Plantar Facitis-Heel Pain, help!

zudy · Jul 5, 2006

I also had PF about 5 years ago, one of the things that helped me was to never,ever for any reason go barefoot. Do not take one step without good support shoes. My MD told me even if I wake up in the middle of the night, and I had have to take 3 steps to get to the bathroom, wear good support shoes.

My feet are much better. Good luck! It does get better.

dazedandconfused · Jul 5, 2006

I had and still have PF. One of the ortho docs that I worked with told me to get heel cups and that should do the trick. I went and got them on the way home from work that night- and I don't work without them. It has been 6 years. I love those things.

For the first month or so I moved them from shoe to shoe, now I can get away with just wearing them for work. If I have a flare I start wearing them all the time again.

GL

Furoffire · Jul 5, 2006

Yes I have very high arches with skinny ankles and I gave gained about 30 lbs. after the death of a parent.

I am a re-entry nurse now and back 3 years ago I wore Dansko's. As heavy as they are they provided me good comfort running for 8 hours. Now I do 12's and I am not sure what to wear. I alternate and have several running shoes, they are light but don't offer the arch support.

I am interested in those heel cups? Where do I buy them and who makes them.

I checked out some web sites and there are lots of products. I need to get control of my weight and was thinking that walking on my off days might help, but I am soooooooooooooo tired and by my 3rd day I can barely climb the stairs to my house.

Thanks again for all the input, glad I am not alone in this. :paw: :paw: :paw:

3boysejj · Jul 5, 2006

I also suffered from PF. Went to the podiatrist and PT for exercises and got inserts. I had luck with that stuff but for the last year I have worn nothing but crocs. I love them. A Dr at our hospital who was military in Iraq had lots of leg,hip & feet problems from body armour swears by them. They are fun and I throw mine in the washing machine once a week or after a "bad" shift at the hospital. I LOVE them.

Jeni

dmv0309 · Jul 5, 2006

Orthodics have been a LIFESAVER for me, I find its worse when I stand still. As long as I am moving I am fine, but standing in the same spot :devil:

I would recommend seeing a podatrist

Denise, RN

Luv2BAnurse · Jul 6, 2006

After several injections, and using a brace at night that dorsiflexes (which worked for about 4 years)...I was referred to the New Balance store for an insert. The podiatrist said to pick out shoes that do NOT bend easily on the bottom, and to use a STIFF insert...New Balance has them for about 29.95. I was buying the wrong inserts! Gels, soft-squishy inserts were wrong.

truern · Jul 6, 2006

When my PF starts acting up, I roll my foot across a COLD can of pop. I sometimes use a hand bar bell as well. Both gently s t r e t c h the tendon.

RedSox33RN · Jul 6, 2006

I had this last year, from running, but the pain was the worst, especially getting out of bed in the morning. I took LOADS of ibuprofen, iced my feet with ice packs whenever I could, didn't run for over a month, and did 20 min of stretching dorsiflexion exercises before I even got out of bed in the morning. That helped a lot, otherwise it felt like walking on cut glass for the first steps out of bedd.

I also bought some Dr. Sholls inserts (gel type) as I couldn't afford orthotics, and that helped a lot. I was chomping at the bit to get back to running, and decided to get a really good pair of running shoes, not the cheapo ones I'd been using. I think that made a 90% difference int he pain level.

Friesw/that · Jul 6, 2006

a lot of nurses i work with, including me, wear z-coils.

zcoils.com

expensive, but worth it. over-the-counter orthotics.

my danskos don't cut it for 12 hrs.

lifeLONGstudent · Jul 6, 2006

I too have PF. This is what I have found:

1 - weight loss (in my case).. nursing school has really packed on the pounds :-( ... OK, so I packed them on, but the stress of school did not help.

2 - crocs are great (and cheap)

3 - OTC foot inserts - Dr Scholls? (cheap and they work better than nothing)

4 - NO FLAT SHOES, no barefeet

5 - ace bandage wrap and ICE, elevation

6 - exercise/stretch

7 - bought new tennis shoes (crocs are no-no for our school uniform). Wear the tennis shoes most days, but some days I break the rules and go with the crocs. Once I begin to earn a paycheck, I am thinking of trying the z-coils

8 - NSAIDS (motrin, 600-800 mg TID, short term. I am checking liver enzymes periodically)

9 - hubby gives foot massages -- ok, so this is not really for PF, it just feels good and he doesn't know any different. Shhhh, don't tell him :lol2:

LifeLONGstudent

GeorgiaBoy61 · Jul 6, 2006

Foroffire:

My heart goes out to you! I've been down that road twice now, and it can be a tough one, espcially for an RN. In my case, PF along with tarsal tunnel syndrome at the same time, first the RF and ankle and then the left two years later. Tried conservative treatments for both, with my podiatrist - a top guy, nationally known. Those didn't work so had surgery 2x. Now, two years after having the left foot and ankle done and four years after the right, I am rehabbed and back to normal. Had to take a break of over a year from the floor, to let things heal. Good news is that I'm running again and doing martial arts, too. Only lasting donwside is some occasional spasming and cramping in my left foot - the two smallest toes. It's probably permanent but I can live with it OK.

My recommendations? 1. Ice it down every day, pref. after your shift is over. 15-20 min in water-ice slurry. Cold as all get-out but it works. 2. Some people respond to shock wave therapy, which is non-invasive. 3. try a specialized foot-ankle brace, available at the Weil Institute http://www.weil4feet.com/ - I use one at work and it helps. Compression socks do, too, so get some of those. Try taping ands see if that works.

4. get your ortho or pods doc to prescribe some Flexeril or another antispasmotic. Maybe one of the older NSAIDS as well, but as you know you have to be careful with them. Cycling on and off with them is often prudent to minimize liver damage risk. 5. Are you experienced enough to move into a job that keeps you off your feet more than the typical med-surg RN gig? Maybe something in an ambulatroy care setting? 6. Shoes - get good ones. 7. orthotics - I tried em and didn't get relief, but you might. They cost bug bucks and not all insurance covers them. They also make fitting of shoes tough. 8. Surprisingly - going barefoot a lot may be good for those with this problem. The thinking is that wearing shoes weakens the suportive muscles of the arch, and they atrophy. Some - not all - docs are starting to prescribe exercises and PT, as well as goign barefoot. 9. A good PT can do wonders for some PF patients. Check it out.

Ask your doc about a nerve conduction study to test if you have nerve involvement. That's how my guy discovered tarsal tunnel in my case. Turns out some people - like me - have congenital entrapment of the plantar nerve tracts by blood vessels and/or nerves, connective tissues, etc.

Any good podiatrist or ortho person will recommend surgery as a last option.

My situation wasn't exactly like yours, so take this with a grain of salt, but the success rate is by no means 100% for surgical outcomes.

Man, best of luck to you! Nothing worse than foot trouble for an RN!

If you live in Chicago, I highly recommend the Weil Institute. Dr. Lowell Weil and his son, Lowell Weil jr. are highly respected and serve many high-profile athletes, and also several local pro teams. They are very good, and nice people too.

All the best -

Pete

allnurses Guide · Jul 6, 2006

My podiatrist also tested me for stress fractures because my heels were so tender. The night boots to stretch the tendon for 8 hours a night is what has helped my the most, plus the orthotics. The taping pattern really helps, especially when it flares during a shift, I sit down and tape with 2 inch cloth tape.