Plantar Fascitis

[Poly Hive]

Anyone any experience of this as it is driving me up the wall at the moment.

PH

[sib]

Yes...have experienced it a couple of times in the winter when i do more running than cycling. I found rest is best but a new pair of trainers helped too.

[hellymedic]

A Policeman's Heel is NOT a happy one,
Happy one!

Not had it myself.
Some recommend Sorbothane heel inserts and orthotics.
Steroid injections are a last resort

Make sure you NEVER wear shoes with 'solid' heels.

Hope you're better soon (and are not affected by other conditions associated with plantar fasciitis)!

[Psychler]

I had plantar fasciitis many years in the past, currently have achilles tendonitis in the same foot.  I don't know if they're linked.

Absolute bugger, both of them!

[fimm]

Yes, but thankfully never disabilingly so.
Do calf stretches, the usual runner's kind where you are trying to push a wall over. Also stretches for the PF - there's one where you stretch it with your big toe.
Get a 500ml coke or similar bottle, fill it with water, freeze it and use it as a roller for the sole of your foot (wear socks!). And/or roll your foot on a tennis ball or similar thing.

I don't understand Helly's statement about shoes with solid heels. I have been advised not to wear very flat shoes (eg canvas summer shoes, or "pumps".

(edited to add a G to biG toe)

[ElyDave]

Yes, but thankfully never disabilingly so.
Do calf stretches, the usual runner's kind where you are trying to push a wall over. Also stretches for the PF - there's one where you stretch it with your bi toe.
Get a 500ml coke or similar bottle, fill it with water, freeze it and use it as a roller for the sole of your foot (wear socks!). And/or roll your foot on a tennis ball or similar thing.

I don't understand Helly's statement about shoes with solid heels. I have been advised not to wear very flat shoes (eg canvas summer shoes, or "pumps".

after the initial acute phase, I'd wear the flattest shoes possible with either, and with the minimum of arch support.  If you habitually wear heeled shoes, or shoes with large internal arch supports, you will either end up with shortened achilles and/or weaker foot structure.  Think of the effect on muscle mass of immobilising your arm in a cast for weeks, those heavily built up shoes are doing exactly that.

[DuncanM]

I haven't got fascitis, but I have irritated mine when I tore a ligament in the middle of my foot (and subsequently didn't bend the foot for about a month!). I also have soreness in the tendons that run around the ankle - it's amazing how far all fo this stuff interconnects!
As well as the suggestions that fimm gave, my physio also suggested rolling my foot over a golf ball to target particularly irritated parts of the foot.

[Chris S]

PBP 2015 gave me horrendous foot pain which closely matched descriptions of PF, but I never had it diagnosed (on the basis that any statement to the GP starting with "I just rode my bike 1200km in four days and now..." will be met with that look) and just put it down to pain related to random nerve-damage; some of which I still have now.

[hellymedic]

Yes, but thankfully never disabilingly so.
Do calf stretches, the usual runner's kind where you are trying to push a wall over. Also stretches for the PF - there's one where you stretch it with your bi toe.
Get a 500ml coke or similar bottle, fill it with water, freeze it and use it as a roller for the sole of your foot (wear socks!). And/or roll your foot on a tennis ball or similar thing.

I don't understand Helly's statement about shoes with solid heels. I have been advised not to wear very flat shoes (eg canvas summer shoes, or "pumps".

By 'solid' I mean rigid and incompressible. Foam with some shock absorption is better.

[Clare]

I was told that PF is categorically NOT policeman's heel as PH involves boney growth of some kind.

Shoes, supportive with a slight heel i.e. the heel should be slightly higher than the toes. Walking shoes are ideal. Don't walk around in bare feet.

Anyway, stretches, the ones I was recommended are:

Stand away from a wall, one foot forward of the other, front leg bent and lean into the wall (try to push it over without the actually trying bit), 30 secs each side.

Same as above but with both legs bent and still one in front of the other.

Stand on the bottom step with your heels hanging off the step, push your heels down, hold 30 secs.

When sat at a desk raise the front of your feet off the ground, hold 30 secs.

All those whenever you can each day.

This one once a day:
Get a non stretchy scarf or a towel. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Wrap the non stretchy fabric item around your toes and pull back on it. Keep your legs straight. Hold for 30 secs.

I get PF occasionally and doing the stretches gets rid of it.

[Greenbank]

Rolling my foot on a golf ball helped get rid of mine. I now have a golf ball under my home desk (I work from home two days a week) and instinctively roll it around under my foot. It's never come back.

[Chris S]

It's never come back.

Probably not a golf ball then, more likely a boomerang.

* runs and hides *

[Canardly]

Can worn down slip on crocs cause this? Have a pain in right heel atm which is very painful and have pretty much spent the summer wearing the crocs.

[Clare]

The classic symptom of PF (so I was told by my doctor) is that you cannot put your heel on the floor when you first get out of bed in the morning so you hobble around on your toes for the first few minutes, then everything stretches out enough for you to walk more normally.

[sizbut]

Correct up until "...first few minutes, then everything stretches out enough for you to walk more normally." I've been suffering it for months. One foot will get better just as the other gives up.

May be my ages as the knees are not being fab at the moment either.

Arthritis Research UK have a PDF doc that has a good set of exercises, including the bean tin which does ease the pain. www.arthritisresearchuk.org

[andrewc]

I'm bothered with it occasionally .   I found a spiky roller to give good relief. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005SDYWAS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


It doesn't shoot off into a corner of the room like a tennis ball.

[Duckfoot1606]

I suffered with it in the dim and distant when I was an active long distance runner, precipitated by a change in running shoe. Agonising and the wisdom of the day was to inject cortisone into the inflamed tendon with the biggest syringe I’ve ever seen (equally agonising). Eventually resolved by yet another change of running shoe. Back in the day it was believed to be related to excessive pronation, not sure what more recent thinking is.

A

[woollypigs]

I suffered badly for nearly two years. It was so bad that I had to crawl to the bathroom in the nights and mornings. Not fun when I had to go downstairs to the toilet.

I got a high pain tress hold, a benefit from growing up in Denmark and loving Lego

But this was beyond Lego! There was days were I was thinking if I could rig up a toilet in bed. When I stood up from, the pain would crawl up from my feet to my knees and cripple me, and I would drop to the floor.

The more I moved the less the pain but still really painfull, no pain killers ever worked.

I tried better shoes/boots, stretching and rolling, the only thing that happened was that I became the most flexible I ever been.

Only two things that helped/worked was :

1/ antibiotics, I took some for a really bad ear infection, the pain was totally gone after taking two pills. But sadly it came back with a vengeance after a month or so, but at least the ear infection was gone.

2/ Golden paste - aka turmeric, coconut oil and pepper- and vitamin C.

Yes I know, go fecking figure! But if I don't take for a few days the pain is sneaking back, so I take every day and have painless feet.

[Jakob]

I've had it a couple of times and the culprit both times was overly tight calf muscles.  Regular stretching, massage and rolling out the calf either on foam roller or lacrosse ball. (Hurts like hell, but it *is* good for you!).

[Poly Hive]

Well some time down the line and what is helping me is my Osteopath in Kelso. She is making me claw the ceiling but after a day or so after a session with her the pain is decreasing in noticible increments.

Stupidly last week I was feeling really good so put on a pair of leather shoes to go to the college for my evening class that I teach and the next day I was back a good month. Bugger!

So I am taking great care to use my Keen shoes which are very comfortable and also foam inserts in my crocs in the house.

It still hurts a bit but nothing compared to what it was.

PH