One afternoon while recuperating from spinal surgery,I woke up from a nap and felt like someone had hammered a spike in my heel! I tried to walk and could put no weight on my foot. I had never had a pain or situation like this. In almost a panic, I called my family physician and he agreed to see me. He diagnosed that I have plantar fasciaitis and recommended shoe inserts. These have helped, but not cured the problem. I went to a podiatrist and he gave me an injection that reduced the pain, but did not take it completely away. What have others done who have or had this problem? I am all ears! Jerry Hoover

Jerry, you will find a lot of home remedies, however you may or may not get lucky in finding something that works. Not sure there is a one size fits all cure and it seems to come and go without a whole lot of reason.

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Hoover:
One afternoon while recuperating from spinal surgery,I woke up from a nap and felt like someone had hammered a spike in my heel! I tried to walk and could put no weight on my foot. I had never had a pain or situation like this. In almost a panic, I called my family physician and he agreed to see me. He diagnosed that I have plantar fasciaitis and recommended shoe inserts. These have helped, but not cured the problem. I went to a podiatrist and he gave me an injection that reduced the pain, but did not take it completely away. What have others done who have or had this problem? I am all ears! Jerry Hoover

I feel the pain. I had it for a few years and its gone for now.

I think I got in from walking in NYC. I just to walk 6-8 miles a day in the city.

I got recommended some exercise stuff that never seemed to do anything.

I am certain it will come back.

Sorry cant be of more help. The pain is awful - especially first 5 steps in the morning.

Mike

Jerry,hope this will help. Since you are in Round Rock + we are in Liberty Hill it is close. I have been going to Dr. Jerry Casebolt (chiopractor + alternate healing) for when the need arose.No worries,he is not a new age quack. He is a very competant doctor as well as a Navy vet + he has folks come from all over the world to see him. You are close.His # is 512-515-6702. I have no interest in this except for your health.Worh a call at least.

Jerry,

I am sorry to hear you have plantar fasciitis. I suffered with it a number of years ago. There are things that will help, none are a cure.

Tom

I currently live with it every day.

Here are things I have done that help a little bit.

Sleep with the weird uncomfortable plantar facitist boots. You can buy them on Ebay or Amazon for $20-40 per foot, don't get them from a medical supply outfit or a apothecary you will pay 10 times as much. Don't give up on this, you have spent your entire life building this pain up, it will take a long time to fix it. The goal is stretching the plantar facsia out to return it to it's normal shape.

2. Wear boot stocks heavy boot stocks for added cushion.

3. Try the Brooks Beast running shoe, and change them out at least every 4 or 5 months. It is the most supportive running shoe for everyday wear for PF.

4. Get rid of any boots that hurt your feet at all. Just toss them. Your feet and back will thank you.

5. There are stretches they kind of work, look them up on youtube. I have tried all of them, they kind of help.

6. If you can take it I advise some kind of Motrin every day as directed. This helps with the healing process.

Thanks to all who replied. NC I will call this doctor as conventional medicine has not been effective. If there are more suggestions, I would love to hear them. Jerry Hoover

Cortisone has always been effective with me. I have had several injections over the years.

The other things are:

1- Roll the arch of your foot with a frozen water bottle.

2- Stretch the soleus (spelling?).

3- Don't walk barefooted on a hard floor/surface.

4- Take an anti-inflammatory daily. Celebrex is good as is Duexis.

5- Get a strap and stretch your calf muscles.

6- I have a pair of flip flops that I wear around the house. They are made by Ortho-heel. These work wonders for me. I understand the company has been sold. They have a new name.

Good luck!

I spent 5 years and 5 million dollars trying to gain relief. The single doctor prescribed therapy that seemed to help was using stairs, placing the front third of the foot on a step and dropping the heel down. That stretched the (forget muscle name)and it did help.
Went on Celebrex for arthritic hands, and plantar ceased to be an issue.

Cortizone doesn't work for me and it didn't work for my father. It would work for about 4 or 5 days and then it would run through me.

Have you've tried Gabapentin?

Mine was very short lived pain. It started when I started jogging regularly . I got good sneakers and inserts in my shoes and sneakers that are arch supports.

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
Mine was very short lived pain. It started when I started jogging regularly . I got good sneakers and inserts in my shoes and sneakers that are arch supports.

There seems to be two groups that get it.

1. The runners, who can often figure out ways to get rid of it.

2. Those that spent a lifetime on their feet and have abused their bodies.

I fall into the second group, I haven't ever ran for fun. I served 20 years in the military spent untold hours running because they made me, and I was not built with a runners body, feet or back. I am 5'11 but over 50% of my height is in my spine. I look like I am 6'5 when I am sitting in a chair.

Weight gain, broken bones in my left foot and back surgery have compounded all of this.

Danner boots have worked very well, I am currently wearing Sharptails with $50 insoles.

BWW:

I wonder if yours is torn.

Next time I am at the Docs I'll ask him to do a MRI.

This condition is bizarre in my book. I have had it several times. Not sure why. I was a distance runner in college. I have probably run 150,000 miles in my life. I also tend to walk fairly long distances in street shoes. Perhaps that contributed to it.

Every single time I have had it, cortisone injections has cured it almost instantly. I had a flare up one time just before a desert big horn hunt. I got up and, as usual, I could hardly walk. It got better as i walked. Near the end of a 12 hour climb, I remember thinking that I would not be able to walk at all the net day. Much to my surprise, I woke up and it was as if I had never had it. Go figure.

Good luck BWW. Been there, done that. It isn't fun.

Those that have Plantar fasciaitis, I am curious if you're flat-footed.

I am not. However, the foot that I most often get PF in has less of an arch than the other.

I had fairly normal arches when I was younger and they have been destroyed by 20 years in the military. I am still not flat footed though.

I have been trying different boots, I have a pair of Asolo hikers coming on Monday. I am pretty excited. I sleep with the night boots now, and my bone doctor tells me to do it for a year. Hopefully it helps.

2X on the Brooks Beast
2X on stretching. Everywhere. Often.
2X on good Chiropractor
I suffered until I did these three things.
Also good, I mean, very good socks.

Hurts like hell dosen't it.

It hurts and I always felt stupid when after sitting for a while like a long dinner or a movie trying to stand when you are in that much pain. Have you ever noticed how often your bird dog stretches?

Use shoe inserts, don't walk barefoot and don't wear flip flops or sandals. Wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes with lots of arch support and put inserts in them too. You should gradually get over it.

I called the DC that Norman Conquest recommended and he is not taking any new Medicare patients. Getting old is a bitch. I asked for a recommendation and they gave me his business partner. My first visit was yesterday and I can't quite say it was enjoyable, my pain and discomfort are remarkably lessened after only one visit. Iam scheduled for at least 2 more visits and we we see what happens. For those of you unfortunates afflicted with this, there may be hope. I am going to RSA in 6 weeks and I want to be able to walk as long as I need. Sorry for the rant, but we will see what happens. Jerry Hoover. It ain't the way it used to be, but it will do.

Ice pack twice a day for 10-15 minutes seem to help me the most. That and inserts seems to be showing gradual improvement.

The heel spur is caused by the chronic stretching of the plantar fascia. They are usually worse after resting because the tissues inflame and feel a little better after you have walked on it for a while, although they are still sore.
A GOOD arch support with a cutout for the heel spur will take pressure off the spur, support the plantar facia and the swelling will decrease.
I'm a Chiropractor as well and have dealt with lots of heel spurs and have had them myself.
Footlevelers makes a great orthotic with the spur cutout. Many chiropractors will have the casting kits in their offices.

Back to the chiropractor for a second visit this week. The improvement was noticeable after the first visit. My feet are amess and I am going to RSA in about 6 weeks. I need to be able to walk. It ain't thwart way it used to be,but it will do. Jerry Hoover

1 stand facing a wall.
2 keeping your leg straight, raise the front of your foot and move your heel (keeping the heel on the floor)as close to the wall as possible.
3 lean toward the wall.
4 hold for a 10 count 4-5 times.

Do this 5 or 6 times a day.
You'll feel the pull on the lower leg.
Had the same problem before an elk hunt in 2011.
I also put Spenco carbon fiber inserts in my shoes. Have not had a problem since.

Are you by any chance taking Lipitor?

I had it, I felt like a cripple for almost 2 years... it moved to my knees and then my hips.. finally someone told me it was the Lipitor.. well about 3 months after stopping the Lipitor, hips good, knees, good, and feet good!

I have had 3 spells with this over a 12 year period. All sorts of orthopedics and other remedies were suggested and never worked.
Had a VERY SMART shoulder surgeon suggest why don't you just stretch out your arch about 5 minutes in bed before you get up in the morning. Stretch your toes back toward your chest like you are trying to get out of a foot arch or calf cramp.
Guess what? It works. Try it, may work for you and cost nothing.
Good luck! May take a week or so of stretching before that first step out of the bunk in the morning. I remember those days: OUCH!

I had another session with the chiropractor and there has been improvement. I have been stretching several times a day and especially in the morning and before I go to bed. This seems to be helping. I do not take Lipitor, but I take sim visitation, plavix, and toprol as Ihad a heart attack 2 1/2 years ago. I do not think there is a magic cure for this affliction but the combination of treatments may lessen the pain and discomfort. It ain't the way it used to be, but it will do. Jerry Hoover

forget about all the cure remedies and just do what is listed here to suppress the pain as necessary(not a cure)and it will eventually go away on its own...once the heel bone(spur)lengthens(grows) enough to relieve the tension on the PF tendon where it attaches to the heel bone. That is the ONLY cure and it could take upwards of a year to have the growth necessary to relieve the pain altogether. Got this right from a DR that treats the problem. Most people think what they did WAS the cure...but not so...it heals on it's own with the bone spur growth. True, lot of remedies to help ride out the pain..but the injections can do permanent damage/weaken the PF muscle so think about that type remedy if you do it more than once. I am fighting the same issue in my left heel for the past 7 months..have good days and bad ones......just a few more months to go

Another visit at the chiropractors today that should yield even better results. My pain and discomfort are reduced by 75%. The shooting pain has decrease remarkably in frequently, intensity, and duration. The same goes for the throbbing aches that never seemed to disappear. My feet feel better than they have in years. Now I can start getting into walking shape for RSA. It ain't the way it used to be, but it will do. Jerry Hoover

Rolling the frozen soda bottle, as mentioned by someone else, really helped mine. Also, rolling a tennis ball helped. Going barefoot is no longer an option for me. My doctor gave me injections that cleared it completely. It wasn't cortisone. It was another steroid. I can't remember the name of it.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's been 4 years without a flare up, after having it 3 times in 6 years.

Mike

Another visit to the chiropractor yesterday. My pain and discomfort have been reduced by 90% in terms of intensity! frequency!and duration.while not a miracle cure, the improvement has been dramatic. My thanks to Norman Conquest for his advice and help with reloading. It ain't the way it usage to be, but it will do. Jerry AHoover

Grastin method, with a piece of steel used against your feet and calves like a draw file.

Pain is incredible, but it only last about 15 minutes.

This has changed my life.

BWW, please expand on your post. Temporary pain I can tolerate but chronic pain,no thanks. Jerry Hoover

I suffered from that several years ago, did the doctor route with no success then I consulted Dr Google and I found a simple stretching technique and bingo I was cured
I am not sure if this will work for you but there would be no down side to trying

if you have a stair case with hand rails put your feet toes forward with the majority of your foot unsupported while holding on the rails let your body weight slowly push down on the back of your feet, you will notice that your weigh will gradually stretch your ham strings more and more. After a minute or so see if this relieved some or all of your pain, if it does keep it up
http://www.athletico.com/2012/...fasciitis-solutions/

the stretching one is the same as I used

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Hoover:
BWW, please expand on your post. Temporary pain I can tolerate but chronic pain,no thanks. Jerry Hoover

You actually can't do it yourself, ask a chyropractor to do it.

I have so far had reasonable success with the grastin method, stretching and wearing night boots.

I got off my regamin for a few weeks and I feel like shit again. So back at it.

Mine got a lot better when I started wearing Courtney boots.
Then I lost 38lbs and I don't even think about it anymore.