Not me but my wife acquired a case of what we think is plantar faciiitis in her left heel. We bought and tried tons of arch supports, orthotic inserts, special shoes, etc., then finally went to a Podiatrist 2 weeks ago. He taped her heel up with some support tape and gave her a cortisone shot in the heel. Then a week later on her 2nd appointment he sold her some inserts and some steroid tablets, plus a regimen of stretching exercises. None of this has helped much. The pain is not constant in her heel, only if walking. If she sits with her feet up, no pain.

I remember having this years ago when I was a runner. Rolling my foot on a 2liter ice bottle, stretching etc. and eventually it went away.

She is irritated that after 2 visits to the podiatrist, no noticeable relief has happened.

Any ideas on this?

Heel spur?

Could be for sure. They (alleged consortium of podiatrists) say that most of the time bone spurs are benign, not causing pain. They haven't taken xrays yet. There is a surgical procedure where they cut the plantar facia free from the edge of the heel where the pain originates. Usually as a last resort.

Sounds like PF to me. You say it doesn't hurt while she rests. But when she gets up again does it hurt? One of the things I remember about PF is that it was worse right after resting. I was almost crippled when I woke up in the mornings. Then as I walked around it would eventually loosen up and be okay.

The frozen water bottle only gave me minor relief. What is best is a lacrosse ball. It is a hard rubber about the size of a baseball, and the rubber is sort of tacky giving you a grip on your foot. She can really put some pressure down on it and massage deep into her foot.

Also, avoid shoes with thin flimsy soles. Summertime flip flops are maybe the worst thing she can wear. Try the croc flip flops. For me, those are the only sandals that have enough support in the sole.

Unfortunately over the last 8-9 months I’ve become somewhat knowledgeable about feet. I agree with PF. The ice bottle helps me. Stretching through out the day is needed as well

For really stubborn Plantar fasciitis, night splints are the best treatment, the way it was explained to me , the tissue heals at night , but the foot is
in the wrong position , toes pointed down, When you take the first step in the morning , the tiny repairs are torn. With the night splint , the
toes are pointed up , or similar to a standing position, Healing occurs in this position and is not torn when you stand up,
If you don't use the night splints , you should gently stretch the foot before getting out of bed. Loop a towel or something similar over the toes and gently pull the
foot to a standing position.

Your mileage may vary , but it has worked for me.

good luck
Mo

I went through it as well. The cortisone shot helped a bunch and the supports and carp did absolutely nothing. What I found to help was comfortable shoes in my case turned out to be a pair Ariate boots. I wore those a lot and after a while I was back to wearing anything and everything though I still liked the boots. It was a few months of a rough patch 25 years ago and not a problem since then. I know what she's going through and I hope she gets relief soon!

Great info, thank you. We are going to try to find night splints and lacrosse ball.

Stretches will fix it. I've been there. Don't spend money, its not needed.

I would get a Footsie Roller, not a LaCrosse ball. That's what I give my clients that have what you've described.

Get a second opinion. From a Medical Doctor. That is what an MD friend told me after my visit to a podiatrists.

Sure enough went to my MD and she had me fixed up in no time. It was PF. As soon as she looked at my shoes (DC sk8 shoes) she said, "Stop wearing those or anything like them. Get shoes with arch support. You are not 25 anymore."

That fixed it. She did not try to sell me a thing... unlike the podiatrist "Doctor".

Why not trust the TFF OT medical experts?

The lacrosse ball is a miracle worker. Works unbelievably well on neck and back pain.

Is the pain to the bottom of the heel or towards the back of it? I had a partial torn achilles heel once. Painful as all get out trying to walk or run, but fine when foot was elevated and relaxed. I had to wear a medical boot for awhile until it healed. Doc said if it tore more they would go in and cut it and reattach it.

dam dude! first it is show tunes and now your heel hurts? (psssssst, we are the same age and it is called "olds" for a reason, suck it up bubba!).


meanwhile get the splints and hope ya get better soon.


(you still need to suck it up tho).