Heel pain

Who has this and what was the cause? I have heel pain across the bottom of both heels. I am calling the doc today to get an appointment. From what I have been reading, plantar facitis does not fit the symptoms. Bending toes does not cause pain, which comes with weight bearing only. The only thing I know, is that it makes for some miserable days at work! I finally found some relief from my back pain, by getting facet joint injections, and now my running gear starts in.

It sounds like plantar facitis to me. I've had it multiple times over the years and it used to last a long time until I figured out a cure.

I bought this device:



When I had heel pain real bad I started wearing it at night. Within two weeks my pain was gone. The first time I used it I had plantar facitis for over six months before finding and using this device.

It's called a Bird and Cronin Night Splint. I bought mine on Amazon. It works.

Sounds like plantar facitis to me also. I have it occasionally and stretching is the most effective treatment I have found. I have spent more on off the shelf shoe liners and pads than the above stretching device costs. I will be ready for it if I have another flare up.

Yep just recently had planters fasciitis been going to a foot doctor. The best treatment for me is stretching excises works wonder, had a cortisone shot in my heel talk about pain, it would make the toughest man cry lol

I've learned to do my light stretches first thing in the morning even when I'm not having pain. If I feel the beginnings of plantar facitis I'll get serious about stretching.

I haven't had to wear the night splint in more than two years now.

Yep, sure sounds like it. Not sure the supposed connection with bending toes, never heard of that one. Cortizone shot never helped me, and hurt like CRAZY. Stretching was the biggest help for me.

Thanks for the replies! I am going to see the foot doctor to get it figured out. I want to know for sure, what it is, then go from there. I have been buing insoles for my shoes, boots etc, and it just does not go away. Thanks again!

The inserts never helped me at all.

Had it some time ago....feels like someone hit the bottom of your feet with a baseball bat.....had to crawl to the bathroom in the morning...then after a while it would loosen up. It went away on its own.

I wear Red Wing Boots with the kicked up insoles .......about 325.00 worth. Iam on a concrete floor all day too. And,I get a new pair of boots every 12-15 months ...even if they have plenty of sole left on them....the cushion system is just spent....with 255 pounds on them.

The muscles that curl your toes downward (flexion) are not intrinsic to the foot, they originate in the calf, so their tendons necessarily course with the fascia on the plantar surface of the foot and contribute to the fascia's tightness.
Your fascia normally acts as a bit of an extension spring, preserving the foot's natural arch and absorbing mechanical shock and lessening the flattening of your arch. Since it attaches the heel bone to the toes' bases, it will stress at the heel when you overload it with overuse or abuse, e.g. excessive running, obesity, prolonged standing. Think of the foot's naturally arched configuration as a sort of inverted truck leafsping without a shackle, and the fascia as a stiff frame: an excess load would lengthen the spring and stress the attachment points.
One word: stretch. There are no doubt plenty of calf and toe stretches online; just be patient, consistent, and gentle. Do not bounce.
Insole arch supports can also help stretch the fascia and remodel the arch, and you need not spend a fortune.

Red wings are a joke. I bought some that didn't have arch support. You need good arch support. My doc told me to buy merrel Moab. I do feel your pain.

I got a Dr scholls insert for 50$ at Walmart, helped a lot, and a rolling foot massager is very helpful

Mofarmboy, you sound like your on the right track.

I don't have plantar fasciitis, but my wife does. I've been watching this guy's videos for quite a while. I know the things I have adapted for back surgery damage and a broken knee have helped quite a bit. Hopefully this one helps you guys. I just sent this to my wife over the weekend. This guy is a physical therapist and personal trainer. I've been through physical therapy at many locations, never found a guy this good in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72p58Iy6u7M

That is one of the most accurate and easily understandable descriptions of plantar fasciitis I have ever read, and I've studied and researched this infliction quite a bit.

The night splint I pictured above keeps the plantar fascia in a gently stretched position. Without it the plantar fascia tends to shrink while we are sleeping and the most damage, the most significant inflammation, is caused by those first few steps in the morning before the plantar fascia has a chance to stretch. That is also why regular stretching helps alleviate the pain. I do mine while still in bed and again immediately after my feet hit the floor.

A tennis ball might work for a foot massager in a pinch. Physical therapist was mentioned. If you can't find a good physical therapist, I would recommend a Roller. Rolfers can be hard to find unless you live in a big city.

Get an old fashioned glass Coke bottle, and roll it back and forth under your instep, while applying moderate down-pressure.


Suggested by a Podiatrist.



Charlie

Nice picture of the foot. It looks pretty real to life for me.

Coke bottle? Really? I can't get past the mental picture of picking shards of glass out of my feet.

I have had it off and on for a few years now. Weight doesn't help, but my biggest contributing factor is the flat feet I inherited from my father. I too received a lot of relief from the Scholl inserts. Walmart has the machine you step on which then recommends which insert is best for you. Walking in hip boots makes it worse for me, so I bought a pair of inserts for them too. Tennis ball and pop bottle work for a lot of folks also.

Take your spiked boots off and lay the bottle on a piece of carpet.

Them old Coke bottles are pretty dang tough. It ain't like in the movies , where they break a bottle over someone's head. You get hit with a coke bottle, you're going DOWN.



Charlie

I always suggest filling a plastic 20-oz Coke bottle with water, then freezing. The bottle's characteristic convexity more gently stretches, and you benefit from the cryogenic effects.

Rolling objects like tennis balls, golf balls and coke bottles under the foot seems like a temporary solution at best.

Though not the solution, it's ancillary, and an effective way to stretch that tough fascia. It's like stretching a wet leather strap over a barrel vs. a table. Recall how tough coon or chicken fascia is as it wraps bone, muscle, and all manner of soft tissue.

Spenco moldable insoles (the ones with the rigid plastic arxh supports) helped me more than anything.

https://spenco.implus.com/Product/s...A7sqG3wIVAo9pCh3aegDIEAYYASABEgJ7hfD_BwE

Are those boots any good when mig welding ....or are they just a sneaker ?

My brother went through this a few years ago. Turned out he had bone spurs on his heel. Which in turn was chewing away on the plantar fasciitis. Had to have them ground off before he got any relief. Good luck

my wife had a bone spur also. hope you don't. surgery straightened her out but it took awhile for her to heal

Prolonged, excessive tension of the plantar fascia, through aggressive stretching or abuse, can cause remodeling of its attachment to the heel bone, distorting it and creating a calcium-rich spur, and is the reason I emphasize "gentle" when describing exercises.
A perfect storm scenario would involve an overweight, diabetic smoker who works all day on concrete in cheap, unsupported boots, then comes home and aggressively heel drops off stairs to "stretch."
As far as the Moabs go, I liked their arch support but the uppers weren't durable enough. I returned mine when they started pulling apart the first week.

A friend of mine had bone spurs that would cause him problems .

Had the same thing went to foot doctor and told e to get a new pair of boots. The Red wings I had on were 10 years old he called me a cheap scape.

Find the right Podiatrist...

My first Podiatrist made a pair of orthotic inserts for me. Pretty much, that was it, it didn't do much for me.

My second Podiatrist, told me when I left her office I would feel better. I got a cortisone shot right in the heel. She was right I felt much better. Then she followed up with physical therapy, the boot Lugnut commented on, exercises, ice and follow up. That was something like 15 years ago, I haven't had any problems since.

Note: I told my physical therapist, I always thought a foot massage would feel good, it was brutal! She told me I should have said something...

They had me use frozen water bottles. Laid them on the floor and rolled my foot back and forth on them, massage and icing at the same time. After work, it felt good... part of physical therapy/exercise at home.

Been there. Got the shots - about 2 weeks apart. that took care of it. Have worn inserts ever since and have not had problems. Spenco are good and I used them for several years, but have found the Power step Pinnacle Maxx are more comfortable and perform better. They also last longer. The key is to have them in every pair of shoes/boots and to not go barefoot very much. Hope this helps.

Merrel Moab are a sneaker type shoe. I tried 3 different brands of work boots. Red wing was one of those brands. I do a lot of walking and climbing ladders. These Merrel don't last very long but they don't cause pain like those work boots did.