Plantar fasciitis

[88GT]

I've been having some pain in my feet lately and all signs point to PF.

I'm hoping most of it can be treated with better shoes along with icing and pain relievers. But given that I have abnormal feet, I am banking on the need or arch support. Any recommendations? Is The Good Feet store just heavily marketed or really as good as they claim? What are the prices? How does that compare to a podiatrist or some other professional that can provide the service?

Oh, one more question, what brand of shoe is good for foot support? And does it make shoes in extra wide width?

 

[riverman67]

I was having issues a couple of years ago,the Doc gave me some anti inflammatory that did absolutely nothing. I went to the good feet store because I was desperate and leaving the country for 4 months. I didn't have time to get into the specialist.
It's not cheap but I was pain free in a couple of weeks.
They have three types of inserts,exercisers,these are supposed stretch your arch back to where it's supposed to be.These can be worn up to 6-hrs but you need to work up to it slowly.Maintainers,you use these all the time.Relaxers these are for the end of the day.
I purchased the exerciser and maintainer. I stopped using the exerciser after a month or so and I would be hard pressed to find them now. I still wear the maintainer all day every day.
My brother has used the Dr. scholls inserts with good success. These are the ones that you stand on the machine and it tells you which one you need.They are much less expensive than Good feet. You might want to start with them.

New balance and Brooks are the shoes I keep going back to.They have wide sizes.

Good luck!
I know it hurts like hell

 

[perry]

I got PF in both feet from running about 18 months ago! The still pokes up every now and then, but is gone for the most part.

Rubbing my feet on a tennis ball or golf ball helped me out. I had some Birkenstock sandles that I wore ALL the time at home. The cork footbed was comforting and having something on my feet gave them support. Look up "low dye taping" for a method of taping up your feet to give some extra support. I found that helpful in the early days.

I didn't go to the Good Feet store because my Internet searches led me to believe they were north of $300, and I think custom orthotics are in the $500 range -- my insurance won't cover those either, so I didn't bother to investigate.

I have Superfeet Blue inserts in my running shoes, green in my boots, and Hapad insoles in my work shoes. I'm trying Your Sole brand right now. You heat them up in the oven for a couple minutes, put them in your shoe, and they form to your feet. Haven't worn them enough to tell if they are any better.

Width doesn't matter, unless you have a wide foot. Good brand is too subjective, IMO. You may do well visiting a foot doc and seeing what they say... Cortizone shots sometimes help people out.

My problems were caused by running too much and being too overweight... just wore my feet out. And probably tight calf muscles causing some strain.

 

[XtremeVel]

Both the wife and I have fought PF.... She heard about these and they have worked well for her... I tried them and they did absolutely no good... No more than they are, might be worth a try. Wife throws them in her everyday shoes...

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/HTP-Heel-Seats-Inserts-Medium/dp/B000KPHHQA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1361312294&sr=1-1&keywords=heel+seats"]Click here: Amazon.com: HTP Heel Seats: Heel Cup Inserts (Blue , Medium): Health & Personal Care[/ame]

 

[rockhopper46038]

For men, look to Clark and Bjorn shoes. Not sure if those brands extend to women. Keep cold canned beverages in the refrigerator to roll under your feet when you are sitting down. I prefer beer, but YMMV. The foot band you can buy that will pull your toe toward your shin while you sleep actually works, if you can stand to wear it while sleeping. But good shoes are a must.

 

[88GT]

Width doesn't matter, unless you have a wide foot.

I know it is unrelated to the PF. But I have EE width due to the bone structure. Finding shoes that fit is difficult enough. Finding good shoes with good support that fit is just making it that much more difficult.

 

[mrjarrell]

Back when I had to be on my feet all the time I relied on Ecco shoes. They have great sizes and good support. I went to a podiatrist more than a few years ago and he made inserts for me. Wore them for awhile till the pain went away (not PF) and they were worth it. My insurance covered them, so YMMV. Ecco's used to be available at the big shoe store at Fashion Mall. They have nice dress ones, as well as casual. No sneakers, tho.

 

[JetGirl]

Given that everybody's feet are different, YMMV... BUT...Give New Balance shoes & Mega Comfort insoles a shot.

 

[9mmfan]

At first my foot doc fitted orthopedic insoles. For the most part, they worked fine. Then he pointed me towards the New Balance brand of shoe; specifically their cross trainers (remember, the higher the number, the better quality). Worked wonders!

I've since branched out into a dress shoe version of theirs and a hiker version. Similar heel construction is the key. They're not cheap, but worth every cent.



Edit: And New Balance still makes some of their shoes in America. Only gym shoe maker to still do so.

 

[223 Gunner]

I know it is unrelated to the PF. But I have EE width due to the bone structure. Finding shoes that fit is difficult enough. Finding good shoes with good support that fit is just making it that much more difficult.

I thought the good feet store was a rip off. As far as shoes go, I buy mine at the New Balance store at the corner of U.S. 31 South and Stop 12 on the far south side of Indy. They have the extra wide shoes. For the record it took over 1 year for my PF to heal. I found the best way to deal with it was to "hang" my foot off of the stairs for a nice stretch, I did this 4 to 5 times a day. I would get on the stair wells at work through out the day. 30 seconds per foot, do one foot at a time. In my case I only had it on my right foot.

Mine was caused from running on tread mills on an incline and improper running shoes. I went to the Blue Mile at the Greenwood mall, they video taped me running on a tread mill and then sold me the correct shoes I needed to keep running.
Hope this helps.

 

[A_Brit_In_Indy]

I have suffered badly with this for years, I do the morning hamstring stretch which helps, I also have regular foot massages, and as for shoes I have a pair of Z-Coils that look really strange but help tremendously. they aren't cheap, but boy do they work.
Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear®

 

[PAMom]

I also struggled with PF a few years ago when I was running every day. Remember to IceCompressElevate. I wore a foot compression bandage. You can even use an elastic bandage wrap. I found that I really needed the support.

I also have very wide feet (EE or EEE), and they are thick (about as wide as they are long). Anyway, I always purchase New Balance cross trainers- good support and come in wide widths. I have also had good luck with Ecco hikers.

I am a big proponent of stretching. I did the "hang heel off the stair" stretch as well as stretching up onto "tip toe" hold to ten count slowly back to floor, repeat. As always, start out slowly and increase reps. I found various calf stretches gave me some relief as well.

Hope you can get some relief. It can be miserable.

 

[indyjohn]

You need to chat with OkieGirl. She has extensive clinical knowledge on this subject..

 

[Scarecrow]

I also have had it for years. I have tried everything. I used everything from foam rubber and tape to my $1000 VA inserts. Don't laugh but I walked into Bed Bath and Beyond and seen these Strutz I couldn't believe it, but they work great for 10 bucks. It might be worth a shot just to see if it gives you any relief.

 

[Jarhead77]

Rockport shoes helped mine TREMENDOUSLY!! They are all I wear anymore.

 

[semperfi211]

I have had PF for around a year. I saw a pediatrist and she had me doing some physical therapy to learn several exercises to strenghten my arch. I only have probs with one foot. I used to run alot. I don't anymore. I only wear good quality shoes New Balence 974 when I dont wear running shoes,Nike structure 15 when wearing running shoes. All my shoes now have Superfeet inserts. Some excercises I do are; I stand with the balls of my feet on the edge of a stair and I slowly raise my body and lower my body as low as I can with my feet. I sit on the floor a with my leg out straight and loop a belt around the ball of my foot and pull it towards me keeping my leg straight to stretch the instep. When I am playing on the computer I roll a golf ball back and forth in my instep pushing as hard as I can for around ten minutes then I roll a plastic pop bottle filled with frozen water back and forth in the bottom of my foot for around 10 minutes. When I go to bed I wear a PF sock that pulls my toes back slightly.
Thats pretty much how I deal with mine. Mine came on really suddenly. I stopped running and did my therapy stuff for a few months, I was feeling almost back to 100% so I went for a run. I got up the next morning limping. I am swimming now instead of running.

 

[3steps]

Two words... massage therapist. A foot rub by someone who knows what they are doing can do wonders. If you can find someone who does Thai massage... your life will change

 

[darkkevin]

take a water bottlke, empty about an inch of water and throw it in the freezer (if you don't lower it from full the bottle will break) roll your foot on the water bottle every night for 15-30 minutes while you're watching TV (or reloading) make a huge difference usually. had PF years ago and the doc i went to was awesome, ended up having surgery to correct it, now my other foot is doing it and i don't have the time away from work to do the dr thing right now, doing the water bottle trick is getting me by, and per others here, i just ordered superfeet insoles and those funny looking strutz things!

 

[hacksawfg]

Plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and bursa (due mainly to me carrying around a few extra pounds). I wound up getting orthotic inserts. My doctor also said that wearing heeled cowboy boots (or other shoes that elevate the heel a little bit above your toes) might help. Obviously they're a little bit more fashionable than orthopedic shoes.

"Elevated Heels. Some people report relief from mild symptoms with the use of shoes or cowboy boots that have elevated heels. This approach, however, may not work in some people and is not recommended for anyone with a moderate-to-severe condition. (Heel cups have not been proven to be very useful.)"

 

[Mackey]

Two words... massage therapist. A foot rub by someone who knows what they are doing can do wonders. If you can find someone who does Thai massage... your life will change

This is a great idea. Many people neglect this option. It's scarey because people perceive that it would be painfull. It is to some degree, but it's the way to actual cure.

Some physical therapists are good at this, but a massage therapist most surely would be beneficial.