Feet pain - Plantar Fasciitis - had/have it?

Chat Forum

[closed]

Feet pain - Plantar Fasciitis - had/have it?

32 posts & 24 voices | Started 1 year ago by convert | Latest reply from englishbob

Tags:

No tags yet.

convert - Member

Over the last 6 weeks or so I've had really sore feet, esp insteps, first thing in the morning. This has gone from an annoyance for a few minutes at the beginning of the day to quite painful all day.

A quick google brought up Plantar Fasciitis as a possible diagnosis. Common amongst marathon runners/ those that run up hills and those with a high BMI. As an ex serious IM triathlete, who since retiring from competition 3 or 4 years ago is more "comfortably" shaped than previously and is now doing something about it by doing a bit more running in a very hilly geographical location I recon I hit all those boxes!

Question is - as there seems to be quite a lot of advice on the interweb, is it worth visiting the GP or just get on with sorting it out yourself? My experience of GPs actually helping is not good but I guess they can refer you on. Did yours every go?

As an aside I have never actually met my new GP, but I understand she is a bit of a hottie. This may sway my judgement!

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

I had it just over a year ago and failed to sort it myself. I could stem the pain by wrapping it in a heat wrap but it only worked while the thing was on.

Go get checked.

Posted 1 year ago #
convert - Member

Thanks - did you stop running while it was bad?

Posted 1 year ago #
j_me - Member

Wife had it, can be very painful. I think she ended up getting steroid injections, Get it checked.

Posted 1 year ago #
flatfish - Member

Had it about 2-3 years ago. Went to see the quack and he correctly diagnosed it but didn't really know the right way to treat it so reccomended a podiatrist.
Booked my own appointment and had half a dozen sessions involving exercises, ultrasound and fitting orthotics to my shoes (inter-changeable with other shoes).
Have had one visit since to get a new pair of orthotics as the first pair were looking a bit tired after 18 months of use.
Well worth it to get rid of the pain i had in my heel for the first half hour of each day.

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

I was barely able to walk for more than a minute, let alone run, so, no, I wasn't running.

I was, strangely, able to ride in my (very stiff) carbon soled spud shoes strapped up hella tight, though.

Posted 1 year ago #
Munqe-chick - Member

Convert I thought I had that and stopped running. Didn't get any better and started getting worse. I had the dilemma about whether to go to the GP who wouldn't have a clue, int he end went to the physio. It isn't plantar fasciitis at all it's a problem with my sciatic nerve which is manifesting itself in the localised swelling and pain in my heel. So far doing my exercises it is getting better. I also bought some Scholl Gel heel things for about £9 off ebay which have helped too. I would suggest going to a sports specialist for a diagnosis rather than self diagnosing (which we all do and love!!!). Hope this helps you a bit.

Posted 1 year ago #
chakaping - Member

I had it very acute, couldn't walk.

Go to the GP. Think I got a hopsital referral and tablets but it was really just time that healed it if I remember corerectly. A few weeks.

Posted 1 year ago #
Surf-Mat - Member

I get it on and off - good shoes/soles help. Still run with it.

Posted 1 year ago #
Keva - Member

I had a very mild form of it couple of years ago, it caused a heel spur to develop which was more painful, especially the process of wearing it down ! Mine was the result of impact from running - heel striking in rock hard trainers. go to a physio and get it diagnosed then apply appropriate treatment.

Posted 1 year ago #
lookmanohands - Member

PF is usually caused by weak feet, especially the medial arch ( the one on the inside of your foot) . Your best bet is to try and strengthen the muscles and tendons in your feet. One of the best ways to do this is by scrunching a towel with your toes. Look outside the "normal" answers of more support/cushioning you may find this makes it worse. Your in for a few months of this I'm afraid. All the best.

Posted 1 year ago #
the teaboy - Member

Most people who have it suffer from massive pain early in the day and running on it is out of the question.

It's definitely a sports physio rather than a GP question: Anecdotally, most GPs seem to think running is just plain wrong.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tinners - Member

If it is PF, it will get better whatever you do....eventually. Trouble is that there's no fixed duration - can last weeks, months or over a year. Heel arch supports can help (orthaheels) and stretching exercises (any physio should be able to show you how to do this). Some GPs and orthopaedic surgeons give a steroid injection to alleviate the symptoms but it can take up to 8 weeks to work (most start to see an improvement at 2 weeks) and the effects can wear off after a few months. If it was going to be gone by then, fine, but if not then the symptoms could return again until it goes for good. It also doesn't work for everyone, with a 70-90% cure rate depending on who does it. However, there's a small risk that the injection could snap a tendon or lead to blood vessel or nerve damage - but that's very rare. It's said that losing weight can help but not everyone with PF is overweight and I doubt that you are if you're a regular mountain biker. There's a bit of debate going on amongst sports doctors as to whether heel spurs (a little thorn of bone at the bottom of the heel bone) are a factor. Some doctors X ray heels to see if you have these spurs but doubt has been cast on this recently because a lot of people have these spurs and never have problems, so X ray is of limited value (unless it's used to rule out something other than PF when the diagnosis is in doubt).
I would think that your GP should know someone who can help you, if she can't help you herself. If you're looking at paying, then a physio may be a cheaper option. If you want to pay more, then see an orthopaedic surgeon with an interest in ankles/feet or better still, a doctor with an interest in sports medicine (who may be a GP or orthopaedic surgeon). Don't expect an instant cure, but there are certainly lots of things that can be done, beyond waiting for it to go away by itself.
.....that's if it's plantar fasciitis and not something else, of course.
If you've got gritty eyes and the old "p*ssing razor blades" feeling, then chlamydia can be a cause of heel pain too, so make sure that you have a reliable diagnosis before seeking your own treatment, if you're not going to be seeing a doctor. It's much less likely than PF, but just making the point that diagnosis is as important as treatment.

Posted 1 year ago #
doctornickriviera - Member

Yes running is just wrong wrong wrong!! Cycling however is Goooooood!!!!

personal preference, not professional opinion!

nsaids/orthotics and stop running for a bit!

Posted 1 year ago #
ahwiles - Member

painful insteps?

that's not plantar fasciitis - because that's heel pain.

you say you have painfull 'insteps' - you might have sesamoiditis - this will cause pain in your arch, behind the big toe.

you say you can ride your bike / using stiff soled shoes - that's another sign of sesamoiditis - stiff shoes mean you can't bend your big toe, which eases the pressure a bit on the sesamoid bones.

i fixed my sesamoiditis by binning all my insoles - nearly all modern shoes come with funky 3D sculpted insoles, which press on your arch, and your sesamoid bones, and so can cause pain.

have a look in your shoes - see any funky arch support stuff going on? - try walking in flip-flops / slippers for a few days.

if your 'instep' pain gets better then you've been suffering from sesamoiditis.

Posted 1 year ago #
lookmanohands - Member

Your feet are naturally very strong and don't need things like orthotics to "sort them out". Do a bit more research on the subject .

Posted 1 year ago #
Onzadog - Member

I suffered really badly last year. Saw a podiatrist privately who sorted me out with some custom orthotics which really sorted me out. Rolling my feet on a couple of frozen water bottles was a big help as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
albino - Member

I had it really badly in my left foot about 3 or 4 years ago to the point where I couldn't really bear weight for sustained periods. Initial physio didn't seem to help much although like Onzadog, I was told to roll my foot on chilled cans of coke which eventually seemed to help. In the end I had a cortisone injection into the arch of my foot and that pretty much sorted it out. I still have some pain and stiffness in this area but nothing like as bad as it was. Hope you get sorted.

Posted 1 year ago #
busydog - Member

I had it for many years until it reached a point I couldn't walk much more than a few minutes. Tried orthotics, cortisone shots, a quack doctor's bizarre taping procedure, etc. to no avail.
Finally went to a foot/ankle ortho doc and she recommended a plantar fasciotomy in which they went in laparoscopically and severed the plantar fascia just ahead of the heel and have never had any pain or discomfort since and I hike/walk a lot. It was an easy recovery as there were only two small incisions, one on each side of my foot, right below the anklebone.
Looking back I can't believe I suffered through it for about 7 years before doing something.

Posted 1 year ago #
snowslave - Member

I had it a couple of years back. I'd strongly recommend seeing a good physio.

Posted 1 year ago #
carlphillips - Member

Your feet are naturally very strong and don't need things like orthotics to "sort them out". Do a bit more research on the subject

blimey if i'd known this it would have made my 3 year podiatry degree a whole lot easier!!

Posted 1 year ago #
convert - Member

Thanks for all the thoughts. Seems like there is some useful self help but I've got a gp appointment now for next week as a starting point before possibly looking elsewhere. A quick check of the sugury website doctors profile page reveals the rumours are correct and the trip will be worthwhile

Posted 1 year ago #
ezrida - Member

First of all get a professional diagnosis before you spend more time, money and effort.
I am dealing with plantar fasciitis for more than a year now and I understood that treatment efficiency is very individual. If something works for one it may not work for the other. There are many treatment techniques that you can try. Did you try Taping? I have found it very useful. Taping will keep your foot from getting injured again and will help you get through your daily routine. There are a few Taping techniques you can use.
I also found a very informative website in: http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofeet.com
Take care & Good luck

Posted 1 year ago #
ahwiles - Member

convert; is it your heels that hurt? or your insteps/arches?

Posted 1 year ago #
convert - Member

Instep/arch but very much at the heel end - wrapped around the heel rather than on the the contact part of the heel itself. As it has got worse there are stabbing pains further along my insteps. The walking on glass analogy seems pretty good. It started only hurting first thing in the morning on the walk between the bed and the shower and now it's got to the point I can't think about much else at 11 at night sat on the sofa

Posted 1 year ago #
cbrsyd - Member

The pain in my foot was so bad I couldn't walk on it. In fact thought I had broken it. Went to the GP and was diagnosted with plantar fasciitis. He said I need special implants and recommended here

http://www.reboundclinic.co.uk/

Cost about £250 I think but solved the problem within a few weeks and have had no re-occurence in the past 4 years. And they initially do some temp inplants to see if implants will cure the problem. Highly recommended.

Posted 1 year ago #
lookmanohands - Member

blimey if i'd known this it would have made my 3 year podiatry degree a whole lot easier!!

Mmm how did man (or woman) manage before orthotics, motion control, air etc. A whole can of worms me thinks, once we've delt with religion and politics then we can sort this one out

Posted 1 year ago #
GEDA - Member

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/foot/plantar-fascia-strain.htm

I taped my foot up like this and it has done a world of good. Could not work out what the pain was for 2 months. Anybody know why you might get it?

Posted 1 year ago #
Onzadog - Member

I would imagine the whole problem is of our own making when we started wearing shoes and walking on hard surfaces.

Posted 1 year ago #
Biscuit Powered - Member

I had it bad a couple of years back, sharp stabbing pains in my heels when I got out of bed in the morning then varying pain all day. Really depressing.

I tried using those splint things which hold your feet in a certain position over night (achilles/plantar fascia stretched out) but all they did was wake me up in the middle of the night with chronically aching ankles.

I'm led to understand that using heat is absolutely the wrong thing to do as the problem is caused by inflammation. Ice is the way.

I got rid of it in the end by regular icing every evening with a bag of frozen peas, and by taping my feet during the day as mentioned above.

Posted 1 year ago #
esselgruntfuttock - Member

I've suffer from PF & use Scholl inserts in my work boots, they lift the heel up & outwards & have made a big difference.
All I did was mention it to a Doc at work, he went through the 'do you get this that & the other' to which I answered 'yes' & he said 'youv'e got plantar fasciatis, get some heel inserts'.
Works a treat for me.

Posted 1 year ago #
englishbob - Member

Rolling the sole of your foot over a tennis ball helped in my case together with ice. But I'd get it checked out my a sports physio.

Posted 1 year ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Topic Closed

This topic has been closed to new replies.

Singletrack Mountain Bike Magazine

Chat Forum

Feet pain - Plantar Fasciitis - had/have it?

Topic Closed

Don't miss…

Singletrack

Website & Forums

Exits