Thread: Plantar Fasciitis

The only remedy for PF is time. A cortisone injection can provide temporary relief if you need to do a bit of walking. I developed PF while training for the Milford Track walk in New Zealand. I had to stop training and rest about two weeks before we did the walk and I had an injection just before we left for NZ.
Managed ok on the walk but was pretty sore at the end of each day.
Arch supports in your boots may help but you need to be assesed by your doctor to confirm if that will help or make it worse

My wife had plantar fascitis a couple of years ago.
Went to a podiatrist and had some custom orthotics made up which have helped long term. Check your health fund for coverage on these.
As it is swelling related non steroidal anti inflammotory drugs eg nurofen etc if you are not allergic or have asthma, epigastric issues etc may help in the short term.

Orthotics would be a bugger to get in an elastic sided boot. Podiatrists generally can recommend boots / shoes etc,

Oh, I'm feeling your pain at the moment. My left heal is hurting like a...

Took off to the osteopath and her mode of treatment is:

1. Before you get up in the morning (before you plant your foot on the floor), stretch the bottom of your foot by pulling back on your toes.
2. Massage your calf frequently (your Plantar Facia is an extension of your calf muscle)
3. Buy a lime and freeze it. At frequent intervals roll your foot over the frozen lime.
4. At the end of the day, ice your foot.
5. Anti-inflamitories (with food).

It is getting better but oh man, I hobble badly first thing in the morning.

I had PF awhile back and it took 6 months to recede. My physio was the most sympathetic person to talk to about the problem, but suggested physio was not the solution, just rest and care would resolve it fastest.

(edit) She did recommend stretching exercises first thing in the morning. I did the calf stretchs off a stair. And occasionally hamstring exercises. (/edit)

Her main suggestion was to not go bare foot, always wear cushioned soles. Not specifically orthotics which can be hard and attempt to change your posture, but more like sport shoes with good pliable insoles. I tried some gel insoles in my hard leather boots, but never really liked them, thankfully I don't have to wear steel cap boots in the normal course of the day. If I had to I might try taking the inner sole out of my sport shoes and see if they fit the boots.

Around the house I started wearing Nike sport sandals that had the heel strap removed and I could just slip on and off easily. I'm now onto my second pair, having worn the first ones out. Thongs just don't make the grade.

Another option is to roll the sole of the foot on a tennis ball: to and fro, modest pressure, to get some stretching.

An anti-inflammatory can help. I'm a fan of Panadol Osteo. Easy on the gut; it's a highish dose slow-release medication available from the chemist.

Originally Posted by rsser

Panadol Osteo. Easy on the gut; it's a highish dose slow-release medication available from the chemist.

The maximum daily dose of Panadol (or any paracetamol product) is 4 Gram and should not be exceeded unless you want to damage liver and kidneys. That is 6 Panadol Osteo in 24 hours or 8 ordinary Panadol

Paracetamol is an analgesic and has only slight anti-inflammatory effect. That's not to say it isn't effective with plantar fascitis pain relief.

I'm a PF sufferer too. In my right side (the stroke affected one), so walking around soon after waking is a real issue for me when it hits. Stretching and working the calf, good in-step support plus forcing myself to use correct gait and not limp (makes the leg muscles work) - all help me.

And codeine when it really hurts (as suggested by my GP and Physio).

Acc. to the best med. advice so far Paracetamol is an anti-inflam on par with, and with fewer side-effects than, prescrip. meds.

Yep Cheesand, that's what the box says. Important to observe the advice.

Paracetemol has a VERY weak anti-inflammitory effect, it's not in the same class as non-steroidals such as brufen and aspirin. Paracetemol will treat the pain of plantar fascitits, not the inflammation.

The maximum dose of ordinary panadol (500mg per tab) should not exceed 4g a day and should be taken 1g every 6 hours. Panadol Osteo (650mg each tablet) should not exceed 3.9g a day and should be taken 1.3g (2 tabs) every 8 hours. As another member has stated, panadol can ruin your liver but only if taken in excessive amounts. Your liver will be okay if panadol is taken as above. If you do have known liver disease then avoid panadol altogether. Panadol is safe to your kidneys (panadol is processed by your liver).

Anti-inflammitories are great however can cause gastritis and ulcer. You MUST take anti-inflammitories with food.

Originally Posted by Kidbee

Having a bout of the above. Sore heel when I get out of bed in the morning and after I have been on my feet all day.

I wear elastic sided steel caps as work boots. Has anyone discovered a particular boot that helps the condition?

Any home remedy for plantar fasciitis?

Would like to hear from you if you can help.

Gary

I suffered from PF very badly and at the time I had a desk job so was lucky not having to do a lot of walking. I tried physio and on his advice went to see a sports doctor who wanted to give me an injection. I am a born coward so there was no way that was going to happen, just the thought of it is bad enough so we came to a compromise. He used a machine to infuse the cortisone through the skin and the improvement was very noticeable. I then moved to a new job where I was walking constantly and I had big issues with sore feet so I had to change my footwear before I finished up a cripple. I went to Blue Steel high ankle boots which were a revelation, like walking on air and I do walk at least 5 km a night in my job. i can pinpoint when it started, I was exercising on a walking machine and started to get sore heels so I stopped but it was too late. I also have another issue, I never wear shoes being barefoot at all times unless I have to put them on for protection etc and this I am told does not help. Stretching exercises are a must and cortisone won't work on its own, you need both if you go down that path.

Thanks Scott.

My GP (who specialises in geriatrics) put me onto P. Osteo after a long time on Celebrex and after that on Mobic (a week at a time max given the Vioxx scare). His opinion was that it had an anti-inflammatory effect and I've found that to be true with respect to my hands. Celebrex apparently loses its effectiveness after about 6 months anyway, and Mobic gives me gut pain.

I should've said Paracetamol for back pain has been found to be as good as NSAIDS inc the Cox-2 inhibitors (see the Cochrane summary). My apologies.

The other thing that comes out of quality research on drug effects is that there can be a lot of variation in outcome person by person so what works for me may not for you etc. And that the placebo effect can be as high as 60%.

That said, I only use P. Osteo when needed and no longer have any faith in meds except as a window to allow other work to happen.

Hi,
Had the same problem, Physio recommended sitting down and rolling golf balls under my arches. Hurt at the start but now no more problems and, took a couple of weeks.

Originally Posted by Kidbee

Having a bout of the above. Sore heel when I get out of bed in the morning and after I have been on my feet all day.

I wear elastic sided steel caps as work boots. Has anyone discovered a particular boot that helps the condition?

Any home remedy for plantar fasciitis?

Would like to hear from you if you can help.

Gary

Originally Posted by spanner24

Hi,
Had the same problem, Physio recommended sitting down and rolling golf balls under my arches. Hurt at the start but now no more problems and, took a couple of weeks.

Yup, me too. I was told to work the whole bottom of the foot. Worked a treat.

Had this some years ago, tried many things with not a lot of success until I happened to see a different doctor who gave me a particular stretching exercise, fixed it in a few weeks and I've never had the problem since.