What can I do to relieve the pain of plantar fascitis?


Question:
I have to do a lot of walking and and standing at my work and it hurts to do either one of those things.

Answers:
Been there and done that. I sympathize with you.

For a temporary fix, you need to get sport tape and tape up your arches. You must hold your foot so that it is in a normal standing position while you're taping. Do not let your feet into a relaxed position while taping, or you won't be able to stand up when you're done. Start taping on the top of your foot behind but near the widest part of your foot, right behind the toes. Continue taping, slightly diagonally as far back as is practical. The downside of this is that you've got to peel that tape back off at the end of the day. And that is NOT fun--talk about a STRANGE feeling as you pull it off the bottom of the foot. But at least this should get you through temporarily.

For a permanent solution, you will need to see a podiatrist and obtain orthotics for your shoes. These are tailor-made inserts, molded exactly to fit your foot. They are rather expensive (mine were about $350 about seven years ago), but many health insurance policies cover them. Even if they don't, believe me they are worth the cost.

If you have plantar faciitis in both feet, expect it to take at least a year of wearing the orthotics to completely heal. (You'll see marked improvement much sooner than that, though.)

One major no-no for those who have plantar faciitis--NEVER go barefoot or wear shoes without good arch support. That lets the arch drop again.

Other Answers:
A good quality arch support. See the orthotics people at a home health agency. You can get these for about $25 per pair.

Orthotics can be helpful but rest is usually necessary to achieve a full recovery. It sounds as though because of your work that may not be possible - but certainly elective activity should be limited. A regular course of anti-inflamatories such as Alieve can be helpful too. Also your doctor or orthopedist can perform an injection of steroid at the attachment point of the fascia to the calcaneous.



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