Plantar fasciitis

LINDA< I have it terribly in my right foot.  I had the cortisone shots last year but then I reached my limit and my heel was getting thin.  I just went through a 3 treatment thing called Ultrasound shockwave. it is some machine that sends pulsating vibrations through your foot.  while it hasn't left yet, it's alot better. the podiatrist said i should know for sure in about 6-12 weeks but by then I've also had the surgery and that will help alot.  I have Kaiser so I don't know if any private doctors are doing this new shockwave treatment but I hear it does work. Judy

Thank you Judy,  I will ask my Dr. about it. Linda

It is very painful. Yes, orthotics, birkenstocks. Use the birkenstocks as slippers the minute you get out of bed and do the stretching exercises.  I would ice but would soak my feet in epsom salt and then my sweet granddaughter would rub them for me at night - she is such a sweetheart, she would say I'm rubben Mimi's arthritis.  Also Dr. gave me cortison injections and diclofenac (anti-inflammatory) it took about a year to go away.   Good luck.

I posted before I read the post....so I did want to know how the no smoking thingie is going with you?

My plantar fasicitis has completly gone away with my weight loss.  I started wearing orthotics (from the New Feet store) about 3 years before surgery - they really helped, but I would still have occaisions that my feet were KILLING ME.  My legs would hurt up to my knees with the tightness and pain.  Since I've lost almost 200lbs, my feet do not hurt at all, and much of the time I do not use the orthotics now.  I keep them in my workout/running shoes, but I do not use them with heels or sandals, or any other shoes.  Oh, and yes, I can wear heels now, and I couldn't do that before because my feet hurt so badly.

I work in a Physical Therapy clinic and we see lots of plantar fascitis. Have you tried PT at all. They can show you exercises and use soft tissue work and ultra sound to loosen up the tendon. Just something you might want to ask about. Hope you feel better soon.

Greetings, Linda, I subscribe to a number of medical information lists for Physicians. This same question arose not long ago posed by a colleague of sorts who had undergone some of the same treatments as you describe. However, there exist other treatment modalities that were not offered and I printed off for her a short little primer on Evidence-Based Management in re: Plantar Fasciitis: With this in hand, she approached her treating and has since found complete resolution. Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll be happy to copy you this in  PDF file format. It's not overly technical or steeped in too much medical nomenclature and I think you might find it helpful. Good luck. Rock