Plantar Fasciitis?

Hello everyone! I have had this HORRIBLE heel pain for a while now and upon doing some research, I think I have Plantar Fasciitis.  I can't walk in the morning without excruciating pain and lots of tears.   Is there ANYTHING  I can do to get rid of this pain?? I can't take it anymore.  What really bites is that I am a cashier at home depot so I stand on concrete all day long.  Please help!!!!! Thanks Angela

Oh Angela,  I suffered from that for many, many months. Went to the Dr. and he gave me a boot type thing to wear at night....that didn't do a lot of good, but helped some.  It kept me from extending my foot, which I guess helps aggravate the problem. 

I remember putting ice on my foot and heat......and getting shoes with some good arches.  You need to make sure that you are constantly wearing some type of support on your feet. No more walking barefoot, even around the house.....put shoes on first thing in the morning.....I know, it doesn't make much sense, but  it helps.... I thought standing on a cushioned mat at work would help, but that only aggravated it more too.......

And then one day the pain finally just went away.............no rhyme or reason.  I do understand the pain your are going thru.....and hope it goes away soon.......................

A good foot doctor can fit you for orthotics - which really help but some insurances won't pay for them. Other options which have worked for me - Archfitters can make orthotics for you (custom fit) for $50-$100. I also use the Phase 4 Walk Fit orthotics - you can buy them for about $20 - I've seen them at Target and Fred Meyer. All of these take some getting used to - only wear for a few hours at first and then increase.  Other tips - don't go barefoot (which just about kills me!).  Get some good walking shoes - they don't have to be expensive but you need to be able to fit whatever orthotics you have into them.   I like Clarks for dressier shoes and Easy Spirit for casual.  If you can - take Advil or any other anti-inflamatory pain relievers - they help.  When you can get off your feet, do and even soaking them in warm water really, really helps. I had surgery on one foot due to this and was supposed to have the other but if I do all of the above, the "attacks" are rare anymore. Hope this helps!

There are also these little FootSmart Arch Braces that cost $12.00 each that you can wear right inside your shoe.  Check out www.footsmart.com for several options.

Angela, I too suffered from this for years and years and years.  Went to a podiatrist for about a year who finally recommended surgery.  I did everything...orthotics and the night time thing, you name it - orthotics helped.  The thing that really did it for me (and this sounds odd) - I went to a chiropractor.  A few adjustments here and there and finally no more foot/heel pain!  Haven't had the heel spurs for several years now, and I thank my chiropractor for that.  I guess my back was out of whack or something.  Try a chiropractor too.  It may work for you. Donna  

Another thing that will help is get a tennis ball, put it on the floor and put the ball of your foot over it and roll it around, pressing down.... Hurts like crazy!!!! But it will help to stretch that muscle out.
And like everyone else said it will disappear as fast as it came, only to come back for a visit in months or years! 
good luck!
Laurie

Hi Angela, I had that pain for years, and the only thing that helped was losing the weight.  Your doctor can prescribe the boot for sleeping in at night and other appliances, but the only "cure" for me was taking 100 pounds off my poor feet. Hey, we should know each other.  I seem to spend most of my time at Home Depot these days!  Maybe I will see ya there, soon! Joy

I had two year long bouts after the birth of both my boys. The only thing that instantly and temporarirly eased the pain were shots of cortisone in the heal. It hurt like heck but defintitely took the pain away instantly (not long term for me, though). I know that orthotics helps and also popping lots of anti-inflammatory (advil). I also iced every day. Both cases of mine took a year to go away. Good luck, Chrissy

I tried lots of solutions, and even different kinds of orthotics.  YMMV, but I couldn't tolerate hard orthotics. I had both 3/4 and full ones. Both were awful for me. Gel insoles helped more than the orthotics I tried. Cortisone does help, once you get thru the pain of the shot. I was lucky to find a podiatrist that didn't shame me about my weight, just dealt with how to help. My chiropractor suggested that I tape around my instep - that helped for a while, but the tape began to irritate my skin. She occasionally still does adjustments on my feet, but they've improved since I found shoes that work with my feet instead of against them. What is working best for me is the style of Wolky shoes with velcro. Mine are similar to the Ultimate adjustable on this page. http://www.wolky.com/Shoes/Shoes.asp?CatId=1&GroupId=84 I never had very much arch to start with, and years of being SMO has made it worse. I can't tolerate much of an arch, and the Wolky's are just right for my feet. I add the soft, puffy Dr. Scholl's diabetic socks to the sandals - not a sexy look, but the most comfort I've found in quite a while. Keep trying shoes until you find some that work with YOUR feet! Long term, I can't wait until I'm on the losing bench and my feet stop hurting! But i will probably still wear Wolkys, just not need ones with Velcro! LOL

I dealt with Plantar Fasciitis for years.  It was the worst getting up and walking for the first time in the morning.  I got the orthotic implants (insurance paid for them), but I didn't find they helped much.  I considered it a low point in my days of pre-bypass that I had to wear such ugly (and wide) shoes.  It fit into the part about me feeling like I was old before my time.  Still, wearing good quality, comfortable and supportive shoes is really important.  The flip flops in the summer were not doing my feet any favors.  I got the cortisone shots several times.  The benefit takes a while to work.  I would like to say they REALLY helped a lot, but at that time I was on my feet so much and they hurt so bad, that I couldn't say I found myself not thinking about my feet and how much they hurt, even after getting the shot.  I tend to not scale back when something hurts, but with your job you can't really do that.  Like me....you just go on even though it's killing you.  Poor girl!! The great news is that after my surgery and huge weight loss my feet don't hurt at all.  I haven't thought about them in so long I almost could forget - until I fear someone like you ask.  Then I remember.  I spent a lot of time and agony with my foot doctor trying to get through my busy days.  Unfortunately, my knee still has it's problem even with the weight gone.  It's bone on bone and I am getting it replaced in November.  The weight loss helped for sure, but the damage was done.  My feet on the other hand seemed to forgive and forget.  My dad was also obese.  I never heard him complain about his feet hurting, but I have a distant memory in my kids mind of his walk.  He walked exactly like I did when I was obese and my feet were hurting.  Poor guy!  I'm sure he had Plantar Fascitis too. I hope you get some relief.  Losing the weight will be the ultimate thing to help. Patty