plantar fasciitis ouch!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So Ive developed this lovely condition in my heels in both feet and my left foots arch is just killing me. Ive already said good bye to my nursing shoes and will be switching to a running shoe from now on during shifts at school (we do 12's) Does anyone have any info on how to get rid of this asap, i have some shifts coming up and i dont know how im gonna handle running around for 12 hours with my feet killing me. Ive been doing some dorsal flexion but thats about it, helps a bit. Im so frustrated I just want to through something in my house, I cant stand the nagging ache. Any help would be a life saver! Thanks from my feet :(

Some things that work for me...

Always have good arch support and a squishy sole - I always put those gel inserts in every pair of shoes and sandals I own. If you have no arch support, it pulls on the plantar fascia - the tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. I had had x-rays done of both feet - even though I could see that the heel bone had a little protrusion where the fascia attaches to the heel bone on both heels, I only have pain in one foot - go figure, since both heels looked the same.

Okay, never go barefoot - ever. If you do have to walk on cement floors, your sole inserts will help a lot.

There are many web sites that show exercises, which you should do every morning. Stretching everything seems to help a lot. All I do is extend my foot in back of me, with the whole foot flat on the floor and stretch, so I can feel it under my foot and at the achilles tendon. I've made this part of my life and do it without thinking every day.

There is a solution, trust me, because I few years back, I thought I was going to have to live with it and now I have no pain. If I do more walking than usual, the heel may bother me a little more in the am. An ice pack does wonders, as does a little advil.

The worst shoes are flip flops with a hard sole - I remember once wearing some all day, and the hard sole kept slapping the bottom of my heel. Ouch! I think the pressure of the body's weight on the heel is the main culprit. It's not just the pulling that causes the pain, I think, it's also the compression.

A few other things - at some point, I had a cortisone shot - it really hurt, but helped me a lot. Last thing to consider is any kind of surgery. I know a few people who did and they wish they hadn't. Why compromise a poor heel that is already under duress? Just baby your heels - think about what they go through all day! Good luck everybody. I almost forgot this was a problem for me until I received the recent comments on this thread.

One last thing - if you run or walk a lot, try cycling or an exercise bike instead. It'll give your poor heels a rest.

Diahni

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How long does it take you to get under control? Ive been reading it can be up to 6 months!

I tell people that, even with adequate orthotics and stretching, it is not uncommon to take up to 18mo to resolve.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.

I tried just about every remedy and the only thing that worked was stopping running, starting the elliptical for exercise and losing 40 pounds. I am still overweight, but I think that the weight I lost was critical mass in terms of knee and foot problems I was having.

If you are overweight, I believe that losing some of the extra weight is crucial.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I tried just about every remedy and the only thing that worked was stopping running, starting the elliptical for exercise and losing 40 pounds. I am still overweight, but I think that the weight I lost was critical mass in terms of knee and foot problems I was having.

If you are overweight, I believe that losing some of the extra weight is crucial.

Congratulations!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I had problems with plantar fasciitis too and I bought a pair of z-coil shoes and I could tell a difference within a week. I have been wearing them for a few months now and I don't have anymore problems, I get sore all over on long days but the next morning I can get up with out wanting to crawl to the bathroom because my feet still hurt so bad. It's so nice to enjoy my days off without foot pain!

check it out:

http://www.zcoil.com/

what a strange looking shoe :chuckle

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

My podiatrist did the orthotics, and the night boots. My hospital insurance paid for them. There is also a taping pattern that really helped me. The podiatrist showed me how, I usually used 2 inch cloth tape but athletic tape works too. I also googled the taping pattern, and got some diagrams off the net. Basically the tape is only on the bottom of your foot, both heel to toe and side to side, keeps your foot from stretching in the wrong ways while you heel (or wait for the custom orthos to come in :) )

Here's a website with one pattern:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/foot/plantarfasciitis/plantartaping.php?injury=plantarfasciitis

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment