Plantar Fascitis (Maybe)

danb

All-SEC
Dec 4, 2011
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Hazel Green, AL
A lot of good advice but one thing I don't remember seeing. You may need to get custom orthotics for support, at least temporarily. If your condition is like mine, just putting them on is a huge relief. I have extremely high arches, which my sister also inherited. Once, a mosquito flew up under her arch and bit her on the bottom of her foot...
I briefly mentioned it in my previous post. That is what I do for a living, making foot orthotics and all other custom made orthotics. I never tell someone that they have to get custom made, because quite frankly many people that are fortunate enough to have arches close to the shape/height of the pre fab ones, can get relief. There are also many folks like you who have a pes cavus or high arch that the off the shelf stuff won’t help.

One thing that I can say with certainty, is after seeing what some people are dealing with (especially folks with children with CP and other diseases) It makes all the problems I thought I had seem like not a big deal at all!!! My job has humbled me greatly, but I enjoy it very much (because it hasn’t been for the money I can promise you!)


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NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
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I second the orthotics, along with REST (probably the most widely effective therapy - simply don't do or do less of what make it hurt) and others mentioned above. You can also look up low-dye taping technique, which helps some. NSAID's can help both pain and inflammation. Sometimes a steroid injection can help (I'd wait until trying most other things before seeing your provider for this).

REST is key. Without it you likely won't get better as quickly as you hope.
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
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Huntsville, AL,USA
I briefly mentioned it in my previous post. That is what I do for a living, making foot orthotics and all other custom made orthotics. I never tell someone that they have to get custom made, because quite frankly many people that are fortunate enough to have arches close to the shape/height of the pre fab ones, can get relief. There are also many folks like you who have a pes cavus or high arch that the off the shelf stuff won’t help.

One thing that I can say with certainty, is after seeing what some people are dealing with (especially folks with children with CP and other diseases) It makes all the problems I thought I had seem like not a big deal at all!!! My job has humbled me greatly, but I enjoy it very much (because it hasn’t been for the money I can promise you!)


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To be honest, the last several I bought, I bought online from a impressionable foam bed, which I sent off. The orthotics look identical to what I was buying from the podiatrist. However, unless I have a real flareup, I can do with relatively high footbeds, like the Birkenstocks I'm wearing right now...
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,552
39,665
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
I briefly mentioned it in my previous post. That is what I do for a living, making foot orthotics and all other custom made orthotics. I never tell someone that they have to get custom made, because quite frankly many people that are fortunate enough to have arches close to the shape/height of the pre fab ones, can get relief. There are also many folks like you who have a pes cavus or high arch that the off the shelf stuff won’t help.

One thing that I can say with certainty, is after seeing what some people are dealing with (especially folks with children with CP and other diseases) It makes all the problems I thought I had seem like not a big deal at all!!! My job has humbled me greatly, but I enjoy it very much (because it hasn’t been for the money I can promise you!)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When I was in the first grade, I was hanging from the top bar of the jungle gym when the end-recess bell rang. I let go and dropped 6' or so on to the concrete pad and felt a sharp pain in the middle of my left foot. I was limping around and my parents took me to our local family doc for an x-ray. Nothing showed. This was 1945 and x-rays weren't great and the break was too fresh. Six weeks later, I was still limping. My folks took me down to old Dr. John Sherrill, the first orthopedist in Birmingham. By then, the area around the broken metatarsal showed chalk white. Then started a six year routine of trips to B'ham every three months for custom orthotics and specially-made high-top brown leather "medicine shoes." I'm sure that marked me forever, when all my classmates were wearing cool black high top Keds. However, that was "state of the art" back then. I wore custom orthotics off and on for years afterward. When I was a young adult, I went to an incompetent podiatrist, who made up arch supports from layers of tape and plaster in his office and told me to wear them for a week and run on them. I damaged my arches and could hardly walk for weeks after that...
 
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danb

All-SEC
Dec 4, 2011
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0
Hazel Green, AL
To be honest, the last several I bought, I bought online from a impressionable foam bed, which I sent off. The orthotics look identical to what I was buying from the podiatrist. However, unless I have a real flareup, I can do with relatively high footbeds, like the Birkenstocks I'm wearing right now...
None of the podiatrist I know make their own. They take a foam impression and send them off, if they even attempt to sell the orthotics themselves. Most don’t because of the inability to adjust them if needed (we have a complete workshop to make any adjustment to everything we make in house from foot orthotics/braces to prosthetic limbs).

I deal with mostly diabetic patients trying to prevent or heal ulcers and often subtle adjustments have to be made. Even with dealing with PF, everyone is different and what works for one person may not be enough for another. Like I said previously, off the shelf work for many folks, and sending off foam impressions to have customs made work too for a lot of people (that’s what I normally take is a foam semi weight bearing impression, or cast the patient if it is for a UCBL or an SMO) but the ability to have adjustments and tweaks to them to dial them in just right is necessary for many, because most dismiss previous orthotics they got in the past because they didn’t work out of the box.


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danb

All-SEC
Dec 4, 2011
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Hazel Green, AL
When I was in the first grade, I was hanging from the top bar of the jungle gym when the end-recess bell rang. I let go and dropped 6' or so on to the concrete pad and felt a sharp pain in the middle of my left foot. I was limping around and my parents took me to our local family doc for an x-ray. Nothing showed. This was 1945 and x-rays weren't great and the break was too fresh. Six weeks later, I was still limping. My folks took me down to old Dr. John Sherrill, the first orthopedist in Birmingham. By then, the area around the broken metatarsal showed chalk white. Then started a six year routine of trips to B'ham every three months for custom orthotics and specially-made high-top brown leather "medicine shoes." I'm sure that marked me forever, when all my classmates were wearing cool black high top Keds. However, that was "state of the art" back then. I wore custom orthotics off and on for years afterward. When I was a young adult, I went to an incompetent podiatrist, who made up arch supports from layers of tape and plaster in his office and told me to wear them for a week and run on them. I damaged my arches and could hardly walk for weeks after that...
Yes indeed, I totally get what you are talking about. The orthopedic shoe and orthotic field has drastically changed. Even from 95 when I first started until today....everything is different. The diabetic shoes from way back when, have changed to now they are basically the same shoes you get anywhere in the store.....if they have enough clearance for your specific problem, and you have a accommodating insert in them, that’s all you need. There is a massive load of BS out there when it comes to diabetic footwear and the doctors are promoting it the most. I always try to save folks money and shoot them straight on what they need to help their problem. IMO, the most important thing is the insert in which your foot rests upon, second is having a shoe that has enough room to accommodate your foot and the insert. It all sounds pretty simple, but you’d be surprised at how hard it is to explain everything after the doctor tells them that “diabetic shoes will heal your foot problems”


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OreBama

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Sep 26, 2005
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I had PF a few years ago. Luckily it got better. I would say massage it yourself if your hands are strong enough. Ice worked better than pain killers for me.
 

cbi1972

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Nov 8, 2005
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My wife has battled this in the past, but has completely recovered, and has not had problems with it for quite some time. While she was going through it, we wondered if it would ever go away.

It took a combination of:
1) Not using a treadmill. Now she uses an elliptical machine or walks normally outside.
2) Wearing the right shoes. She replaced some shoes that sucked and it helped.
3) When it would start to flare up, she would massage it by rolling her foot across a lacrosse ball. Some people use tennis balls, others use frozen bottles of water. The lacrosse ball has a heavy solid feel without slipping on either tile or carpet.
 

day-day

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My wife has battled this in the past, but has completely recovered, and has not had problems with it for quite some time. While she was going through it, we wondered if it would ever go away.

It took a combination of:
1) Not using a treadmill. Now she uses an elliptical machine or walks normally outside.
2) Wearing the right shoes. She replaced some shoes that sucked and it helped.
3) When it would start to flare up, she would massage it by rolling her foot across a lacrosse ball. Some people use tennis balls, others use frozen bottles of water. The lacrosse ball has a heavy solid feel without slipping on either tile or carpet.
And by "lacrosse ball" you mean...:wink:
 
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selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
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I finally got my fat behind in to see the VA doctor in October.

"Multiple calcaneal spurs secondary to plantar fascitis"

Here are some sole inserts and you can find the exercises online.

These particular inserts - well, my foot feels both good and bad at the same time if that makes any sense. I'm getting some relief
with the stretch out but it sort of feels like the tingle is running UP my leg, ha ha.

The ice bottle soothes but doesn't do much else. Looking at the other stuff here.

Thx a bunch.
 

Chukker Veteran

Hall of Fame
Feb 6, 2001
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I finally got my fat behind in to see the VA doctor in October.

"Multiple calcaneal spurs secondary to plantar fascitis"

Here are some sole inserts and you can find the exercises online.

These particular inserts - well, my foot feels both good and bad at the same time if that makes any sense. I'm getting some relief
with the stretch out but it sort of feels like the tingle is running UP my leg, ha ha.

The ice bottle soothes but doesn't do much else. Looking at the other stuff here.

Thx a bunch.
Sorry to hear about your ailment. Hope it improves right away.

Thanks for sparing us an illustration.
 

jthomas666

Hall of Fame
Aug 14, 2002
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I finally got my fat behind in to see the VA doctor in October.

"Multiple calcaneal spurs secondary to plantar fascitis"

Here are some sole inserts and you can find the exercises online.

These particular inserts - well, my foot feels both good and bad at the same time if that makes any sense. I'm getting some relief
with the stretch out but it sort of feels like the tingle is running UP my leg, ha ha.

The ice bottle soothes but doesn't do much else. Looking at the other stuff here.

Thx a bunch.
So do we get to call you "Bone Spurs" now? :biggrin2:
 

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,639
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Mountainous Northern California
I finally got my fat behind in to see the VA doctor in October.

"Multiple calcaneal spurs secondary to plantar fascitis"

Here are some sole inserts and you can find the exercises online.

These particular inserts - well, my foot feels both good and bad at the same time if that makes any sense. I'm getting some relief
with the stretch out but it sort of feels like the tingle is running UP my leg, ha ha.

The ice bottle soothes but doesn't do much else. Looking at the other stuff here.

Thx a bunch.
Almost sounds like a tarsal tunnel.
 

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