Okay, I've been lurking for a while on the forums, but this is the post that finally made me really feel the need to post! So, hello all!
To answer the original question, yes I've had a
bad case of this.
I won't go into too many details, but it was bad, really bad. Just standing up long enough to take a shower was a painful ordeal. Or that moment when you have to stand on one foot to get in or out, awful. Having shoes on my feet was terribly painful. It was bad.
So that was in January. It was a pretty dark time. When you're dealing with chronic pain, it's hard to imagine ever being pain-free again, let alone doing KPC.
I would fantasize about just being able to walk the dog around the block. But I've been able to resume going for walkies (!!!) and working out again in the past few weeks.
So how did I get from there to here?
1. STRETCH. To actually, physically, fix the problem, you must stretch.
I use something called the 'stretch-out-strap' (found it on amazon) but a belt or towel works fine too. I really like the strap because it's really improved my hamstring and quad stretches as well. I'm kind of a stretching fanatic and this thing is awesome. I find it more comfortable on the hands than a belt when stretching the feet.
I stretch my feet (along with the rest of my lower body) in bed first thing in the morning and right before going to sleep.
*Initially I was in so much pain that I actually couldn't stretch my feet because it hurt too much. Do what you can and build up from there. Once I could stretch without pain, but when my condition was still really bad, I was doing it maybe 10x a day. Now that I'm better for the most part, I'm down to 2x day.
*I tried the Straussburg socks (similar to a splint) but again, at first they actually hurt to wear, and later when it didn't hurt, I still just couldn't stand them. However, I'm a stomach sleeper and I've figured out that if I scooch down and hang my feet off the bottom of the bed, it keeps my feet in not quite a fully stretched position but better than they would be in my normal position.
*Also, body parts are not islands. You can stretch your foot, but if your calves are tight, that's going to affect your foot. If your hamstrings are tight, that's going to affect your calves. Etc. Stretch the whole kit n kaboodle.
2. MASSAGE. I use a little spiky rubber ball called FootRubz. I stand on one foot and roll it under the other one, putting quite a bit of body weight into it. This also gets done twice a day. Massaging with my hands was just too tiring. Also you can get a deeper massage with the ball/body weight.
3. When I was still icing for pain relief, I'd keep an orange in the freezer and then take it out and roll it under my feet while sitting. Soothing massage and icing all in one convenient combo deal.
4. I got the cortisone shots.
Be sure to request that an anesthetic be put in the needle along with the cortisone. As someone already said, the cortisone is just a locally administered anti-inflammatory and will have no effect on your weight (orally administered systemically acting steroids would be a different story).
At first, your foot's going to be numb, no problem. Then by the end of the day the numbing wears off and it's more painful than the plantar fasciitis itself ever was. My shots (2 in each foot) took about a week before I felt relief and there was one day in there where the shots themselves had caused so much pain that I literally could not walk and was crawling from room to room in my apartment. Like I said, dark times.
Anyway, once the shot kicked in I finally started to feel like it was going to get better. It wasn't immediate total relief by any means, although for someone with a milder case it may very well be. If you believe the stories on the internet, some people react very badly to cortisone shots (doesn't help, causes leg cramps(?), etc). But it was 100% beneficial in my case. I wonder if the people writing those stories weren't incorporating other needed aspects of their therapy (stretch, massage, rest).
5. Birkenstock. All day every day. I wear the 'Alabama' at school (grad student- need closed toe shoes to wear in the lab). They're ugly as sin, but once you break them in, it is
the perfect shoe with a custom insole just for you. I even wear them to walk the dog, a good mile or two. It's amazing how little cushioning a foot needs when it's properly supported. I wear the 'Mayari' sandal at home.
If Birkenstock's not for you, just make sure you're getting arch support. Aside from when I'm in the shower, I have arch support under my feet any time that I'm on them.
6. Since I started working out again recently, I got the Brooks PureConnect shoe for indoor workouts. They are amazing. Picture a sock with a whole lot of arch support and cushioning. I feel like my old shoes may as well have been ankle weights. Kickboxing is a whole new level of fun with these babies.
In a nutshell: Stretch! Massage! Arch support! I can't stress these enough.
And I should add, patience. It will get better with diligent and consistent therapy.
I hope this essay
had something helpful in it. I hope anyone who reads feels free to pm me if they want any more info!
