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My plantar fasciitis is getting worse

  1. Hi AurelieJ,

    I removed your name from the email post above, as House says you can now use the messaging service to communicate outside of the forum. We do not publish personal email addresses as this opens users up to abuse from spammers and any other form of internet abuse. If users do put their addresses in the format above to "cheat" the system that is their choice but I will carry on removing any I come across. Hopefully with the PM service there is no need to do this now.

    Thanks,

    Alan (aka Emis Moderator)

  2. Hi all

    I have had pf for about 12 years now and really had enough tried everything going. Physio, orthotics, accupuncture, steriod injections, countless stretching exercises, bi-lateral fascia release( as have it in both feet) and lastly shock wave treatment which i paid for privately as nhs wouldnt fund it this cost £500..Really run out of ideas, seeing consultant in a few weeks not sure if to have the op again or not. My calves have always been mega tight so was wondering if having my calf muscles released would help. Any one got any views on this? Has anyone had their heel spurs removed and did that help, as my podiatrist recommended having this done?I have also been told not to walk barefoot but i feel this releaves the pain a little.Any advise or treatments that have helped any of you would be much appreciatted

    alison

  3. Hello,

    I have joined this discussion and can relate to all PF sufferers. I am 4 years onto this condition and it is one of the most debilitating sports injuries I ever got. I get so depressed but accepting PF now.

    I used to be a sporty 34 year old teacher - now pretty much crippled and finding the going tough with bilateral case.

    Tried all conservative treatments to no avail - Bikram yoga and orthotics helps but sometimes flares up after session.

    Please drop me a line as always keen to hear other stories.

    With thanks

    Toby R

  4. Thanks all for your input and advice. Its now been 3 weeks since my worst pain started and I see no improvement at all. Both feet are still hurting like hell, I cannot go out the house and cant stand on my feet. It still feels like I have bruising all over, from the heel to the toes. I am starting physio next week but my pain is so severe that I am wondering if it will help.

    I am doing some research about disability benefits. By the look of things I fear that I will still be crippled in 6 months time and I am wondering if plantar fasciitis sufferers are entitled to some sort of benefits after a while. To me, this debilitating condition makes you absolutely unable to work and people should be entitled to some benefits but unfortunately I have read that most physicians do not consider PF as a disability sad because some people manage to cure it. They want you to try all treatments available (including shock waves, injections, ultrasound, electricity)...which are very costly and most probably dont work, before considering an application and in most cases the application gets rejected.

    Has anyone heard of a successful application or does anyone receive benefits for PF ? I would be very interested to know.

    Many thanks, and all the best to everyone.

    Aurelie

  5. I have suffered from Acute Plantar Fasciitis for nearly 2 years, in that time I have put on considerable amounts of weight due to the pain of walking, its ruining my life, I have tried insoles, physio, stretching, sports massage everything and NOTHING worked. However I did some research and found that New Balance trainers are supposed to be good for the condition, I found a pair that I liked with the technology New Balance recommend for sufferers of the condition on their website and bought some today from Sports Directfor £43 I put them on and within half an hour my right foot had no pain at all and the pain in my left (worst) foot has improved dramatically.

    To give you an idea of how bad my condition is, the pain has caused me to walk in such a way that I have chronic pain not only in my heel and soul of my foot but in the bones at the top of my foot, my ankles and I'm my left leg behind my knee. I blame the other pains entirely on the way my condition has made me walk.

    After today's experience I had to share this with you as I actually cannot believe the difference.

    For those of you interested there is a section on the New Balance website to explain what technology to look for in their shoes. I have gone for the W780 which has a torsion control built into the soul, it has added padding in the heel and arch area and it has motion control to improve gait and to stop your foot rolling to thw side.

    Try them, they are worth the money and the souls are removable for any custom orthotics you might have.

    Good luck!

  6. Hi I had this condition many years ago aged 18 and had an operation in the end which totally cured it. Whether the op is still available now I don't know

    Best wishes

  7. Thank you SO much "gembot3000" for sharing your experience and your recommendation to buy the New Balance trainers. My condition has not improved at all and I have basically been bed-bound for the last 6 weeks. The pain is everywhere, from the heel to the toes. I am just coming out from the physio and he said that he has not seen anything that bad in both feet!

    I am also suspecting some nerves damages so I am doing my best to get an EMG (electromyography) and MRI scan done. I am hoping to get a GP referral to see a neurologist, but it might take a while.

    I will have a look on the New Balance website today and will most definitely order some trainers. It might work, it might not work but as you said it is worth trying. Thanks again for sharing.

    Aurelie

  8. gembot3000 : just one question: do you add any custom-made orthotics insole in your NB trainers ? I am not sure which size to choose in case I need to add an insole at some points...

    Thanks!

  9. No I didn't, however you can remove the insole completely to use your own, I have worn them again today and the pain in my worst foot has decreased dramatically, and the pain has improved when not wearing them i.e when nipping to the bathroom in the morning. I genuinely cannot believe the improvement, its crazy! I thought I would be looking at a few weeks before any improvement not days! If you Google New Balance Plantar Fasciitis loads of stuff comes up, apparently they even made a trainer specifically for the condition!

    The ones I got from Sports Direct are W780 and are navy blue with a tiny bit of purple so they don't look too bad at all. I'm going to use them to walk in from now on and have some supportive yet stylish brogues from clarkes.

    Good luck, fingers crossed they work for you x

  10. Thanks for your reply! This is such good news...for you anyway! smile

    Where was your pain exactly ? Mine is everywhere and all the time, not just in the morning. I literally cannot walk around my house, stand on my feet for a minute, and walking outside is a nightmare. I use two crutches when I have to go to the physio.

    Anyway thank you so much! Hope these trainers cure this dreadful condition.

    All the best,

    Aurelie

  11. My pain started in my heel and the soul of my foot but it got worse and effected all of my foot, my ankles and even my knee because the pain made me walk funny, the pain was all the time I was walking or standing with occasional stabbing pains when not walking, the pain was worse in the morning or after sitting down for a period of time it got better after I walked for about a minute and then got worse again.

    The trainers have helped me loads the pain when I walk in them has gone completely from one foot and the other foot is almost pain free I would say its 95% better. The pain has improved while not wearing them too I would say a 50% reduction in pain with bare feet

  12. Thank you for replying. This is very encouraging. I do hope I will be the same for me...

    From what you are describing your symptoms are the same than mine, i.e a constant pain everywhere in your feet! So I am confident the trainers will help me too. Because at first I was worried that they would make my arches hurt but apparently you were suffering from your arches too before wearing the trainers and it does not sound like the trainers made them worse.

    I havent bought them yet because I am not sure about my size. I would like to go and try some NB trainers in the Sportsdirect shop first. I hope I will find the same model than yours in the shop, and then I could buy them straight away, if not I will order them online.

    Many thanks again!

    Aurelie

  13. Thought I should post an update on my condition and recovery process.

    After almost 7 months of resting and pampering myself I went for a run today! Such a great feeling, I can't even express how blissfully happy I am at the moment! Been also going for daily long walks (10-15km) lately and my feet are fine.

    So, there is hope there for everybody. I think the most important thing is staying positive no matter what and believing 100% that you will recover and life will go back to normal again.

    I never had any physiotherapy or used any orthotics. Just lots of resting, listening to my body and staying off my feet as much as possible. Also as soon as I could I started walking barefoot because we are designed to do it. I did a bit of calf stretching twice every day as well. Apart from that I just let my body to recover and heal itself naturally.

    To all of you who still are in pain - my heart goes out for you because I know what it`s like. Been there myself. Don`t give up and don`t lose hope. I am running again and so will you!

    God bless!

  14. I think this is the answer for you all! I'm a 72 yr old male and I had PF some years ago.it was very painful.I checked on a web page and tried a suggested exercise.It very quickly worked!.stand on a step with your heels overhanging the step then gently and slowly raise your body upward( standing on your toes) then slowly lower down on to your heels.your overhanging heels will go down maybe half an inch or more with the toe end of your feet slightly raised.This stretches the hamstring.But dont overdo it! If I remember correctly I was pain free within a week! remember to wear shoes when doing this exercise.also hold on to a side rail on the steps to help you keep balance.

  15. I'm in the same boat except my PF resulted from jumping off a swing and landing my heel on a stone. I did everything suggested: REST, REST, MORE REST and stretching. Ultrasound, prescribed creams, cortisone, and then 6 weeks in a wheelchair to rest 98% of the day. Result: NO IMPROVEMENT.

    If you haven't noticed, there are people on here who then have it the rest of their lives (read: years). Consider it a death sentence. You will get sedentary, fat, next to useless. If they start euthanising people us PFers will be up there. We do a poor job at work, even keeping house and buying groceries is excruciating.

    Sucks. Totally sucks. And all the cheery waste of time and money from the medical therapists and the rest. Same thing with my back pain - tried EVERYTHING and it went away after 10 years. Then after 9 months of pain free existence, I got PF and my life is over again.

    At age 50, no pleasure in my life (physical pleasure) and all pain. The worst of all existences in an Epicurean yardstick. Death is better than this (to those many people who say "it could be worse" - you could be dead, they mean. Well, if life is all pain, no pleasure, what is the point? You can't even be one of those smarmy Christian role models who believes in "redemptive suffering" because NO ONE WILL SEE your sorry ass sitting at home or a desk. You are a cipher, nothing, get used to it.

  16. LSD and other mood altering drugs might help. They are cracking down on opiates (legal ones) and they don't help much anyway. Not with PF.

  17. Yasmina,

    My doctor now says that after 5 months of useless exercise and rest, I can walk for TEN MINUTES. What the hell can a person do in 10 minutes? says I can stop using wheelchair - just do everything in ten minute increments and then wait an hour to rest. WTF? Literally, I could do nothing. Getting through an airport even - im;possible.

    So, did you ever take long walks and runs again? I doubt it but be glad to hear you did. My boss is a woman your age and she got it in both feet. About 10 years now. She gave up everything except sitting at her desk.

  18. Your answer is here.stand on a steps with your heels protruding beyond the step you are standing on.hold the side rail(s)gently rise up keeping your body straight.then gently lower your weightslightly beyond the level of the step so the your heels are tilting down and your toes slightly raised above the level of the step.you MUST do this exercise whilst wearing shoes(not high heel shoes if you are a woman.I'm a 72 yr old male.The vascitis left very quickly and has not returned.that was about 15yrs ago.Remember you must be facing uphill on the steps during this exercise.Let me know your progress.

  19. Dear jjb2013b,

    I know exactly how you feel, I know the pain, I know the feeling of helplessness, vulnerability, being unable to do anything except lay down or sit. I've been through it all. Last time I was in the airport I was in a wheelchair. I was traveling alone and I had a panic attack that something will go wrong, nobody will help me etc.

    I've had sleepless nights because of the horrible pain, I have crawled to the bathroom because I could not stand up. It`s something I never want to experience again and don`t wish on anybody.

    Having said all this, I did recover. I am able to lead a fairly normal life again, I go for my long walks and as soon as the snow goes I will start running again. Probably 10 minutes at first and then see how it goes.

    I didn't use any strong medication, except Ibuprofen for 10 days when the pain was at its worst. I didn't do many exercises either except stretching my calves 3 times per day no more than 30 sec each time. I was also rolling tennis balls under my feet.

    I did see a healer 3 times. I saw a good improvement within a week of the first visit. I could walk and stay on my feet for 30-60min at a time and the pain was almost gone. I also tried to stay positive and believe in my recovery. Our mind is a very powerful weapon. I do believe in the mind before matter universe, I guess it made things easier for me. I read everything I could find about metaphysical causes of the illnesses and perused the whole esoteric books shelf in my local library. I took my time, I let myself rest and do nothing. I know I am lucky because I was not too stretched financially and could afford not to work and just rest.

    In summer I tried to walk barefoot as much as I could. Although we are civilized now in the 21st century and live in big cities, we are still natural beings and need to be in touch with nature.

    This condition is very tricky. Everybody experiences it differently and the treatment also has to be different for each person. The only thing I can say is to listen to your body, be kind and gentle to it. It`s your best friend in this life. It has served you well throughout the years and taken lots of abuse and ill-handling. Now it`s time to take care of it, to pamper it.

    To all of you who reads this, I wish a speedy recovery and peace of mind.

  20. Yasmiina,m

    Thank you for your inspiring story. How true that every story I hear is different. There are about 20 different outcomes and types of PF cases. Your's is the first where I heard of "faith" healing (or magic or whatever)!

    My faith in such things is weak because it failed in the past. (I've tried). Most people I know who succeed with this mind over matter faith in supra-natural healing are women who have time to not only rest but meditate, read books on healing, etc. so that they BELIEVE. I don't think it works it you don't believe and it is hard to dredge up belief when I tried such in the past for different conditions and it came to naught.

    Probably a gender thing. Women's brains are far more capable of so many things. Nature was designed that way. Men are the crippled Y on the universal alphabet. lol

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