Plantar Fasciitis

[MJE2083]

I had a bout with it probably two years ago. Not from hiking in the mountains, but from walking on too much concrete during my day to day activities. As others have suggested, arch supports and stretching. Do not expect immediate relief, it does take a long long time to go away(8-10 months for me).

 

[gwrench]

Even if you do everything right it can take time to heal and then it can come back without much provocation. Green Superfeet are a necessity for me. Ice, the night sock, stretches all help.

I got through an elk hunt a couple of years ago with the help of the "tape trick". Yes, I used duct tape. It definitely helped!

After another recent flare up I was prescribed Diclofenac gel. It's an nsaid you put on the skin and recently became available over the counter. It also definitely helps.

 

[HandgunHunter]

Everything from my waist down has some major issues from the usmc.

for my feet....darn tough socks that were the over calf ones. One size small. This seemed to help address by ankle and foot pain. Seems to provide a touch of ace wrap type support.

obviously good boots are a must. I use different boots in the hills vs the flat land. I use stiff sole crispi in the hills and tennis shoe/boot merrels in the grass lands.

as soon as my hike in or out is done I have found tylonol arthritis to really help....normally after a short rest and some water I am ready to move.

 

[gouch]

The last time I had it I was able to get rid of it with a lot of stretching and some really good arch supports. It took about a month. The arch supports took care of the pain I was having in my hip as well.
"Its hard to be happy if your feet hurt"

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

I want to say I saw a long thread about PF a few months ago

 

[RunWilderness]

For PF stretch and roll both you feet and you calves. It has been my experience that the issue is tied more to tight and inflamed calves causing trickle down problems than it is tied just to your feet. Ive got a blue hard foam ball that works the calves better than the cylinder rollers. Find a good running store and they can hook you up with an assortment of torture devices for your feet and calves.

I found a strengthening routine online that has also worked for me. Go find a stair step. Lift yourself up on the balls of you both feet, but then remove one leg so you’re now standing up just on one foot. Slowly let your body weight pull you down until you heel is as low as it will go. I usually count to 20 or so. Use both legs again to lift yourself back up, and repeat 5+ times. You’ll feel a burn in you calves and a huge stretch across the PF.

 

[TheNorthStar]

If it hasn't been posted yet, buy yourself a lacrosse ball. They're made out of hard rubber, like a hockey puck. Whenever you find yourself sitting at your desk or in your recliner watching TV or whatever, roll your feet over that ball with as much downward pressure as you can stand. The more pain, the better. It'll break up the scarred tissue in the foot beds and like neglected muscles, it will certainly hurt at first, but I can promise you the other side of that tunnel is worth it.

Wish you the best with it, man. PF is awful.

 

[westbranch]

For PF stretch and roll both you feet and you calves. It has been my experience that the issue is tied more to tight and inflamed calves causing trickle down problems than it is tied just to your feet. Ive got a blue hard foam ball that works the calves better than the cylinder rollers. Find a good running store and they can hook you up with an assortment of torture devices for your feet and calves.

I found a strengthening routine online that has also worked for me. Go find a stair step. Lift yourself up on the balls of you both feet, but then remove one leg so you’re now standing up just on one foot. Slowly let your body weight pull you down until you heel is as low as it will go. I usually count to 20 or so. Use both legs again to lift yourself back up, and repeat 5+ times. You’ll feel a burn in you calves and a huge stretch across the PF.

This exercise is good for Achilles tendinitis or similar Achilles issues as well. Or like me, if a person is starting from scratch on foot/calf strength due to an Achilles rupture.

 

[fmnjr]

So I've been doing pretty aggressive power yoga routines and I'm getting sustained relief from PF doing so. It seems pretty obvious in retrospect, PF is caused by tightness in the muscles and tendons of the lower extremities which of course yoga is purpose built for. I'm not sure about other types of yoga, but power yoga, also known as "flow yoga" or "vinyasa yoga", works against PF really, really well.

 

[Westxhunter]

Had it for about 20 years. Barely got it under real control. This is what has worked for me.
1. Buy the right shoes. Get the right size and if you have wide feet, GET WIDE. I fought this for years. I bought cheap shoes for years, now I spend more because it's definitely worth it.
2. Arch supports and Shoe inserts that do not compress. Timberland Pro inserts don't compress and offer great arch support. I weigh 275, so I can compress an insert with no problem, lol.
3. Stretch and massage your foot every morning and evening.
4. Nike Air sneakers after work. They keep my feet cool and offer great support.
5. Walking every morning. Me and the wife got some surplus rucksacks and walk with 35 lbs every day.

The PF has not flared up on me in over a year. I still get some occasional pain, but it is subsiding. I figure I damaged my feet for 20 years, it'll take a couple more to fix everything. My doc says it's
because I bough cheap shoes and never supported my feet when I was younger. Your mileage may vary, but this is what my solution was. A good start is to goto a good shoe store and get your arch
and instep measured for the correct size you need. Took me 20 yrs to figure that one out.

 

[Birddog916]

The exercises help a great deal but the advice I'll give you is what has done mine the most good. Get you a pair of Koka one one Bondai 6 shoes and install a set of Superfeet Green orthotic insoles. That's all I need say. If you want to Google Hoka Bondai 6 there are a number of sources and quite a few reviews. They come in a fairly wide range of colors. Good luck with the fasciitis and don't go barefoot anymore if you want to keep it at bay. If you decide to try them go at least a half size larger than you would normally wear.

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...wiE363O0KLqAhXmY98KHXTGBeEQ0Qx6BAgREAE&adurl=

I second the Superfeet Green insoles. They worked great for me.

 

[kylemcintyre67]

I switched to zero drop/ minimalist footwear about 10 years ago. The only part of my life that still requires me to wear high heels is work, no one makes a zero drop leather boot (you can get a custom pair for like 600 bucks but I don't make that kind of money). The work boots are what cause me to have flair ups of PF. When I do have it constant stretching of my foot and calf seem to help.

 

[wmd]

I battled PF for over 10 years. I had my feet injected twice, extremely painful, the first time lasted 6 months the second 2 months. I tried every orthodic imaginable including some made by a podiatrist nothing worked. I was at Mayo for something else and went into a shoe store down in the bowels of Mayo and bought a pair of Sole insoles, they worked. They can be heat molded to fit your foot and have plenty of arch support. Going on 10 years now and I wear them in every pair of shoes and boots I own, they are a life saver for me. Website is yoursole.com
wmd

 

[fmnjr]

I battled PF for over 10 years. I had my feet injected twice, extremely painful, the first time lasted 6 months the second 2 months. I tried every orthodic imaginable including some made by a podiatrist nothing worked. I was at Mayo for something else and went into a shoe store down in the bowels of Mayo and bought a pair of Sole insoles, they worked. They can be heat molded to fit your foot and have plenty of arch support. Going on 10 years now and I wear them in every pair of shoes and boots I own, they are a life saver for me. Website is yoursole.com
wmd

They have several versions, which one do you use?

 

[wmd]

I use the active thick in most footwear if a pair of boots are a little tight I will use the mediums but much prefer the thick insoles.
Wmd

 

[fmnjr]

I ordered 2 types just to see how they work

 

[Sherpa1]

Roll a frozen bottle under your foot. Made a world of difference for me!

 

[tim81212]

Custom orthotics, 15 shots in one foot, 2 surgeries later and im still f'ed up. Good luck. BTW, orthopedic surgeons believe aggressive stretching is the best solution. You can Google the stretches

 

[Elkdog]

I battled PF for over 10 years. I had my feet injected twice, extremely painful, the first time lasted 6 months the second 2 months. I tried every orthodic imaginable including some made by a podiatrist nothing worked. I was at Mayo for something else and went into a shoe store down in the bowels of Mayo and bought a pair of Sole insoles, they worked. They can be heat molded to fit your foot and have plenty of arch support. Going on 10 years now and I wear them in every pair of shoes and boots I own, they are a life saver for me. Website is yoursole.com
wmd

THIS! Sole insoles are amazing. I have had PF on and off and also neuromas in both feet. I changed podiatrists and by luck ended up with one of the podiatrists for the US Olympic ski team. He recommended Sole insoles. He uses them. They are amazing. I like the thick ones and always buy boots they will fit in.

 

[fmnjr]

THIS! Sole insoles are amazing. I have had PF on and off and also neuromas in both feet. I changed podiatrists and by luck ended up with one of the podiatrists for the US Olympic ski team. He recommended Sole insoles. He uses them. They are amazing. I like the thick ones and always buy boots they will fit in.

Yup, I got 2 pairs, one thick and one thin. So far, my experience is that the thick ones work better. Not enough time has passed to be absolutely certain, all I can say is that I don't have any more discomfort right now.