plantar fasciitis advice - for the love of god please help me (1 Viewer)

well,I guess I can scratch this one off the list. Damn it.

Coverage
Determination
Note: Most Plans do not cover ESWT for the feet. Please consult
individual contract.
Humana members may NOT be eligible under the Plan extracorporeal shock
wave therapy for musculoskeletal indications, including, but not limited to,
epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, or rotator cuff tendonitis. This technology is
considered experimental/investigational as it is not identified as widely used
and generally accepted for the proposed use as reported in nationally
recognized peer-reviewed medical literature published in the English language.
 
Mine was bad. The plantar was so inflamed, it was actually "strangling" a nerve in my foot, causing my foot to go to sleep.

In addition to normal PT excersices my last PT cycle involved:
-Dry needling
-Astym
-Electric stim
-Taping

I think the dry needling actually helped the most. He was releasing some muscle tightness higher up than my foot. Just a warning though (if you haven't already tried it), it doesn't feel pleasant. For any curious, they basically stick an acupuncture needle in some muscle groups, and wiggle it until the muscle "grabs", which is supposed to loosen it up. A couple times, he actually stuck the needle and put the electric stim on the needle. It's as wonderful as it sounds.

Astym is where they run some really scary looking stuff over your muscles to regenerate the tissues.

<img src="http://files.ctctcdn.com/551bea6c001/0583df84-0b1d-4044-8306-00f75788d33f.jpg" width=350>

Yes, both of those sound like crazy alt-medicine, but it worked.

That cycle got me to the point of the "sleeping" going away. I still have some symptoms, but they're manageable.

I also do plenty of stretching and some ball rolling (if I'm barefoot, just rolling the side of my big toe on the ground seems to help). If I go too long, I can feel the nerve thing coming back.

For footwear, I only wear Asics, no dress shoes at work. My insert is actually just something I have for my MCL.


I wish you the best of luck in overcoming it.
 
Thanks for everything guys. Just spent almost 2 hours at Louisiana Running + Walking company. Re analyzed gait and tried on an absurd number of shoes and inserts. Settled on the Brooks adrenaline. Sales person said that the Beast was really too aggressive corrective wise for my walk.

So far they feel pretty nice. The support is actually better than the support of my custom orthotics. Working on some new stretching techniques and am going to be trying out some of your suggestions.


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Thanks for everything guys. Just spent almost 2 hours at Louisiana Running + Walking company. Re analyzed gait and tried on an absurd number of shoes and inserts. Settled on the Brooks adrenaline. Sales person said that the Beast was really too aggressive corrective wise for my walk.

So far they feel pretty nice. The support is actually better than the support of my custom orthotics. Working on some new stretching techniques and am going to be trying out some of your suggestions.


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keep in mind that days 2-5 (ish) of 'corrective' shoes can feel weird in ankles, knees, hips, back as the body re-adjusts
 
Hopefully it's bearable. I have a positive outlook as of right now. Last night was a very bad evening for me and reading back over my post that's pretty evident. These aren't my first corrective or stability shoes,although they are my first pair of Brooks.


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Good luck. Only had mild case of PF years ago, but hurt a lot. For me it was cause I was wearing bad shoes. After getting better shoes it finally went away.
 
Dont do the surgery. It doesn't work for a lot of the people that have it done.

I have had it for about 5 years now

I have endured too many rounds of injections to count, a sleeping boot, a walking boot, physical therapy,custom shoe inserts, countless icing and stretching sessions, plantar fascia release surgery, and another round of physical therapy. Everyday I wake up and limp for the first 10-15 steps until my foot relaxes enough to where I can walk with a small limp. It affects every decision I make on a daily basis.
 
I hope the shoes do you a lot of good, even if they're not the entire answer. I'll vouch for the Brooks Adrenaline, which I've been wearing for years for my mild pronation. I have something like 8 different pairs in the closet right now. Note that Brooks reconfigures the Adrenaline every year or so, and not every edition works as well for every user. (For me, the old 14 and the brand new 17 have been outstandingly comfortable while the 15 was almost unwearable and the 16 had very odd fit and sizing issues. But others have reported loving the 15.)

Brooks has historically emphasized comfort over looks, and many of their shoes have been downright ugly. But they've put more effort into the color combos this time around, including one color (catalog #069!) that I was thrilled to get a few months ago and that should be of interest to all Saints fans:

Brooks &#8211; Adrenaline GTS 17 (Black/Anthracite/Gold) Mens Running Shoes

3781603-p-2x.jpg
 
Are you sure that your problem isn't peroneal longus insertional tendonitis?
Your anatomical description suggests is may be.
Platelet rich plasma injections are often helpful.
As is a 12 day 10mg Prednisone dosepak.
If the cortisone shots are given at the pf origin and your problem is actually PL tendonitis, they would not be expected to work.
Also using triamcinolone or a mixture of dexamethasone acetate and phosphate yields a higher success rate than Dex phosphate alone with some local, imho, of 25 years experience.

This ACFAS board certified podiatric surgeon has performed over 100 single portal EPF's (endoscopic plantar fasciotomies) with over 90% success so to dissuade anyone from surgical intervention because of a poor personal result is "highly questionable." The success of surgery is highly related to the person with the knife in hand.
 
Ive been battling chronic plantar fasciitis in both feet for a little over a year now. Ive spent well over a thousand dollars in the last year on shoes,custom molded prescription orthotics, cortisone shots. Basically everything short of surgery.

My pain isn't the common heal area,more in my arch right behind the ball of my foot. On a good day,my pain is about a 5,once im up and moving it isnt completely unbearable,but after sitting for as little as 5 minutes,its like starting the day over again pain wise and anyone whos been through this knows what its like first thing in the am.

Ive done the stretches,and at this point i feel im running out of options. I really dont want the surgery becasue of the associated down time. I have to be able to work to support my family. Has anyone else gone through this and found the magic bullet? please share your stories so maybe I can have a little hope. Im really at wits end with this,I honestly wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

One of the most painful conditions I have ever been through. My solution was the custom molded orthotics which still took a few months of daily use to ease the pain. You mentioned as having already tried these so I don't have any other options. I know a great, old school, country doc where I live (NC) that could maybe help. He fixed up a half-dozen of my friends thru the orthotic route.
 
Started to Develop this mess in my right foot about a year or so ago. It was worse in the morning when I first stood up, it was quite painful. But would always go away once I started walking for a bit. Would hurt less, but still hurt after having sat down for awhile. Sorry, have no advice. Other than what I did, which was some stretching and getting a good pair of walking shoes. After awhile it's gone away.
 
One of my favorite athletes had it - Scott Podsednik, and it made him take a lot of time off and probably cut his career short by a few years.
But I remember time off stretching his calfs and using a stretching board helped.
I know taking time off is a fantasy for non professional athletes, but just wanted to comment.
 
I hope the shoes do you a lot of good, even if they're not the entire answer. I'll vouch for the Brooks Adrenaline, which I've been wearing for years for my mild pronation. I have something like 8 different pairs in the closet right now. Note that Brooks reconfigures the Adrenaline every year or so, and not every edition works as well for every user. (For me, the old 14 and the brand new 17 have been outstandingly comfortable while the 15 was almost unwearable and the 16 had very odd fit and sizing issues. But others have reported loving the 15.)

Brooks has historically emphasized comfort over looks, and many of their shoes have been downright ugly. But they've put more effort into the color combos this time around, including one color (catalog #069!) that I was thrilled to get a few months ago and that should be of interest to all Saints fans:

Brooks – Adrenaline GTS 17 (Black/Anthracite/Gold) Mens Running Shoes

3781603-p-2x.jpg



Damn I wish I would have known about that color scheme. Mine are blue and silver


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Chiropractic can help, if you can find one that knows how to work on feet. Many of them do fittings for orthotics but you probably benefit from someone well versed in functional rehab that can make sure you aren't having a problem in the pelvic area that is the root cause.

So a DC that is really good a functional rehab could help.
 
Very few people understand how debilitating this is until it happens to them, and by the time it happens to them it's too late to do anything to prevent it. I've had a few episodes of it over the course of my life, and I've always been shocked to rediscover how difficult it is to live with.

I always had flare-ups when i was doing a lot of skating - either rollerblading or hockey skates. The skates just didn't have arch support, and by the time I realized I was in trouble I was already in trouble.

There's a lot of good advice in this thread, but three things that I had a lot of success with haven't been mentioned. First of all, the blue Doctor's Scholl's insoles - I put a pair of those into every pair of shoes I wore.

Second, stretching exercises. Usually by the time you're already into it, it's beyond the point where it can have an immediate and dramatic effect, but it can still help over a period of time - and keep in mind, plantar fascitis is a long term process. I do that thing where you lean against a wall and stretch one leg at a time way back, plant that foot flat on the floor, and slowly extend the leg until the calf and tendon start to release. Hold for 35-45 seconds, and slowly relax. Repeat 2 or 3 times, and gently but firmly massage the calf and tendon to stimulate the circulation.

Third, flax seed oil and aspirin. You want to reduce the inflammation that inspires the calcification that causes the fascitis in the first place. While you're working to eliminate the existing condition, you want to be minimizing the factors that caused it and are still exacerbating it.

It takes a while, but it's fixable. Inserts to ease the tension on the tendon, stretch and increase the circulation, anti-inflammatories and flax seed oil to soothe the tendons. That combination has worked for me every time.

Of the three, the stretching is the most important (in my experience and opinion). Do that diligently, and the tendon will eventually restore to its proper state of equilibrium. Just be patient, wear proper arch support, and give it a chance to work itself out,

Good luck. This is definitely no fun, but it is absolutely beatable. Not everything that works for one person will work for everyone else, but this general process worked very well for me. I hope some of it helps you.
 

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