I woke up yesterday morning and my left heel was sore and just kept getting worse all day. I'm in running shoes today at work and had an Alieve sandwich for breakfast. It stinks because I'm working in 3 different AAU tourneys this weekend and now I need a miracle. I've had P.F. (abr so that I don't spell it wrong) and I recognize this as the same pain as before.

I took off my copper bracelet with magnets a couple of days ago and all of a sudden I'm in this predicament. Coincidence??

I've been fighting it for about a year, and I have a few suggestions to help you get through the weekend.

1)put something between your big toe and the next one. Something like a chunk of rolled up tissue, or a firm piece of soft foam such as from a nerf ball.

2) concentrate on your stride in these ways: a) keep your toes curled down, rather than flexing them, and b) try to land on your whole foot rather than the heel alone.

3) ice between games, if possible. if you've taped, you don't need any fabric between the ice and your skin. the tape is enough.

4) call your PCP and find out the maximum amount of ibuprofen that you can take in one day, and for how many days and then use it!

5)taping helps if you do it right. Take plenty with you so you can re-do it if necessary. do a figure 8 starting at the outside ankle, then to the bottom of the foot going toward the toes, then up around the arch, over the top of the arch, under the ball of the foot, up just below the big toe, back toward the leg over the arch and meeting the first end of the tape below the ankle. Do the first figure 8 as directed, and then do another one that will be smaller and "inside" the first one. You can't use pre-wrap with this taping or it negates the effect. my podiatrist sells something called Elastoplast which I use and it's fantastic, but if you can't find it, just use regular athletic tape 2" wide if you can find it. Stuff that's called Corban or its knock-offs isn't firm enough.

None of this will make it go away permanently, but it will help keep it bearable during your tournaments. At least, it's done that for me.

Thanks for the advice. Some of that may work for me. My Doctor says I'm in this situation because I do what you said in your advice #2. He said I need to do a better job of rolling my foot when I walk and run instead of landing on the whole foot at once. By doing that, I'm not properly stretching that tendon...thus, swelling and pain. I guess I don't completly understand it all but he helped me to be pain free for about 18 months.

my understanding is that landing on the whole foot is part of the problem in the long run, but for one day of games, it will help ease the pain.

Has he given you any exercises to stretch the tendon and help it get better? I've tried some different things, but nothing that helps in the long run.

He gave me a band to use to stretch it, a RX to reduce inflamation and another RX for new orthodics. O-yea and a bill for the co-pay.

O- yea!

Thank you Nurse Juulie. BTW - where do I sign up for a sponge bath? ;)

You'll have to ask one of the nurses that brings you your bib for breakfast. I only work out here in the foot clinic, where I'm not getting slobbered over by dirty, old men.

This is why I always wear my copper bracelet, green wrist and all.

My p.f was so bad it required a surgical repair. Treat it now before it gets too bad.

[Edited by stripes on Apr 12th, 2005 at 01:33 PM]

Things my Ortho recommended, some in addition to other stuff already mentioned:

1. Get a good set of custom fit orthotics - they're worth every penny.

2. At first sign of symptoms, elevate & ice.

3. Ibuprofen (dosage per doc's recommendation)to control pain & inflamation

4. Heel stretches - stand straight with feet together, slowly squat slightly, bending knees while keeping feet flat on floor and back erect. Do 10-20 reps, several times a day.

5. Use a night splint periodically. It holds the ankle at 0 deg of flexion and gently stretches the tendons & calf muscles.

I also use topical MSM gel for localized inflamation/pain relief for both joints & muscles. After clearing it with my PCP, I have just started taking daily oral MSM supplement (1-2g/day, powder mixed in orange juice).

Good. I'm not old. ;)

I've never been diagnosed with P.F., but I believe I suffer from it too, however maybe not at the level of pain discussed here. I did research on my symptoms, and P.F. is what I came up with. Sore heal (especially in the morning after games), periodic sharp pain along the heal and arch area. I started using a towel to flex my heal and foot in the morning. I didn't think something that simple could work, but it did miracles during the season. Another remedy for me was to make sure I stretched my calves prior to games. After about 3-4 weeks off from games, my self-diagnosed P.F. is flaring up again as I've been doing AAU stuff. My efforts to treat it have been good so far. Hopefully it won't get worse. The problem has been with my left foot, but I stretch my right as well.

By the way, anyone know why P.F. has become so prevalent? Seems like a lot of athletes have been dealing with it in recent years.

My podiatrist says it's because of the shape of the more popular shoes, with a sort of bullet shaped toe, whith the side of the shoe that's closer to the other foot isn't straight forward away from the leg, but rather curves at the ball of the foot so the that the big toe is pressed slightly toward the other toes. This causes the plantar fasciae(sp?) to flex against something and become inflamed. Then when you exercise it, it gets more and more inflamed, and thus more and more sore. I don't know anything about it, but that's what I was told.

Optional taping method that's easier than rainmaker's suggestion:

1- Cut 5 strips of athletic tape, aprroxiamately the same length from your heel to the ball of your foot.

2- Hold the foot in a normal position, 90 degrees to the leg.

3- Start at the heel and tape like a chicken foot, from the heel to just below each toe.

4- Stretch the tape as tight as possible.

5- You can wrap a piece of tape around the ball and over the top of your foot.

6- Then tape around the sole of your foot, again, tightly.

This method is a little easier than the figure 8, especially if you're doing the taping without help. The podiatrist taped mine with the 8 bvut I never was as successful with it as he was. He showed me this alternate method, which works well. Basically, you're allowing the tape to do the work of the tendon.

Using the towle is also a good idea. Sit in a chair, loop the towel around the ball of your foot and pul backwards, stretching the tendon. This is especially useful after games, as that's when the tendon really tightens up.

Finally, if you don't have the custom orthotics, pick up a pair of Spenco as a local drugstore. These are made of hard plastic, not the cushy kind that seem like they woul be nice and soft. You need arch support, not softness.

I'll be right over. I'm taking a toe truck.

Sorry.