Plantar Fasciitis and Cortisone Shots

[fitdeb]

I've iced, I've stretched, I've inserted, I've rested, I've anti-inflammatoried and all that has happened is that I have gained 6 pounds and my arch still hurts like crazy!

For those of you that have suffered the same pain and have gone the cortisone shot route - are you happy with the results? How long did you have to stay off your foot after the shot?

I am a personal trainer so this is making training clients really difficult. Not to mention I feel like I am loosing so much of my own fitness level.

I would appreciate any insight that you can offer.

Thanks for your help
Debbie Russo

 

[ImFiddY]

My experience with the shot was not good. The shot caused more pain.

I found wearing a night splint for just 7 nights eased the pain.

 

[josiespcah6ojsh]

i did inhome physical therapy 4x a day and the pain went away. 3 yrs later my heel was in major pain and i had a cortizone shot and it went away. it has started again so i will have another or see if its heel spur. i blame all my injuries on my job!

laura

 

[melimcn]

Go barefoot.
I did this years ago after reading a medical journal with the same idea. I've never had a problem since. It makes sense, if you think about it. Doctors can treat symptoms. However, if you don't address the actual problem, it never gets solved.

http://runnatural.org/injuries-treatment/plantar-fasciitis-treatment-program/

 

[isuretri]

I did not have the shot. I wore the night splint and that seemed to help after some time. This happened about 5 years ago and I've not had any problems since then.

 

[janiejoey]

Have used this product for half my life, it works. Almost 30 years.

Birkenstock!

Janie

 

[AliCoop]

Superfeet inserts, recommended by my physical therapist, help with knee and foot problems. Also, yoga can help, particularly yoga stretches for the feet.

Also, be very careful if you decide to try barefoot running/exercise. I seriously messed up my knee doing that. Both my doctor and physical therapist explained if you have any feet problem, or simply weakened feet due to wearing shoes all the time, exercising while barefoot could be very bad. If you do want to try it, just start out very slowly and build up your feet strength first.

 

[Traildoggie]

I also had success with walking barefoot (carpeted floors) for a little while very day. just after get up and before I go to bed. I would not over do it. I couldn't stand the foot splint, it was intolerable awake, no way I could sleep in it. a little barefoot time my PF never returned.

 

[kathryn]

Superfeet inserts, recommended by my physical therapist, help with knee and foot problems. Also, yoga can help, particularly yoga stretches for the feet.

According to my podiatrist (whom I saw for some nerve problems), Superfeet work for people with narrow feet, but usually not for others. I showed him some inserts I had--Superfeet and Powerstep--and he told me to toss the Superfeet--I'm giving them to Goodwill).

 

[kathryn]

Check out www.footsmart.com . They have inserts and other products to help with various foot problems.

 

[jeb]

I had extreme pain in my left heel 2 years ago, it lasted a year. Typically, plantar fasciitis hurts worse first thing in the morning and the pain decreases as the foot warms up and stretches out. My pain was just the opposite, the longer I was on it, the worse it hurt. After 7 months of pain, which I tried to ignore, I went through 2 rounds of cortisone shots, the first one did nothing. After the second I made sure I didn't do any type of impact activities for 6 weeks. I thought for sure the pain would come back, but it hasn't. I always wear supportive shoes and have green superfeet in all my athletic shoes (previously I was into barefoot, that doesn't work for me). Even sitting here now, I have a slight ache in my left arch/heel, and I keep thinking the pain will return, but so far it hasn't, even after doing IMAX workouts.
My best advice is to totally rest it (NO IMPACT) for several weeks and wear stiff arch supports (I hated them at first). It worked for me, but everyone is different.

 

[SteppingFool]

Had heel spur (extreme case of PF) about 2 yrs ago. I laid off high impact for a yr. Wear arch support. Wear Birkenstocks whenever I can. Stretching via down dog (stretch your calves). I don't have it anymore... knock on wood.

 

[ImFiddY]

What my doc told me was that as you sleep the foot relaxes and the muscle that causes the PF is shortened. When you then take your first step of the morning you stretch the muscle and cause tiny tears. He told me to never go barefoot and to step into birkenstocks before I took my first step.

What the night splint does is keep the muscle stretched during the night so when you do take your first step the muscle is not torn.

Try a night splint and birkenstocks and see if that will help. It really worked for me and my husband.