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[aristotelian]

I got this diagnosis from my primary doctor after a couple months of pain in my feet.  Took a cortisone shot and some anti-inflammatory pills, and I've been doing some stretches, but the pain came right back.  Now instead of pain just in the morning, one of my feet is sore all day.

Anyone have experiences or recommendations for dealing with plantar fasciitis?  Can I ever play basketball again? 

[inthelab]

I had it about 15 years ago.  Besides the shot and the NSAIDs, my podiatrist recommended I wear New Balance shows with steel shanks in them for extra support, and custom-made a fiberglass orthotic.  The combination of shoes, orthotic, shot, and NSAIDs did the trick.
Don't play basketball but can tell you my activites in terms of walking, etc were not limited.

[stanwyck]

When you are sitting in your chair, roll your foot around on a tennis ball, or even better, a chilled can of soda.  If the pain is really drastic (mine was, but I was playing ice hockey at the time, and refused to stop playing just because I couldn't walk!!), ice baths are helpful.  When I traveled, I used to take a small cooler of ice with, add water at the rink, and soak my foot between games.  Really, really helped keep me playing longer than I should have, so maybe I shouldn't recommend it.

There is a taping technique (shown here) that also helps.  I used a modified version of it, with two strips of tape running the length of my foot.  Once I got orthotics, I stopped doing this, but it also really helped with the daytime pain.

I ended up sleeping in splints, ordering orthotics, and giving up hockey.  The cortisone shots weren't helping, the ice wasn't helping, and I eventually got tired of crawling around the house.  It took a couple of years, but I'm back to where I can run, play basketball, etc. I'm careful to stretch my feet and achilles before I cool down.

There is a surgical option, but obviously, that's a last ditch effort.

[glowdart]

I had on-again off-again PF for over a decade.  Here's what got it under control (which is really a compendium of the other advice thus far with some additional bits):

Orthotics.  Custom. They are expensive, but well worth it. 

Night-splints.  PITA, but they really help.  The fabric/velcro kinds are easier to sleep in than the plastic molded ones.

Get good shoes with solid soles. 

Physical therapy.  They should give you a theraband.  I found the ultrasound to be useless, but when they ice your heels and then dig in to break up the calcification & loosen up whatever was going on, then that really helped.  There are also exercises where you take a bathmat or thin towel, put it on a slick surface, put your bad foot at one edge and then use your toes to pull the towel towards you (grasp, let go, grasp, pull more, etc.)  Lift yourself up on your toes slowly and repeatedly.  Lower yourself down a set of stairs with your toes on the edge of the stair (and hold on).  The theraband will come with a whole other set of stretches. 

Do not walk around barefoot.  Do not wear flip-flops or shoes which do not support your arches.  Chuck the Chuckies.   

Tennis balls under all desks.  Make some frozen water bottles to roll under your feet. 

Ice baths are glorious. 

If you work on a hard (concrete) floor, then try not to stand still for hours without a mat under you for cushioning.  Likewise, when you first start really walking a lot again, try to avoid concrete for long, long stretches.  Trails, grass -- both better for your feet. 


Here's what keeps it under control:
Stretch & keep your calves & arches strong
Good shoes
Never a day without orthotics
The moment it starts acting up because you do something like wander around barefoot all day or wear those cute but deadly heels, then go back into full-on PT mode for a week. 


If it doesn't go away after a few months, the see a podiatrist to make sure that you don't have any underlying conditions that are exacerbating it.  All the PT & shots in the world won't help if you have underlying issues which are compounding the problem. 

[dept_geek]

You might to peek here http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,55159.0.html to see what last year's sufferers had to say.

[scampster]

I'm not adding anything new here, but just chiming in with many of the suggestions, particularly getting custom orthotics, only wearing good shoes you can put said orthotics in (no sandals), and making sure your calves stay stretched.

One thing that helped me a lot is never ever walking around barefoot, particularly in the morning. I never get out of bed and stood on the ground barefoot, even just to go to the bathroom. My PF hurt most in the morning, so this was easy for me to remember. My PT said your muscles are contracted most then so it strains them to be flattened out so abruptly.

[aristotelian]

Thanks for all the suggestions and the link.  Apologies for not doing a search, I had no idea this is such a common problem.

[the_honey_badger]

Glowdart has a great list. I tried to "walk through" mine (although I've never liked going barefoot) and it was so bad in one foot it landed me with a *cane* for several weeks just to function normally.  I finally got it looked at and got the basic instructions glowdart mentioned and it eventually cleared up/retreated.

[msparticularity]

Mine cleared up without orthotics or physical therapy--just stretches, no barefoot walking, and a switch to good shoes. "Good shoes" for my feet meant Danskos (the clunky professional/orthopedic line--not the fashion line), Birkenstocks (again, their "orthopoedics" line but not any of the trendier ones), and Chacos (yes, sometimes you can wear sandals if they're the right ones!). I have also done all right with some Earth shoes, although their arch support on the outside of the foot is less good than the others. 

[dragonbait1]

Maybe this was covered in the last thread on PF, but there is a growing body of research that actually blames certain shoes for problems like PF.  We were meant to walk barefoot; that's what our feet are for.  Walking and running.  I actually think my overly supportive running shoes + custom orthotics gave me PF.  I'm a yoga teacher, so I'm barefoot a lot, and my feet are strong, they didn't need all that "support."  It alarms me a bit when the prevailing wisdom is that our natural state - that of bare feet - is causing medical issues.

I got over the PF (mostly) by backing off my running, rolling my foot on a tennis ball as often as I could, stretching my calves and the fascia of my feet as much as possible, and sleeping in a night splint.  The night splint was super helpful.  I also had several reiki and acupuncture sessions, both of which helped enormously too.  I soak my feet at night in cooling epsom salts, before I got to bed. 

Running again and I've ditched the orthotics, taken the insoles out of my shoes, and am shopping for a pair of minimal running shoes, like Nike frees.  My issues might be specific for running, but so far, so good. 

[prof_smartypants]

I just skimmed, so my apologies if this has been mentioned. Hubby had PF a few years back and his PT told him to never stand up "cold". So in the morning before you wake up, stretch and wiggle your feet around for a bit before you get up. Same after you've been sitting for awhile. Do those stretches and use the tennis ball/soda can thing when you're sitting.

And never, ever wear shoes without support. Annoying, but this is probably the best way to make sure it doesn't come back.

[msparticularity]

Maybe this was covered in the last thread on PF, but there is a growing body of research that actually blames certain shoes for problems like PF.  We were meant to walk barefoot; that's what our feet are for.  Walking and running.  I actually think my overly supportive running shoes + custom orthotics gave me PF.  I'm a yoga teacher, so I'm barefoot a lot, and my feet are strong, they didn't need all that "support."  It alarms me a bit when the prevailing wisdom is that our natural state - that of bare feet - is causing medical issues.

Yes and no. I mean, I totally agree that our bodies evolved without regard for shoes :) however, they also didn't evolve to walk on concrete, tile, and other hard floors. Wearing shoes that support our feet in assuming their natural configuration and that provide some resilience in a way that more closely resembles a natural surface seems to me a "natural" approach to the problem.

[glowdart]

Maybe this was covered in the last thread on PF, but there is a growing body of research that actually blames certain shoes for problems like PF.  We were meant to walk barefoot; that's what our feet are for.  Walking and running.  I actually think my overly supportive running shoes + custom orthotics gave me PF.  I'm a yoga teacher, so I'm barefoot a lot, and my feet are strong, they didn't need all that "support."  It alarms me a bit when the prevailing wisdom is that our natural state - that of bare feet - is causing medical issues.

Yes and no. I mean, I totally agree that our bodies evolved without regard for shoes :) however, they also didn't evolve to walk on concrete, tile, and other hard floors. Wearing shoes that support our feet in assuming their natural configuration and that provide some resilience in a way that more closely resembles a natural surface seems to me a "natural" approach to the problem.

Yes, and if your feet are not working correctly, then walking around without correcting them back to "normal" can lead to all kinds of other problems (like PF, hip bursitis, back pain, etc.).  It depends a lot on the individual feet & gait & environment. 

Thus, walking barefoot (for me, with contorted feet) is a sure fire way to be in constant debilitating pain from PF which eventually leads to pinched nerves, as well as spinal issues, hip issues, tendon issues -- all of which come from not being able to walk properly without corrective inserts. 

[spork]

I just skimmed, so my apologies if this has been mentioned. Hubby had PF a few years back and his PT told him to never stand up "cold". So in the morning before you wake up, stretch and wiggle your feet around for a bit before you get up. Same after you've been sitting for awhile. Do those stretches and use the tennis ball/soda can thing when you're sitting.

And never, ever wear shoes without support. Annoying, but this is probably the best way to make sure it doesn't come back.

After periods of inactivity, the shortened Achilles' tendon will yank on the fascia, exacerbating inflammation and pain.  I got rid of my PF by stretching as soon as I got out of bed in the morning. a few times during the day, and prior to going into bed at night.

[bread_pirate_naan]

It alarms me a bit when the prevailing wisdom is that our natural state - that of bare feet - is causing medical issues.

The natural state of the spine at birth is to be in a curve that describes constant flexion.  The form of the gait as it evolves with the formation of the two natural curves of the adolectent/adult spine is not inherently healthy; nor can every body be presumed to emerge from the womb in a state of natural harmony.  Like blocks, bolsters and straps, props (read: orthotics and well constructed shoes) educate the body.  While a flat-footed person can learn to activate the arches of the foot in the class of a skilled yoga teacher, that doesn't mean they will be able to maintain conscious control over biomechanics and form all the time, especially when they are most vulnerable to exacerbating injury (when tired, or concentrating on other matters). 

Props educate the body, rehabilitate and prevent injury.  If a person has congenital foot problems (of which there are many) or has a decades long relationship to movement which is untutored, inharmonious or combined with past traumatic injury; repetitive and escalating injury is the natural result.  Glowdart is spot on about her experience of the body and how the foot is a primary point of origination.

Happy feet wishes to the thread!