[Misc] Plantar Fasciitis...

[MTSeagulls]

I have plantar fibroma in both feet. They got quite large at one point but appear to have shrunk a little.
The odd thing is that they hurt more when in bed.

 

[Albion my Albion]

The odd thing is that they hurt more when in bed.

What are you using your feet for in bed?

No, actually this is very true. Wearing a plantar fasciitis boot in bed at night can keep your foot from bending forward and causing more pain in that muscle.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I got the roller rather than the ball and mine has seemed to get a bit better - test will be when I do the long walk to the Amex as I got the train for the Utd game so haven't done many long walks.

Stupid link won't work so search beupro Foot Massage Roller on Amazon £8.99

 

[Official Old Man]

My wife suffers from it. First had it in Dubai around 12 years ago and has suffered since then. Wears some sort of arch in her Skechers and helps a bit.
With her hobbling along and me with gout we make a right pair.

 

[dazzer6666]

Very common in distance runners. Plenty of good advice above……based on personal experience:

1. See a physio and/or podiatrist (ideally both). Important to understand any mechanical factors that might be causing it as if you don’t deal with these any treatment will be temporary and it’ll keep recurring
2. Rolling the arch….progressively. A 500ml bottle, 75% full of water and then frozen is a good start as the ice will help with pain relief too. Then use progressively harder balls (over a few weeks) - windball, tennis ball and then a golf ball. 10 mins, 3x daily. As other have said, yes it does hurt
3. Strassburg sock (worn at night)…….looks daft but definitely works (did for me and a number of running pals)

https://amzn.eu/d/0Xn3cOf

 

[Muhammed - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

is killing me. Spent all of our holiday hobbling about 30 yards behind the rest of my family. Iced it, rested it, got arches - just getting worse. Went to the docs this morning and there's nothing that can be done apparently. "Bollocks," I told him. "I bet North Stand Chat will have the answer..."

Help.

You can get adjustable arch supports.
I suffered from this for months but used those and it cleared up within a month

 

[SAC]

is killing me. Spent all of our holiday hobbling about 30 yards behind the rest of my family. Iced it, rested it, got arches - just getting worse. Went to the docs this morning and there's nothing that can be done apparently. "Bollocks," I told him. "I bet North Stand Chat will have the answer..."

Help.

Your Dr is wrong, although there may be nothing that can be done on the NHS in your region.

The spike ball or golf ball works, as does the boot in bed, as long as it doesn't stop you sleeping. Shockwave therapy works for most people, although didn't work for me. If all else fails, there are two types of operation that can be considered although the waiting list is long.

 

[Ding Dong !]

Wife gets it and she's always feckin moaning about it !!

 

[Grassman]

Keep on stretching the foot regularly and of course the calf muscle. The roller method also works a treat. However, it can take a long time.
I got mine through running and at one point thought it would never go. Luckily it did.

 

[Monkey Man]

Nothing new to add except that when I got it a few years ago, I assumed it would last forever and that my running days were over.

I invested in two pairs of arch supports from Amazon that are now always in my trainers (and I only ever wear trainers these days) though not my running shoes, which I think is a no-no.

For a while I always wore crocs around the house, too, though I'm not sure if that helped or not.

Anyway. I don't have PF anymore. Best of luck in finding your own solution.

 

[billhems]

Upvote for a Strassburg sock, it's the thing that worked for me. Insoles etc treat the symptom, not the cause in my experience.

 

[pearl]

is killing me. Spent all of our holiday hobbling about 30 yards behind the rest of my family. Iced it, rested it, got arches - just getting worse. Went to the docs this morning and there's nothing that can be done apparently. "Bollocks," I told him. "I bet North Stand Chat will have the answer..."

Help.

North Stand Chat has the answer to everything

 

[dazzer6666]

Nothing new to add except that when I got it a few years ago, I assumed it would last forever and that my running days were over.

I invested in two pairs of arch supports from Amazon that are now always in my trainers (and I only ever wear trainers these days) though not my running shoes, which I think is a no-no.

For a while I always wore crocs around the house, too, though I'm not sure if that helped or not.

Anyway. I don't have PF anymore. Best of luck in finding your own solution.

I ended up with custom orthotics that I always wear in my running shoes……..

 

[Happy Exile]

I had this off and on for YEARS what solved it was two things: a plantar fasciitis boot (you can find them on Amazon) worn at night. It's a bit clunky to get used to at first but works wonders. Exactly the same principle as the Strassburg sock others here have suggested.

I recommended it to a friend who could barely walk for 4 months earlier this year it was so bad. Eventually she decided to give the boot a go as nothing else was fixing it and it was cleared within a fortnight. Literally, from a bit depressed through being mostly sedentary when prior to this she was very active, to able to walk normally again in 14 days. I can't say it enough - the boot works. And the feeling in the morning when you take it off and take a first painless step is bliss too.

Second thing is zero drop / no heel trainers with a wide toe box and shoes with as minimal heel and little support as possible. Our feet are designed to flex and adjust to terrain far more than most shoes and trainers allow. A physio who was militant about how cushioning caused more joint issues than it solved got me onto this type of footwear and it solved many years of knee problems, associated hip problems, as well as plantar fasciitis never having returned. It takes a couple of weeks for ankle and achilles to get used to the lack of support but I'd never go back now.

 

[dazzer6666]

I had this off and on for YEARS what solved it was two things: a plantar fasciitis boot (you can find them on Amazon) worn at night. It's a bit clunky to get used to at first but works wonders. Exactly the same principle as the Strassburg sock others here have suggested.

I recommended it to a friend who could barely walk for 4 months earlier this year it was so bad. Eventually she decided to give the boot a go as nothing else was fixing it and it was cleared within a fortnight. Literally, from a bit depressed through being mostly sedentary when prior to this she was very active, to able to walk normally again in 14 days. I can't say it enough - the boot works. And the feeling in the morning when you take it off and take a first painless step is bliss too.

Second thing is zero drop / no heel trainers with a wide toe box and shoes with as minimal heel and little support as possible. Our feet are designed to flex and adjust to terrain far more than most shoes and trainers allow. A physio who was militant about how cushioning caused more joint issues than it solved got me onto this type of footwear and it solved many years of knee problems, associated hip problems, as well as plantar fasciitis never having returned. It takes a couple of weeks for ankle and achilles to get used to the lack of support but I'd never go back now.

I’d be incredibly cautious with so-called ‘barefoot’ type shoes. In my experience (and from loads of running pals who tried - and mostly failed - to transition - it was a massive fad a few years ago) it takes AGES to adapt because we’re so used to what is now ‘normal’ footwear. Agree completely re a wide toebox though.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Get a Windball - one of the hard plastic training cricket balls. The seem on the ball helps massage the foot. You might also want to try acupuncture as that works for some people.

Windballs are the softer Kwik-Cricket rubber balls - ideal for younger soft-ball play
Incredi-balls are the hard plastic training balls complete with seam stitching

Which do you mean?

 

[Happy Exile]

I’d be incredibly cautious with so-called ‘barefoot’ type shoes. In my experience (and from loads of running pals who tried - and mostly failed - to transition - it was a massive fad a few years ago) it takes AGES to adapt because we’re so used to what is now ‘normal’ footwear. Agree completely re a wide toebox though.

Yep - took me a while to adapt but I love it now. I used to do a lot of trail running (Moyleman marathon being my last "big" run a couple of years ago) and now mostly go shorter, still on the hills, just for basic fitness. I did the Moyleman in the barefoot type and phasing in to adjust was important. Lowering the mileage was frustrating at first but I probably would have injured myself if I'd gone straight into a longer run with them. I had knee problems for a very long time alongside the recurring plantar fasciitis - in my 20s I did a lot of marathons and triathlons and gradually gave up because of knee issues that no physio could resolve.

The guy I saw in the end watched me run, pinpointed it was tension in my psoas causing most of the issue, aggravated and likely caused to a large extent by my footwear contributing to lack of glute activation meaning too much leverage through joints. He took me through a process where he'd massage my psoas then have me run actually barefoot in the grass and over a period of an hour or so I had a full emotional response to suddenly running pain free - cadence, stride length, speed without effort - everything just felt natural in a way I couldn't remember every experiencing before. By the end I felt like I could run Forrest Gump style indefinitely. One of those moments where you realise how much you're adjusting to compensate for things only when you stop doing so.

I've never gone for the "foot glove" trainers but currently use Altra's which seem to be doing the job fine

 

[dazzer6666]

Yep - took me a while to adapt but I love it now. I used to do a lot of trail running (Moyleman marathon being my last "big" run a couple of years ago) and now mostly go shorter, still on the hills, just for basic fitness. I did the Moyleman in the barefoot type and phasing in to adjust was important. Lowering the mileage was frustrating at first but I probably would have injured myself if I'd gone straight into a longer run with them. I had knee problems for a very long time alongside the recurring plantar fasciitis - in my 20s I did a lot of marathons and triathlons and gradually gave up because of knee issues that no physio could resolve.

The guy I saw in the end watched me run, pinpointed it was tension in my psoas causing most of the issue, aggravated and likely caused to a large extent by my footwear contributing to lack of glute activation meaning too much leverage through joints. He took me through a process where he'd massage my psoas then have me run actually barefoot in the grass and over a period of an hour or so I had a full emotional response to suddenly running pain free - cadence, stride length, speed without effort - everything just felt natural in a way I couldn't remember every experiencing before. By the end I felt like I could run Forrest Gump style indefinitely. One of those moments where you realise how much you're adjusting to compensate for things only when you stop doing so.

I've never gone for the "foot glove" trainers but currently use Altra's which seem to be doing the job fine

I had a similar experience with Chi Running……….

 

[W3 BHA]

is killing me. Spent all of our holiday hobbling about 30 yards behind the rest of my family. Iced it, rested it, got arches - just getting worse. Went to the docs this morning and there's nothing that can be done apparently. "Bollocks," I told him. "I bet North Stand Chat will have the answer..."

Help.

I was a long time sufferer but I am cured. Firstly, try and buy a foot brace that you wear to bed each night - it has a solid top which covers the top of your foot up to passed your ankle. This works because it keeps the foot in position while overnight healing takes place. Without it your foot is likely to straighten in line with your leg. In that case, some healing takes place but when you put you foot on the floor in the morning you bend leg and foot back to 90 degrees and immediately pull the plantar again causing much pain.

However, after years of the NHS doing nothing I was lucky enough to use my wife's private health care and went for 6 treatments where they fired a sort of electrical impulse gun over the affected area (I can't remember what it was called). It was sort of painful but also 'felt' like it was doing good. Since those six sessions 12 years ago I have never suffered from it, not even remotely, again.

Sorry I can't remember the name of it but I'm sure a few enquiries will get you there. Good luck

 

[um bongo molongo]

I love my spiky balls they have really helped my various foot issues. Also helps hamstrings. Great before any exercise.

Hurts like hell at first but soon eases. Push as hard as you can.

We should all have spiky balls.

Spiky Massage Ball | Massage Balls & Sticks | PhysioRoom

Buy a PhysioRoom Spiky Massage Ball from PhysioRoom. Feel better sooner. Get Fast and Free UK delivery when you order today.

www.physioroom.com

I’ll see your spiky balls (which I also own) and raise you one of these:

https://amzn.eu/d/cGQdeoT

Been brilliant. If you can afford it I’d also recommend shockwave treatment