Time Sleep problem. Rolling the calf (as with any muscle) helps on many levels. Finally, icing foot, Vitamen I, and Rest will work wonders. Best to prevent if at all possible.

[TexasBob]

My ortho said no go on the Ace. Here's the generic version of the ortho night splint. The key is the ability to adjust the "pull" on the foot with the side straps. You have to tighten it as much as you can stand at first and adjust tighter weekly...

https://www.amazon.com/Plantar-Fasci...%2Bsplint&th=1

My doctor gave me one of those also, problem is I can't sleep when I am wearing it. It is too bulky and the straps are a problem. I can sleep with the Ace product.

[ScareBear]

But, the ACE product really doesn't do anything that will make a difference...

The night stretcher is a bitch to sleep with. The first couple off weeks, you will wake up at 3am with a cramp and struggle to get out of the thing. But, it works. Try 400mg Ibuprofen and 50mg diphenhydramine(Benadryl) 30 minutes before bed to help keep you asleep with the night stretcher on.

[TexasBob]

But, the ACE product really doesn't do anything that will make a difference.......................

Worked for me that all I can say.