Anyone have experience w/Plantar Fasciitis??

NannaNurse · Sep 20, 2005

My feet have hurt for so long now.......I guess I'm just used to it........but I don't like it.

I've tried every heel pad and inserts known to man. I take meds for severe fibro and it helps some, but proper shoes, support and exercises do help. I have to stretch alot too.

Try standing on a curb or stair with the front part of your feet (pretend your an olympic diver and getting ready to do a back 2 and a half forward summersault).......just kidding. While standing there with the front of your feet on the step, raise up and down.....like little push ups for your feet. Your heels will move up and down past the step.........gosh, I hope you can understand what I'm saying here, coz' I'm confusing myself :rotfl:

Also, picking up things from the floor with your toes and massage really help. I don't think you can really get rid of this horrible pain. Sometimes ultrasound and heat help.......try getting an Phy. Rx for therapy, it helps too.

Good luck to you dear!!!

FrankG · Sep 20, 2005

I think I may have this. I know as nurses, we aren't licensed to give diagnoses. But I was just wondering if anybody out there had experience with this, and if so, what as a nurse who works on her feet all day, what I may do about it?
I've heard it's really hard to cure.
Basically for about a year have had progressively worsening heel pain. I'm ok off my feet, but getting up from sitting on lying can be really tough. Now I find the pain radiating up my calves.
So that's my story. Any advice or stories??

I've been dealing with it for years, because of the year to cure deal. Problem is I can't afford to do nothing for a year. Also when it starts getting better, you go exacerabate it because you think you are better. NannaNurse's suggestions are good. Also there are these boots you can get at some pharmacies now that keep your feet dorsiflexed at night (Your feet typically plantar flex when sleeping or lying in bed). This really helps. I keep a 2 liter bottle of ice in the freezer. When you are on the computer, keep your feet on it. Use this in conjunction with the stretching and nsaids and it helps.

I had pt for two weeks that really helped. I had forgotten what it felt like not to have pain. But once it was done and I felt better; I started running again and went about business as usual... the pain creeped back. I hope all goes well with you

Frank

allnurses Guide · Sep 20, 2005

My podiatrist has given me night boots, sort of like half cast splints, designed to keep my feet at 90 degrees all night. When you sleep, your feet naturally relax down. He says the stretching for 8 hours is one of the best things for you. My insurance won't pay for them, unless I do PT first, so I just paid for them myself. Another good stretching exercise is to roll a can under your feet back and forth, 15 times or so a day. The orthopedist said frequency is better than doing a lot rolling all at once, said everytime I sat down to off shoe and roll.

Tried the cortisone shots when the burning got so bad that I could hardly make it through my shift: very painful but worked for about a month or so. There is a lot of controversy about that, some claim that the risk of rupturing the bursa outweighs the benefits. The literature is mixed on that. My foot hurt so badly on the last exam my doc would have done cortisone again, but he is also thinking I have stress fractures, so that is really contraindicated.

papawjohn · Sep 20, 2005

Hey Pebbles

I can tell you about Plantar Fascitis as a former runner (who happens to be a nurse). I hurts like H***!!!

It's characterized by severe heel pain upon rising in the morning (or whenever you get outabed) that goes away after walking around a bit. That's why it's characteristic of runners--you can "run thru" the pain, get loaded with endorphins and pretend nothing is the matter.

Nothing worked for me except mega doses of Motrin and giving up running.

Papaw John

Siouxz2 · Sep 20, 2005

I'm not a nurse yet, but I did suffer from this a few years back. Chiropractic helped--a little. I don't know your body size, but I was very overweight. Those first few steps in the morning were agonizing. I had a literally crawl out of bed. I lost 110 pounds and the plantar fasciitis as well.

Of course, as that weight is creeping up again, my feet are starting to bother me again as well. Gotta do sumptin' 'bout that.

imenid37 · Sep 20, 2005

It hurts! :scrying: I had it about 5 years ago. I got cortisone injections in both tendons. It started to come back and I switched shoes that I was wearing at work. So far, so good. No more problems. Those heel pads never stayed in place for me and it would end up feeling worse as they slipped around here and there. I hope you feel better soon.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 20, 2005

The first time I had serious problems with it (about 15 years ago), my podiatrist prescribed good orthotics. I had to wear them 24 hours a day (except in bed), but they worked well. I had instant improvement when wearing them ... and it gradually went away all together to a point at which I was pain free even when I was not wearing them.

I had a flare up again about 7 years ago. My podiatrist at that time (living in a different city) gave me cortisone injections. (They didn't hurt a bit because he numbed the area first with spray.) After the first injection, I got about 50% improvement. He did a second injection a month later that had little effect. Then he did a third injection to each heel a month later and that got rid of virtually all the pain. I have been almost pain free ever since.

The best piece of advice I ever got for long-term management was this: Do NOT wear the same type of shoes every day. No matter how good a particular pair of shoe seems, it is putting the stress of your weight and activity on some part of your foot. Give that part of your foot a rest by switching shoes regularly. Change the height of the heel, etc. to put the stress on a slightly different spot. It is good common-sense advice that has worked well for me and for several of my friends with chronic lower extremity problems.

Good luck ... And see a professional for your chronic health problem ...

llg

RainbowSkye · Sep 20, 2005

Okay, here's what worked for me:

Birkenstock shoes. They are the only shoes I wear these days. Work, play, exercise, going out...

Never going barefoot. Never.

Doing exercises to stretch the tendon in my foot.

Patience. It took me over four years, but I'm finally pain free.

Oh, and this excellent website http://heelspurs.com/index.html

Good luck.

BadBird, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2005

Unfortunately I have experienced this twice. Both times I got a total fo 3 injections which hurt a lot and helped a little. I finally had custom orthotics made for $300.00 and they are wonderful. Stretching is the key to preventing and alleviating the pain. NSAIDS also helped me. I also had a night boot but found it to be too hot, however when the pain was terrible I did wear it and it helped with the pain first thing in the morning. I can't stress enough how important stretching is to help. Good luck.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2005

Oh, yeah! Have had PF twice over the years. My heel pain the second time was almost unbearable. The healthcare professionals that handle this are the podiatrists. What I was recommended to do by both podiatrists was to get an arch support in both my shoes. The first time I had this condition I had the podiatrist custom make plastic arch support orthotics for my shoes that also helped put some of the weight onto the front of my foot and off my heel. They never wear out. After years and years I stopped wearing them and they got lost. You guessed it, got PF again. The new podiatrist said he could make the orthotic but it would be cheaper to buy off the shelf. Spenco is one of the companies that make them. I keep the arch supports in my shoes all the time now. It might be beneficial for you to visit a podiatrist for an evaluation and advice and to start getting shoes from an orthopedic shoe store. You need your feet for your whole career. You need to treat them well, and I learned early on that it isn't cheap. It also helps to keep one's weight down with PF as overweight can aggravate it further.

I also took Alleve for about a month with the second flare-up, but I didn't think it was helping all that much. The only time I got relief was when I sat or laid down until it healed up. For me, it took about 6 months. I've heard of cases where it took up to 2 years before the pain from PF was completely gone.

RN50, ASN, BSN · Sep 20, 2005

I was diagnosed with plantar facitis in 2001 after the birth of my youngest son. The pain was so bad I cried. I saw a podiatrist and he told me that I was very very flatfooted (I already knew that.) I have NO arch at all. He prescribed orthotics, and not the cheapies you buy in the store. He took plaster and molded it around my foot and then sent it off to have the orthotics made. I also did PT for a month or so. Stretching with therabands, and numerous different stretches I could do at home. The orthotics cost about 400 dollars but I only had to pay my deductible which at that time was about 40 dollars. I started out wearing the orthotics an hour a day and gradually increased the time I wore them until they were in my shoes constantly. I cannot live without them now. I also wear Nike airliner walking shoes. I swear by them. I can work a 12 hour shift and the pain is minimal (I mean like a 3 on a zero to ten scale.) The suggestion someone else made about wearing different shoes is a good one. When I am not working, I do wear different types of shoes and this does work. Take care and I do hope you get some relief.