Help, new nurse, suffering from Heel Pain.

JentheRN05, RN · Sep 11, 2005

Birkenstocks or special orthopedic shoes. I have been told that accupuncture works very very well as well. I also suffer from this. It SUCKS!

Jay-Jay, RN · Sep 11, 2005

I'm a new grad that just got a job as an ER nurse in NYC. I'm suffering from bad heel pain and have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Can ANYONE who might have the same problem or know someone who does tell me of a good podiatrist/ physical therapists/ accupuncturist...anyone at all (in NYC) that can help me with this....
I cant stand for more than an hour without being in pain....i need help...
thank you in advance

I had plantar fasciitis when I was working in a nursery, and had to wear safety boots, and walk on concrete floors all day long.

I spent a LOT of money on podiatry treatment, but the only thing that finally healed it was rest. When work got less busy, it healed on its own.

One thing I did that helped was I stopped wearing the work boots, unless I was working with unloading skids of nursery stock (risk of nail punctures, or having a skid land on my toes.) I paid a lot of money for the best walking shoes I could find, with really good arch support. Suggest you do the same, if you haven't already! :)

live4today, RN · Sep 11, 2005

I used to have plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. I saw an ortho doc who prescribed shoe implants for me. They were made specially for my feet. I had to wear tie up shoes to give the best support to my feet along with the ortho pad inserts, but those things work wonders. I still have them as inserts in my walking shoes to this day.

Other exercise my doc had me do was to roll a coke can (can be any type of soda can, but she said coke can -- probably her favorite soda) under the affected foot several times a day. I also iced the bottom of my feet. Buy yourself a bag of frozen peas just for icing your feet. The pea bag conforms to the shape of your own foot when icing. Great relief.

Stop wearing heels or shoes that are older than a year old. We do not change our shoes enough. They may continue to look good to our eyes, but they have long worn out whatever benefit they may have had to our feet. Many shoes are murder on the feet, yet people (especially women) wear them anyway because they are "fashionable". Well, we only have one set of feet, so take care of them.

live4today, RN · Sep 11, 2005

Also....the ortho doc gave me a few stretching exercises to relax the tendons in my feet. Ask an ortho doc or podiatrist for help with your feet problems....that's your best source of help and information. :)

4quanyin · Sep 11, 2005

I had the same problem a couple of years ago. I bought my first pair of Birkenstocks (suggested by my osteopathic physician) and it helped greatly. He also suggested getting an old coke can and filling it with water (not too full) and freezing it, then rolling my foot across it when there was pain in my foot. Another, very helpful suggestion, was to stretch my plantar fascia and calf muscles when I woke up. I would put a towel across the ball of my foot and hold each end with my hands, then gently pull up the ball of my foot. He told me that it also helps to sleep with a pillow under your feet in such a way that you leg to foot angle is at 90 degrees. It seems that I point my toes down in my sleep, which shortens the fascia and calf muscles, then when I get up I'm pulling on the fascia and that was a major cause of the pain.

nursey_girl · Sep 11, 2005

My rule of thumb is this....If my heel starts hurting, it's time for new shoes...I wear NIKe or Reebok, they just seem to work better for me, but after awhile it's like the sole wears down or something. A new pair of shoes always do the trick, and that's abt every 4 mos to 6 mos. Also, the inserts do work well, a little pricey depending on the kind,and does add life to the shoe. I like the softer feel without them though, It's worth it to me to buy the new shoes.

kurlykay · Sep 11, 2005

When I started with nursing, my feet hurt all the time. I finally went to a podiatrist and got some orthotics. They are specially made shoe implants that you can put into any shoe. It takes about four weeks to get used to them but afterwards they are great. My podiatrist is a former nurse and says she thinks all nurses should wear them even if they don't have foot pain to prevent them from getting foot problems in the future.

I live in CA so I can't recommend a good podiatrist but I hope you find someone good.

KEVIN88GT · Sep 11, 2005

forgot to mention that I'm on my 2nd podiatrist and 2nd pair of custom orthotics (first pair was 100 bucks...this pair is $400) with no help at all.....I wear really comfortable New Balance sneakers as well..... and am still suffering...hence I'm looking for another practicioner in NYC that is really good at what they do....

ClaireMacl · Sep 12, 2005

Plantar Fasciitis is hell on earth, especially for someone who works long hours like us!

You can get moulded arch supports of the net, though I've never tried them, I tend to put up with it, as nurses do :uhoh3: massage, elevate and wear good shoes.

Hope you find a good practitioner in NYC

kimtab · Sep 12, 2005

I had plantar fascitis a few years ago. My doc told me to get some arch support inserts at the drugstore (he seemed to think they were about as good as orthotics at a fraction of the cost), to wear only lace-up supportive shoes, and to take an anti-inflammatory prn. It all helped, but it was still there. It just went away one day. One day I woke up and was pain free. I have no idea why to this day, but I'll assume following the above directions contributed to my cure.

bflogrl · Sep 14, 2005

What "solved" my PF was dansko clogs. Just the right combination of stiffness with a bit if flex. You can can them at a discount at http://www.danskooutlent.com

I'm a new grad that just got a job as an ER nurse in NYC. I'm suffering from bad heel pain and have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Can ANYONE who might have the same problem or know someone who does tell me of a good podiatrist/ physical therapists/ accupuncturist...anyone at all (in NYC) that can help me with this....
I cant stand for more than an hour without being in pain....i need help...
thank you in advance