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Plantar Fasciitis Treatments - Effective or Not?
Wolfsheadish
Posts: 10,400 Forum Member
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I've been diagnosed with a severe case of plantar fasciitis (yes, I left it far too long before seeking help). The pain is so severe that I can barely walk at all - no matter what I wear. I've been to a podiatrist and I'm going to have to have orthotics, which I expected, and also ultrasound and laser treatment twice a week with my feet being taped between sessions.
Have any of you had ultrasound and laser treatments for this complaint and, if so, was it effective? I'm just concerned that this is just a way of extending the treatment and making money. A bit like when you go to the chiropractor and they tell you have to keep coming back for years and years - long after the original complaint has been fixed.
Thank you for any and all input
Have any of you had ultrasound and laser treatments for this complaint and, if so, was it effective? I'm just concerned that this is just a way of extending the treatment and making money. A bit like when you go to the chiropractor and they tell you have to keep coming back for years and years - long after the original complaint has been fixed.
Thank you for any and all input
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I was told it was the underside of my foot and the rear ankle tendons that needed stretching so I would put my foot on the lowest stair, with the heel hanging off the back (facing up the stairs) and just stretch and stretch, very painful, it went over time
Ive read about people rolling golf balls under their foot, very painful but you press down on the golf ball and roll it round your foot
I cant comment on the specific treatment you had but the first GP I saw said oh, thats plantar whatsit, if its still bad in a couple of weeks come back, but didnt say what to do, just said to wear shoes with a bit of a heel. He said if it was still bad they would give me an injection in my foot.
So a few weeks later I went back as it hadnt improved, it was the second GP that said, oh no, we dont give injections that just hides the problem, you need to stretch all these tendons out. He said that wearing shoes with a heel was the worst thing to do because it just hides the problem, flats continue to try to stretch the tendons which is why it hurt more. He gave me the exercises above to do and they worked.
See, this is why it's so confusing - the part about the shoes. I've been told on no account to wear flat shoes or go barefoot (the source of the problem apparently) but to wear shoes/boots with a mid-sized heel. The podiatrist says the tendon in question doesn't stretch, but tears, and thinks I have "micro-tears" in the tendon.
The exercise on the stairs is supposedly too severe for me to be doing at this stage and will do more harm than good (I'd already been trying it, thinking it would help) since you're putting your full body weight on the tendon.
Mine used to be at the stage yours was at - a bit sore in the morning but after walking around a bit it was okay. That was two years ago. Lesson learned
Thanks for the input Tiacat
I second the insoles... They were a breathe of fresh air for me.
I have had exactly the same treatments and orthotics made for me. It has helped enormously, but, you must do the exercises , the stretch is very important. I wear running trainers all the time they are the best. My foot is really much better now, hope the same works for you.,You need trainers with a heel of at least one inch.
If you have a severe condition of it then that may not help as much as it did for me. Its a terribly debilitating and painful condition and my thoughts go out to you. I wish you well and hope you can get relief from it
Other things I tried that might have helped:
Massage therapy (definitely not for those with a low pain threshold).
Silicone shoe inserts. I found someone that sold soles filled with a custom amount of silicon liquid. Felt like walking on jelly but provided a lot of support.
The good news is that whilst back in 2000 I also could barely walk I had mostly recovered after two years. I have since taken up golf. Walk for an hour every lunchtime and am intending to walk from Banbury to Birmingham along the canal for a holiday this year.
The cause was never clear in my case. I have never been overweight and my day job is sitting at a desk. Most likely my muscles had tightened up and were putting excessive stress on the PF. Hence the effectiveness of stretching.
Recovery is possible.
I can never feel any stretch when I do that one?
What about if I just put my foot on something thats about 3 inches off the floor but my heel on the floor to stretch that way instead of the step?
You don't take Statins for high cholesterol do you?.
I tried everything and was on the verge of asking to go and see a specialist. The pain is so debilitating and truly awful and I found, you can't take any medication that will help.
I bought myself a pair of crocs to wear around the house. Unbelievably, the pain disappeared over the next week. I couldn't believe it after suffering all that time. When I went out shopping or just away from home, I wore different shoes but the pain came back. I now wear crocs most of the time except for social events, parties etc.
the pain is gone and for me, it's down to the crocs.
OP, I hope you scan find some relief from your pain.
No, I don't - I'm assuming there's a connection there?
Thank you everyone for your input - it's been helpful. The frustrating thing is that I've always thought I took good care of my feet, but apparently it doesn't matter whether you do or not - you can still get plantar fasciitis. I wear Birkenstocks as slippers around the house, but the problem seems to have been wearing flipflops or going barefoot so much. Living in Canada I wear boots all winter, mostly flat for obvious reasons, and sandals in the summer and apparently none of those have had the kind of support I've needed.
I'm definitely going ahead with the orthotics and I'll give the laser/ultrasound a try for a while and see if there's any real improvement. It's encouraging that some of you have fully recovered!
Yes, I spent a year with crippling Achilles tendinitis, and could hardly walk at times - eventually I found that's it's a fairly common side effect of statins (so I've stopped taking them, and now it's gone entirely).
However, the UK medical profession seems oblivious to this, even though they are huge studies in other countries, and plenty of examples in this one.
I was told mine was caused by wearing UGG boots all the time, no support in them. I know you said that the stair exercise was too painful to do at the moment but, I found and still find its the best one to do. Before you get out of bed in the morning its a good idea to stretch your foot up and down several times.
Yes, my doctor said it's a good one, but I have to let the tendons heal first then it'll be beneficial.
That's interesting - I'd never head that before. This place is just a mine of information!
http://heelspurs.com/index.html
Hmm. Seems to be something wrong with the message boards at the moment. You can search them but not access them properly.
I took statins for years (from when they first came out). Not only did I suffer from foot problems, but I developed quite severe muscle wastage in my legs. My GP took me off them straight away and I had to attend hospital gym to try and rebuild muscle and this has only been partially successful - I still have some trouble walking without pain at times.
I am concerned that the news today is encouraging statin use without much reference to side effects that can be very severe. I have 3 friends who have had to stop them because of side effects, There is an ex airline pilot in the US who is in a wheelchair now because of muscle problems - and Canada has returned them to prescription only status.
I now take a cholesterol lowering drug called Ezetrol (Ezetimibe). It works in a different way to statins, but has proved very successful in lowering cholesterol, without any side effects.