Plantar Fasciitis

[Aches & Pains]

I'm planning about a 150-mile hike this summer while dealing with sore feet. I've had Plantar Fasciitis in both feet for years now and nothing seems to work. I've been to all the doctors, tried orthodics, various inserts, taping and weight loss. There are a lot of inserts out there and I haven’t tried them all. They can get expensive and if there is something I haven’t tried, I’d appreciate someones opinion before spending the cash.
Because of the pain I actually took up canoeing and have done some multi-week canoe trips, but hiking has been two or three day affairs because of sore feet for several years now.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can try or maybe something that has worked for you? I am determined to do this hike this summer. It may have to be short days so as to rest my feet. If it is I expect I’ll get a lot of reading done.

[nastynate]

I'm a runner and have been suffering from PF for a year. I tried various forms of PT including ASTYM, orthotics, night splints, etc. None of this helped much, and cost a ton. This is what has been working for me. Every morning before I get out of bed, I grab the ball of foot and pull backwards to really stretch the fascia and calf. Then I do a quick deep tissue rub right on the fascia. Once I'm up and walking around, I use a foam roller and roll out my calves, really working the trigger points. You'll know where they are when you roll. I also try to stretch my calves several times a day and roll again at night. Also, I go barefoot as much as possible at home. Seems to keep my calves stretched out. Foam roll again before bed. On the trail I don't bring a roller, but still do all the stretching and massaging. I now have zero pain while walking/running/hiking. The only time I hurt is the first few steps after sitting for prolongs periods.

I've also heard people have lots of success with trigger point acupuncture therapy, but I don't have the money for that. Hope you get it resolved. PF and treatment seems to be extremely varied between individuals.

[Alligator]

I'm planning about a 150-mile hike this summer while dealing with sore feet. I've had Plantar Fasciitis in both feet for years now and nothing seems to work. I've been to all the doctors, tried orthodics, various inserts, taping and weight loss. There are a lot of inserts out there and I haven’t tried them all. They can get expensive and if there is something I haven’t tried, I’d appreciate someones opinion before spending the cash.
Because of the pain I actually took up canoeing and have done some multi-week canoe trips, but hiking has been two or three day affairs because of sore feet for several years now.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can try or maybe something that has worked for you? I am determined to do this hike this summer. It may have to be short days so as to rest my feet. If it is I expect I’ll get a lot of reading done.

Have you tried a night splint?

[chris too]

I have the same problem. I've had much success from stretching. This is the one that works for me: the video is pretty explanatory but I don't think it shows very well that you have to lean into the wall -- breath deeply as you do it. http://www.heel-that-pain.com/heel_p..._stretch_1.php

Before I started stretching, I had to buy therapeutic shoes or have special inserts made for my shoes and I was still in pain. And now I can wear shoes bought at regular stores -- and I can even wear cute shoes again. The stretching isn't a cure because I still have to stretch every so often when I start to feel things tighten up again, but for me it's a small price to pay in order to be able to do all the things I love, which involve walking and standing on my feet. I noticed there were several different stretches on this website for you to try if mine doesn't work as well for you.

[MuddyWaters]

I had severe plantar fasciatis 18-20 yrs ago. I have not had it recurr in 20yrs since.
My arches had fallen in my feet. Was told it was due to hereditary factors.
I also was lifting very heavy weights at the time, and figure this was part of the issue.

But my pain had started several years before when I was in college. At first only appeared when wearing sperry topsiders with no arch support in them.
I would be walking across campus, and basically get crippled where I couldnt walk back to my dorm.
So I lived with this sporadic pain for a couple years.
Later, when lifting heavy wts, it got so bad I couldnt take a step after first getting out of bed in morning. But generally I felt OK walking around in athletic shoes.
However, my $$$ cowboy boots hurt the arches of my feet, and my $$$ ski boots also did so. It was clear I had some issues that had occurred. These had felt fine a year or two prior.

Orthopedic prescribed 8x strength ibuprofen basically and said "take it easy". Did not work.


I happened upon an orthotic salesman from Oklahoma that had a business called Body Balance.
For $250 he took ink footprints of my feet. Compared the footprints to an ideal one, and selected a hard urethane orthotic to change the foot arch shape. He probably had at least 50 different sizes/types in a large chest.
(Its actually a gradual process, I was supposed to go back in another year and get a different set to continue the re-shaping,but I didnt)

This guy rattled off a list of names of professional athletes he had fitted to improve their balance and performance. I still recall Franco Harris of the Pitsburgh Steelers was one of them.

When the arch of foot collapses, everything is thrown out of alignment to compensate. Ankle, knee, hip, back. It all starts with the foot.

So I took the orthotics, and started wearing them. At first it was like I had golfballs under my feet. Literally, after 20 min you would be so sore you couldnt wear them longer than that. You had to work up slowly. By 3 weeks I could wear them all day. By 6 months my feet had molded to them such that I didnt feel them.

Where I remember walking on concrete with wet feet and having no arch before, NOW I had arch in my foot (big gap in footprint between ball and heel). I could see the difference myself !.

I have worn them everyday for 20 yrs in every pair of footwear I have had.
I have never had a single plantar fasciatis pain again. Even while still lifting the heavy weights.


Im pretty sure the orthotics were Alzner.

There is info on the web. Some say they helped and swear by them. Others may not have had any success.
I swear by them. Every day, for 20 yrs.


George Alzner back in the late 1940's determined after years of research that the best way to fix the abormalities that developed with the foot is to restore it to it's most natural position. The alzner orthotic was designed to re-position the bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons of the foot to thier proper place and to limit rotation of the foot due to the stretching of the arch. Alzner believed that if the foot over time changes in a detrimental way by wearing shoes with minimual or no arch support, improperly fitting, excessively worn footware or by going barefoot on hard surfaces...then the bones, ligiments, muscles and tendons could with a correctly designed orthotic device under a controled wearing schedule be re-trained to their natural position.


Some poo-poo Alzner because every foot would be reshaped to what he determined was the average correct foot shape. True, everyone IS different, but an average correct foot shape, IS better than a F'd up one anyday.

[upstream]

This stretch:
http://www.healthline.com/health/fit...tendon-stretch
daily keeps my plantar fasciitis at bay.

[RyanK817]

I had had plantar fasciitis previously before my thru-hike a couple years ago, and a couple weeks after we started it started slowly coming back, and it got to the point where I almost had to give up the trip it was so painful, especially with the rugged hiking of Maine. I ordered some green Superfeet and had them sent to Gorham to pick up on my way through. Within about 3 days the insane tightness was gone, and a couple of weeks later I was pretty much 100% over it, though I continued to get that tearing sensation in my arches every now and then the rest of my hike. I know you said you've tried some inserts, but if you haven't tried Superfeet, you should definitely pick up a pair, they saved my hike. I got mine at REI. Good luck, I know how much plantar fasciitis sucks!

[drifter]

I got PF a year ago March and hobbled around for 3-4 months trying different stretches etc. I started living in my Crocs which seemed to be my only relief. I then experimented wth several remedies at the same time which began giving me some hope..... I bought Pinnacle Power Step inserts, I bought the splint sock which I wore religiously to bed for 6 months and I rolled my foot for hours under my desk using a 3 lb bar bell as the roller. After about 6 months I'd estimate I was 65% recovered.....and then it just slowy kept improving ` I just returned from a 200+ mile section hike (Springer to Newfound Gap) with absolutely no discomfort!

[Alligator]

This stretch:
http://www.healthline.com/health/fit...tendon-stretch
daily keeps my plantar fasciitis at bay.

Will the heel of the lifted foot contact the wall?

[elmotoots]

I got it in one foot first, then it develpoed in the other foot.

For me it turned out to be, loose fitting shoes.

I wore crocks and a lot of times did not tie my runing shoes up snug.

I had a guy tell me to wear my shoes tied tighter, and not wear the crocks or flip flops.

Problem solved and never came back.

[Olustee bus]

What I did helped a great deal. First, I bought ecco shoes to work in. Along with that, I was told not to put my feet on the floor when I woke up in the morning until I had on birkenstocks. On the weekends, birkenstocks is all I would wear. After a while, the pf was cured. It really did not take that long.

I have a friend, both of us are pretty big guys, did the same and it worked for him. I can wear any shoe on occasion but the only shoe I wear now is croc boat shoes most of the time. ( I am retired)

[upstream]

Will the heel of the lifted foot contact the wall?

No, mine doesn't. I get plenty of good stretch before it touches. If my heel touches the wall, I'll find that I am turning the other foot outward.

[Aches & Pains]

This is a great site for information from people that have been there and done that. I have ordered a night splint. I’m going to make sure it’s one I can deal with and if so and I begin to see some results, I’ll get another for the other foot. (Can’t believe neither of the two podiatrists or GP I’ve consulted suggested it.) They’re less expensive than inserts. Also, I plan to begin a new stretching routine based on some of the info offered here. Next month I hope to get some new hiking shoes. There is a shoe place near here that is well known locally for their expertise with outfitting runners and hikers. I may have to spend some money, but if it helps, it will be well worth it. I may even added a pair of Superfeet. Thanks for the advice. I’m doing this hike in August sore feet or not. Hopefully not.

[ezrida]

I have (maybe I can say had) plantar fasciitis myself for about a year. My podiatrist prescribed me with Custom made orthotics which did not work at all. I understood that treatment efficiency is very individual. If something works for one it may not work for the other. I have found Taping very useful.
A few months ago as I was feeling much better with the pain I started two things:
1. doing a combination of stretching and strengthening exercises. I have found a good website summary explaining the subject of these exercises in:
http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofee...exercises.html
2. Bought Nike free and started using them really really slow and easy. I was afraid doing it in an earlier stage.
I must say that doing these two things made a very big change in the way I felt with my feet until today that I can say I am completely over it.

[Chaco Taco]

I'm planning about a 150-mile hike this summer while dealing with sore feet. I've had Plantar Fasciitis in both feet for years now and nothing seems to work. I've been to all the doctors, tried orthodics, various inserts, taping and weight loss. There are a lot of inserts out there and I haven’t tried them all. They can get expensive and if there is something I haven’t tried, I’d appreciate someones opinion before spending the cash.
Because of the pain I actually took up canoeing and have done some multi-week canoe trips, but hiking has been two or three day affairs because of sore feet for several years now.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can try or maybe something that has worked for you? I am determined to do this hike this summer. It may have to be short days so as to rest my feet. If it is I expect I’ll get a lot of reading done.

Perhaps the problem is not with inserts but with your shoes. Id also add that if you are having issues with PF, Id work in the strecthes as recommended and try to massage the area as much as you can tolerate each night. Unfortunately, sore feet are going to be all part of the experience.