Plantar Fasciitis?

Question:

I'm hoping someone can give me insight into what's going on. I usually wear flats or wedge heels at work and do a moderate amount of walking during the day (for errands, etc.) Lately, the bottom of my heel has been causing a lot of pain, even when sitting. There's a constant dull pain and more of a sharp pain when I walk on it. I think I overpronate when I walk (the outermost portion of the heels on my shoes get worn down), but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Any ideas as to what's going on, or tips for relieving the pain?

Thanks!

Answers:
I'm not a doctor, but I DO have the same problem you have. I'd bet my right shoe you have bone spurs on your heels. I've had them since I was a child, really (about 16 or 17). Larry Byrd had them too.

The reason I say that's probably what it is: They're common, they cause plantar fasciitis, and they feel just like what you described. For lots of people the pain is worst when they first get up in the morning or after being off their feet for some time.

Treatment for them is fairly easy though. I've gone the "prescription orthotics" route, where the doc does a plaster cast of your feet and makes you inserts for your shoes. They worked for me.very well. Lots of people say that you can do just as well with store bought ones, like Dr. Scholl's though. And that is MUCH cheaper.

In addition, a company called good feet has a "do it yourself" plater casting thing that costs about $100. I'm having trouble getting their web site up right now, but if you do a Google search for "good feet" you'll find that, plus a lot of other helpful things for bone spurs or other heel pain.

The typical things like ice, Advil, and putting your feet up DO help when the pain is really acute, but they don't keep the pain from coming back. Wearing the proper inserts in your shoes (they wiol correct the overpronation) and stretching out your achiles tendon will put the pain at bay for a longer time. Pain from plantar fasciitis is caused (in part anyway) by the tendon being stretched over the extra spike of bone in your heel. That's why elongating the achilles can help.

Oh, and if you wear the inserts in your sneakers when you work out and wear them extra on the weekends, you should be able to return to wearing "girlie" and cute shoes without pain. But you may have to spend some extra time in your workout shoes or something else that will accommodate orthotics.

Good luck! It's a pain, but can be dealt with.

The first thing you need to do is see the doc for a proper diagnosis and then get some good shoes with good support in them for walking. Good shoes would be like Rockport SAS or some other shoe that your doctor or podiatrist recommneds. See the doc for a diagnosis and proper treatment though.

See a podiatrist, this condition needs treatment, it's fairly simple but it takes awhile. The condition can be quite painful. You will need to wear a shoe insert and a shoe ALL the time. I also used an ice pack. But see a doctor.

Peace.

The link below will tell you all about it. It can be treated with nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

if its in the heel it isnt platar fascitis. plantar fasciitis is in the arch of your foot and usually happens if you are a distance runner and your shoes are too big or you dont tie them properly. you might have somehow bruised your heel. (done this myself) if it feels like a bruise then try icing it twice a day for 10 minutes.

freeze a bottle of water, then roll your foot back and forth on it. you can also put your toes against a wall and flex your foot that way. if it's painful enough, talk to a Dr. you can't go wrong there.

I suffered for a long time with heel spurs..Thats another name for Plantar Faciitis..I had 3 cortisone shots in the bottom of my foot..I went through chiropractic methods of ultrasound waves for pain relief..They did help along with lots of ice and pain medication..Ice, Ice and more ice is the advice I can give you..It hurt the worst in the morning..I cannot forget that pain I had for over 5 months..Good luck!

I am confused. Overpronation is an exacerbating cause of PF, but under normal circumstances, wear on the inside (medial side) is what you see with pronation. Extensive wear on the outside (lateral side) is a sign of supination. This may be a compensating mechanism to avoid pain.
I would look at getting a good diagnosis of what is going on from a pedorthist or podiatrist and see what can be done with your shoes to make them work for you or perhaps get ones that will. There are some questions about PF where I and others have gone into some depth talking about the treatment in the different stages. I would encourage you to look back and see what has been said. If you have had this for less than a month, physiotherapy is the best treatment option. If you have had it longer, then orthotics and shoes are the treatment option to add. If that fails, then night splints are the next thing.

Plantar Fasciitis?

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