Plantar fasciitis

[ltmaverick25]

I was just curious if there was anyone here that has any experience with Plantar fasciitis.  I was diagnosed with this in my right heel back in November and it just will not go away.  I was told not to do any type of PT that would involve any stress to the foot which has killed my cardio.  Being in Kingston and walking through irritating amounts of snow seems to be making it worse.  Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this or making it go away.

I have seen two medical officers and a few med techs as well as a physiotherapist and I haven't seen much results from anything they have prescribed.  I received custom made orthotics and have been using them for a few months and still no change.

 

[Haletown]

I have had very good results with a Physiotherapist doing some work and prescribing some really simple stretches.

The one that worked 100% for me was to make a small 6-8 inch loop of inner tube or the rubber band stuff you can buy from a physiotherapist.

Attach the loop to the bottom of a heavy piece of furniture, lie on your back and place your foot through the loop.  Back up until the loop is taught and then do a series of very slow foot extensions that tighten and then release the pressure.  Do slow reps  until the muscles are a bit tired.

It has worked very well for my PF and for some friends who have tried it.

 

[Strike]

Mav, push the docs to send you to the physio at the MFRC.  The head physio is a God at acupuncture and really helped me out.

As for your cardio, try the stationary bike, the rowing machine or water running.

 

[Occam]

Have you tried a foot roller?  After fitting orthotics, that was the first thing the podiatrist had me working on.  Quite impressive results, if you're diligent about using it.

 

[Chilme]

Mav, push the docs to send you to the physio at the MFRC.  The head physio is a God at acupuncture and really helped me out.

As for your cardio, try the stationary bike, the rowing machine or water running.

This is solid advice.  It doesn't really matter what treatment you receive if you continue to stress the Plantar Fascia with daily activity.

 

[Strike]

Just remembered the name of the physio office - Blazer.  They have an office off princess by the liquor store and one at the MFRC.

 

[riggermade]

You can use a soup can and roll your foot over it....put a towel on the floor and use your toes to gather it up....good luck...I've had it for years and every once in awhile it flairs up....I had to wear a brace on my foot to keep my foot stretched at night

 

[medicineman]

There is a taping technique you can try to take the edge off if you haven't already...but mainstay of treatment is good shoes, orthotics, stretching, and weight loss (if needed).  Also, changing your routine - cycling, swimming etc vs pounding if you can avoid it.  There is a sock you can buy at most Running Room's that keeps your foot stretched - you wear it at night (Riggermade alluded to it).  I guess things have changed since I left Kingston, because we had the best physio team money could buy then.  Times change I guess.  I can suggest a name to look up - used to be the physio team leader at the Base - Alice Aiken.  Last I heard, she's still in the area, teaching at Queen's and might still have an active private practice.  She's ex-military and also the head of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.  She's also damn good at her job.  One last option is there is (or at least was) a good sports med doc at St Mary's Hospital you can try to get a referal to. 

Good luck.

MM 

 

[ltmaverick25]

Thanks for the responces guys.  I will give those things a shot.

About how long did it take for you guys to beat this thing?

 

[riggermade]

Took about three years for me to get over the worse of it and it still flares up once in awhile

 

[Strike]

I got a cortisone shot and didn't have a major flare up again until 9 yrs later.

 

[exgunnertdo]

I think the thing that helped the most for me was never going barefoot in the house. I wore runners inside for about 6 months. As soon as I started that, it started improving. I've slacked off on that now, but if it starts to flare, I go back to wearing shoes in the house.

Second (I was suffering most in the summer) was not wearing flip flops. I bought a really good pair of sandals, I forget the brand and they're packed away right now. But I got them at Soft Mocs.

I also rolled my foot over a frozen pop bottle. I even used to keep one in the freezer at work and roll my foot a few times a day at my desk.  Stretching, especially first thing in the morning.

Mine is the result of a bad ankle break/dislocation, so I always have some pain/stiffness in that foot, but the plantar fasciitis lasted about a year. About 6-8 months of treatment, really, since I suffered without going in for a while.

 

[wiebe2441]

I had that problem last year as well. I had a few treatments from a deep muscle therapist, and I rolled my foot on a golf ball every night and that seemed to take care of it.

 

[Cdnarmybear]

Mine is chronic in both feet. I  have done all of the things that everyone else has posted and it does help.

Had the cortisone shots in both feet, but unfortunately that didn't work very well for me, but it did provide some relief for a little bit.

The socks that you can pick up thru the running room are called "Strassbourg Sock". I have them, and they have worked very well for me. I will caution you, if you get them, don't do up the strap too tight.

I also went for shockwave therapy out west when my pf was at it's worse; had it done in Edmonton and it made a big difference in reducing my pain and healing.

 

[ltmaverick25]

Are there any boots that are better for this then others.  Currently I have Mark 3s, general purpose boots and Swats.  I cant really tell if one is better then the other, and im willing to pick up a new set/brand if necessary.

 

[Mike5]

Bumping an old thread -- anybody aware of new treatments out there for plantar fasciitis?

 

[EpicBeardedMan]

Bumping an old thread -- anybody aware of new treatments out there for plantar fasciitis?

My mother got plantar fasciitis due to her running Marathons and being an avid runner. It was cured by a sort of shock treatment to her foot. It took a few visits to the specialist but it went away completely. Id look into that.

 

[UnderSeaD]

I'm not sure what you've tried so far, but I can share what worked for me. My problem arose by doing too much exercise too soon. Specifically jogging/running. The biggest improvement came with custom orthotics. We combined that with cortisol injections so I could work through it. I implemented a rigorous stretching routine and started my running workouts from scratch. I roll out the soles of me feet following runs to speed recovery. It took nearly 8 months to completely recover. Now I have no issues provided I wear my orthotics. Hope that helps.

 

[Mike5]

Thanks all,

Do you recall where you got the custom orthotics?

Any recommendations for specialists?  I've been to a Chiropractor near the base and then a Podiatrist closer to home.  Seems like the Chiropractor did more.

 

[UnderSeaD]

I had my orthotics made at Bioped by a licensed podiatrist. The customer service was excellent as they adjusted them several times until I started to feel improvement. The cortisol injections were administered by a sports medicine specialist and they also provided the stretching program that I follow now. By the way, as mentioned in an earlier post I use a golf ball to roll out the soles of my feet following runs or any time I feel stiffness in my soles. This was recommended by both the podiatrist and the sports medicine doctor. Lastly, I invested in high quality running shoes. This really helped as well. Good luck.