Plantar Fasciitis

[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

I don't have PF (achilles tendonitis, instead) but my wife had PF. The cortizone shots do work long term, though short term for her, they were burning and otherwise painful. The doctor told her that happened in the minority of cases, but if you are going to get a shot (not a bad idea, btw), do it a couple of months before the season -- at least.

OK, there are a couple who recommend the cortizone shots - let me weigh-in on the other side: DO NOT DO IT! If you get one and it help and the pain doesn't come back - great. If it does come back do not - DO NOT get more shots. I had some problems with PF and eventually achilles tendonitis. I've had a good bit of shots (2 or 3 per year). Everytime I would get one the doc would say that these are not good long term because they cause the soft tissue to weaken. But they still shot me every time.

I remember the day that my achilles tendon snapped - I was umpiring a college softball game and it wasn't pretty. It was April 29, 2006 and I'm back in therapy to get some strength back. I can officiate but I still have some physical problems. My first basketball game after the injury was horrible! You do not want to risk this type of injury.

That's my 2 cents . . .

[Jimgolf]

See a good reflexologist. It may not cure you, but it feels pretty good anyway. And the metaphysical mumbo jumbo can be very entertaining.

[refprof]

This is my experience with PF.
Cortisone shot. Try once. If it brings relief (with icing, rest and streching) you are lucky.
Acupunture. I tried #1 and after 3 more months of discomfort, i tried acupunture. After 3 treatments, is was gone for good.

Shoe inserts. I used them for 18 months. worked with my foot, but threw my hip out of wack. In the past week, I discarded the inserts and my hip is getting better.

[RefAHallic]

I sort of self diagnosed my PF two years ago after researching online, etc. The morning after a game my first steps I resembled walking like Frankenstein. Anyway, the remedy that worked for me were stretching/flexing the foot with a towel (looped around the foot just below the toes) before getting out of bed. It wasn't long before the pain was gone. I've been pain free since. However, one of our officials who is a physical therapist told me there will be a re-occurence.

[ranjo]

My PF came and went for a number of years while I was putting in a lot of running on the roads to train for long distance running events. Two years ago I thought I was going to have to give up running and officiating basketball altogether because of the pain. I went to a sports medicine specialist who offered the "silver bullet" (cortizone shot) and gave me a catalog of different appliances to look at. I borrowed a night splint from a friend who swore by it and gave me instructions on how to use it.

It was very uncomfortable to wear all night and many times I would have to take it off before morning. I wore it every night for about three weeks. By the end of the three weeks the pain was gone and I haven't had a recurrence for over a year and a half.

Don't know if it will work for everybody, but it sure did the trick for me. A website I found to get good information is www.heelspur.com

[Jimgolf]

Ironically, yesterday I read an article about a study on non-surgical treatment of plantar fasciitis, an excerpt of which follows:

A new stretch is proving quite effective to help treat and potentially cure plantar fasciitis, a condition that affects nearly 2.5 million Americans each year. In a study recently published in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, researchers found that patients suffering from the painful heel spur syndrome had a 75 percent chance of having no pain and returning to full activity within three to six months of performing the stretch. In addition, patients have about a 75 percent chance of needing no further treatment.

The study is a two-year follow-up on 82 patients with plantar fasciitis, all of whom were part of an original clinical trial of 101 patients in 2003. The patients were taught a new stretch that specifically targets the plantar fascia developed by Benedict DiGiovanni, M.D., associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Rochester and author of the study, and Deborah Nawoczenski, P.T., Ph.D., professor of physical therapy at Ithaca College.

The stretch requires patients to sit with one leg crossed over the other, and stretch the arch of the foot by taking one hand and pulling the toes back toward the shin for a count of 10. The exercise must be repeated 10 times, and performed at least three times a day, including before taking the first step in the morning and before standing after a prolonged period of sitting. More than 90 percent of the patients were totally satisfied or satisfied with minor reservations, and noted distinct decrease in pain and activity limitations.

The complete article is at http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/news/story.cfm?id=1275

[jmaellis]

Thanks for all the great advice. I saw my PCP the other day and thankfully she referred me directly to a podiatrist. Unfortunately, my appointment with him isn't for another two weeks. While I'm waiting I think I will try some of the strategies suggested in this thread.

Thanks again!