Plantar Fasciitis, what a curse!!

[Torvy]

I've got high arches, too. Try ASICS Venture 8. Just make sure it is sized correctly. New Balance 608 are good, too, but look more like old man shoes.

I promise, if you do the stretching for a couple of months, you probably can get rid of any inserts. The stretching should continue as part of your daily routine.

Some podiatrists make money off of the orthotics, so they don't really want you to solve the problem. Fortunately, mine was a friend first.

 

[m7040]

I've got high arches, too. Try ASICS Venture 8. Just make sure it is sized correctly. New Balance 608 are good, too, but look more like old man shoes.

I promise, if you do the stretching for a couple of months, you probably can get rid of any inserts. The stretching should continue as part of your daily routine.

Some podiatrists make money off of the orthotics, so they don't really want you to solve the problem. Fortunately, mine was a friend first.

mine is related to leg surgery with stainless inserts that has caused Arthritis in the foot. Stretching always is good to do and lots more painful on the bad foot but it does not cure my problem. One time did not think I need the inserts any more. Bad mistake suffered for a long time to get back to "normal"

 

[masscity]

My brother gave me some Rockies boots that he couldn't wear. I could see why, the arches were so high just walking 100 ft to the mailbox killed my feet.

I never laced them up, just stepped into them when I need to go somewhere in the yard or pole barn to get something. It took me 8-10 years before I broke them in or they broke me in. Now they are comfortable.

 

[bigtiller]

I stepped on a Dr. Scholes machine at Walmart to measure my feet and bought the recommended size of shoe insert.

It helps, but it takes a few months.

Bummer, My insoles need replaced but I found out yesterday that all Walmart's in my area have removed the machines.

Next stop is the Good Feet Store.

 

[MMC]

Oh man, I've been suffering with this for over 6 months on my left foot, maybe even longer! It's just something I keep trying to ignore, but I've come to the point that I'm almost crippled. You'd think I'd be smart and go see a doctor, instead I've been too busy with work and family issues and keep trying to just get over it. Every time I think I might be getting over it, it rages back. I've tried different shoes, stretch, massage, roll a frozen water bottle under my arch etc. I've even put new insoles in some of my shoes/boots and they haven't done anything.

Today I bought a brace, that I wear while sleeping, that I'll try. But looking on-line, I see a better one that has a tensioning strap to help stretch your foot upward during the night. I think I'll buy that one too and see what works better.

To make problems worse, I have issues with my right ankle too, associated with a leg injury that required lower leg reconstruction back in 1989. That ankle has always had a range of motion issue, but is now giving me some severe tendonitis or joint issues too. I did see the doctor about that last year and their solution was to send me to PT, which did nothing. With that ankle, I think I have a mechanical issue, related to the original injury and I probably need to see an orthopedic doctor.

I guess I'll quit being stubborn and try to make a doctor appointment.

I've never had issues with my feet and could always walk miles and miles with no issues. This is really a pain.

I have had Plantar F

Oh man, I've been suffering with this for over 6 months on my left foot, maybe even longer! It's just something I keep trying to ignore, but I've come to the point that I'm almost crippled. You'd think I'd be smart and go see a doctor, instead I've been too busy with work and family issues and keep trying to just get over it. Every time I think I might be getting over it, it rages back. I've tried different shoes, stretch, massage, roll a frozen water bottle under my arch etc. I've even put new insoles in some of my shoes/boots and they haven't done anything.

Today I bought a brace, that I wear while sleeping, that I'll try. But looking on-line, I see a better one that has a tensioning strap to help stretch your foot upward during the night. I think I'll buy that one too and see what works better.

To make problems worse, I have issues with my right ankle too, associated with a leg injury that required lower leg reconstruction back in 1989. That ankle has always had a range of motion issue, but is now giving me some severe tendonitis or joint issues too. I did see the doctor about that last year and their solution was to send me to PT, which did nothing. With that ankle, I think I have a mechanical issue, related to the original injury and I probably need to see an orthopedic doctor.

I guess I'll quit being stubborn and try to make a doctor appointment.

I've never had issues with my feet and could always walk miles and miles with no issues. This is really a pain.

OK, since I have had Plantar Fasciitis for a good while, I'll offer what brought me relief. Mine was bad enough I was using an old crutch and cane out in the shop... As several mention, an evaluation by a good Podiatrist is the best place to start. If really bad, they can cut on you...but the good ones don't start there.

Everybody is different, but this is what helped me: icing, NSAIDs, inserts, and stretching techniques. When I screw up, I take Ibuprofen and put my foot in ice. That definitely helps for immediate relief. Then, I begin stretching (you can do this against the wall as Docs will advise, but I have found a "rocker" for the foot on Amazon to work best for me). I have one of these upstairs, downstairs, and in the shop. When I walk by, I stand on this and put the maximum pressure I can on my calf muscle. Within a couple of days, I'm back to normal (for an old guy). Amazon.com

The straps mentioned previously and frozen water bottle trick simply did not work for me. But I do use generic shoe inserts (they have both high and medium arches). I have used the Prostep professional brand, but I'm not sure they're much better than these: Amazon.com

The "Walk-hero" insert brand name is silly...but the inserts aren't, and are a lot cheaper than Prostep.

And anyone who hasn't had this problem, count your blessings - the pain is really bad until you get it under control.

 

[Pixguy]

Bummer, My insoles need replaced but I found out yesterday that all Walmart's in my area have removed the machines.

Next stop is the Good Feet Store.

Get your wallet ready and then you'll have to schedule an appt with a dr who knows what they're doing.

 

[newbury]

Bummer, My insoles need replaced but I found out yesterday that all Walmart's in my area have removed the machines.

Next stop is the Good Feet Store.

Read up on "Good Feet", they seem to be a rip off according to posters on Reddit.

 

[gsganzer]

I bought the Dr. Scholls plantar fasciitis inserts at CVS. They were $20. I figured they were cheap enough to give a try. They seem to work. Next week will be the real test. I have to go back to a job site in Canada and it involves a ton of walking and standing on concrete. It's where my problem first started, back in the winter.

I've just been sticking to a regimen of stretching and wearing my foot brace when I sleep. I need to start taking an NSAID and icing it too, to help keep swelling down. By the end of a typical day, things are pretty sore again.

 

[jyoutz]

Read up on "Good Feet", they seem to be a rip off according to posters on Reddit.

Good feet is way too expensive. Have a podiatrist write a prescription for a medical grade orthotic and go to the hanger clinic to get custom made inserts. Insurance will pay for this and you will get a long lasting orthotic for about $100 with most insurance companies.

 

[Pixguy]

My wife was also told to freeze a water bottle and firmly roll your foot over it to exercise it.

 

[jyoutz]

My wife was also told to freeze a water bottle and firmly roll your foot over it to exercise it.

That works really well to flex the foot and cool the inflammation.

 

[bigtiller]

Read up on "Good Feet", they seem to be a rip off according to posters on Reddit.

I went there years ago and seen the prices were more than I wanted to pay for. That's when I discovered Dr. Scholle's inserts. The machine said I need a size 440.

My Walmart still has the inserts but no machine. Their price was $50. Amazon has my size 440 priced at $40.

With the new ones in, I realized I should have replaced them long ago....they wear out and the new ones feel so good.

 

[ruffdog]

I have had good luck with the Superfeet brand insert. It took a bunch of research to narrow it down to the correct one for me. It is always a slow process of recovery once my feet start hurting because I neglect taking care of them when they feel good.

 

[newbury]

It is always a slow process of recovery once my feet start hurting because I neglect taking care of them when they feel good.

Same here, but at least I'm more sensitive and heed the warning signs (such as a slight ache in the balls of my foot) and back off, stretch and rest. Rather than bulling through for another couple of hours.
Usually a rest in time for half an hour saves me from requiring 8 hours of rest.

 

[gsganzer]

I stepped up my game and started taking NSAIDS and doing the frozen water bottle roll with lots of stretching too. I feel like I'm making progress, but I also feel like I can quickly be back where I started.

I traveled to the Canada job site and of course I had to fly into Calgary, which has one of the longest walks to get to the rental car counter. I got to the job site yesterday, but the site is having issues, so I only walked the site once.

Those 2 days put me right at the limit by the end of the day, so I stretched every chance I could, take a 400mg ibuprofen every 6 hours and then iced at the end of the day. I just have to keep on top of this.

 

[jyoutz]

I stepped up my game and started taking NSAIDS and doing the frozen water bottle roll with lots of stretching too. I feel like I'm making progress, but I also feel like I can quickly be back where I started.

I traveled to the Canada job site and of course I had to fly into Calgary, which has one of the longest walks to get to the rental car counter. I got to the job site yesterday, but the site is having issues, so I only walked the site once.

Those 2 days put me right at the limit by the end of the day, so I stretched every chance I could, take a 400mg ibuprofen every 6 hours and then iced at the end of the day. I just have to keep on top of this.

After living with and suffering from this for 12 years, discovering the ASTYM physical therapy was a godsend. Don’t suffer like I did; go get the treatment and insoles if you need them.

 

[gsganzer]

I'm home for the week, so I had an appointment with an Orthopedic doctor to discuss both my plantar fasciitis in my left foot and the issues with my right ankle. The right leg is the one that had reconstructive surgery after an accident in 1989). Between both issues, I have times when I can barely walk. I usually start out the day OK, but by the end of the day, or one bad step and I'm hobbling around.

For the plantar fasciitis:
He gave me some shoe inserts (2 pair), said to continue the icing and stretching and gave me an elastic band thing and some stretching/exercises to do. He said to just keep staying the course and we'll revisit.

For my right ankle:
I have bad arthritis in it, as a result of the original leg injury. It's not bone on bone, but the cartilage has degraded and the gap has become extremely narrow and also resulting bone spurs at the joint. He gave me a lace-up ankle brace, some strengthening exercises and started me on Meloxicam. This medication is some kind of super-duper anti-inflammatory that will help with both of my foot issues.

At the end of this month, I get really busy again with work and will start bouncing around between work sites in Taiwan and Poland, with a ton of walking and on-my-feet. He said that if the ankle is still an issue, he'll can do a cortisone injection in it, right before I leave.

Ultimately, he says I'll me looking at an ankle fusion or joint replacement at some point down the road, but we're not there yet.

Getting old is no fun.

 

[ruffdog]

For the plantar fasciitis:
He gave me some shoe inserts (2 pair), said to continue the icing and stretching and gave me an elastic band thing and some stretching/exercises to do. He said to just keep staying the course and we'll revisit.

Getting old is no fun.

A few years back I wore crappy sandals all summer, even doing some work. It killed my feet...I had a bad case of PF. I bet it took 2 years to fully come back from that. Yes, it can be very painful. Now, when I just feel a hint of PF pain I get serious with my inserts and footwear. Find out what works for you and stick with it.

 

[EddieWalker]

My wife struggled with her knee for a very long time. Similar to your ankle, she had an accident and even though she recovered, her knee just got worse and worse. The doctors told her that she was too young to get it replaced, and that she needed to wait until she was older so she wouldn't have to do it again. Basically, wait until you are old enough to die before it wears out.

Being a nurse that knows everyone in the area, she was able to get the best doctor to do her knee in the area, and it went flawlessly. Recovery was bad for the first week or two, but then quickly got better and then one day, she realized there wasn't any pain, and she could do things that she had been putting off, or avoiding.

Now she realizes that she was getting bad advice, and she should of gotten the knee replaced years ago.

If I was you, I would be figuring out how to get your ankle replaced as soon as possible!!!! The longer you wait, the worse it will get, and the more you will miss out on doing in life that you will never have the chance to do again.

 

[ruffdog]

One important thing about inserts is how good the heel cup is. As we age, the tissue on the bottom of our heel flattens out. We then feel like we have bone spurs. A heel cup supports the sides of your heel so it doesn't flatten out as much. This will help protect where the plantar fascia connects to your heel bone.