A profound farewell to my flip-flops. Seriesly!1 Plantar fasciitis (fa-see-EYE-tis)

[UTUSN]

One of the MAJOR pleasures and benefits of being a certain age has been wearing shorts and flip-flops every day, almost exclusively. In fact, the only time I dress UP is to go to the social hour.

Well, cutting to the chase, I've had a severe pain in the right heel for about a month. The doctor just said to use sole inserts. I had heard that flip flops are bad, but so long as I wasn't having consequences, was GETTING AWAY WITH IT, I just kept on.

Well, at the social hour, where I learn from carpenters, mechanics, and others, there was a medical technician. He said, "I know EXACTLY what you've got: PLANTAR FASIITIS." And he told me to loop a towel over the toes and keep the foot stretched back for 5 minutes three times per day.

When I tried it, it didn't hurt, and seemed to help a LITTLE bit. There was also an advertisement in the paper, half a page, describing EXACTLY all my symptoms: Pain ON THE BOTTOM OF ONE HEEL, in the morning when stepping off the bed, sometimes lessening after awhile.

Anyway, cutting it short, I was getting to the point of asking the doctor for a referral to a foot specialist, then did what should have been done, Googled it:

Everything doing WRONG, I have been doing: Flip flops all day, obese (remember the correct definition as opposed to the mental image), doing the treadmill barefoot, standing long (4 1/2 hrs at a time). Runners, dancers, and pregnant women get it, along with the flip floppers.

Actually, the websites don't make a big deal of the treatments: The TOWEL method IS one of the recommendations, also rolling a cold soda can with the foot, ice, aspirin---unless it's worse, surgery, shots.



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http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ei=3V0ySoWrFJLaMcyeyYIK&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=plantar+fasciitis&spell=1


http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis (say "PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus") is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.

Plantar fasciitis is common in middle-aged people. It also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot, like athletes or soldiers. It can happen in one foot or both feet.

What causes plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These can lead to pain and swelling.

This is more likely to happen if:

Your feet roll inward too much when you walk (excessive pronation).
You have high arches or flat feet.
You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces.
You are overweight.
You wear shoes that don't fit well or are worn out.
You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles.

What are the symptoms?
Most people with plantar fasciitis have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps, but your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time.

If you have foot pain at night, you may have a different problem, such as tarsal tunnel syndrome.

How is plantar fasciitis diagnosed?
Your doctor will check your feet and watch you stand and walk.

He or she will also ask questions about:

Your past health, including what illnesses or injuries you have had.
Your symptoms, such as where the pain is and what time of day your foot hurts most.
How active you are and what types of physical activity you do.
Your doctor may take an X-ray of your foot if he or she suspects a problem with the bones of your foot, such as a stress fracture.

How is it treated?
No single treatment works best for everyone with plantar fasciitis. But there are many things you can try to help your foot get better:

Give your feet a rest. Cut back on activities that make your foot hurt. Try not to walk or run on hard surfaces.
To reduce pain and swelling, try putting ice on your heel. Or take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), naproxen (such as Aleve), or aspirin.
Do calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when you first get up in the morning.
Get a new pair of shoes. Pick shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Or try heel cups or shoe inserts (orthotics). Use them in both shoes, even if only one foot hurts.
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[UTUSN]

1. A farewell kick

1) As a public service

2) Because I put a lot of effort into my useless posts

3) I got no ax to grind?!1

[Lars39]

3. Definitely not a useless post!

I think this is what I have in my left foot. :( I'm going to try some of those strategies. Thanks!:hi:

[marzipanni]

2. In May, Bertha Venation had a thread about PF -here's the link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=8781713

I only wear flip-flops part of the time because I feel like I have to clench my toes to keep them on unless they're new and snug.
Each night I flex my toes back and up and spread them out like a cat does. Then my feet feel fairly relaxed, and I fall asleep better w/o that tension.

Good luck with treating your PF!

[oregonjen]

4. I got desperate enough to use inserts with the flip-flops!

I'm used to going barefoot inside the house, which is a no-no. I decided to use the inserts on flip-flops inside and that helped. I even put inserts in my socks, so I didn't have to wear shoes inside. Outside the house, use good shoes, with support. It took about 6 months before it completely went away. Now, I can wear summer flats with no pain. Good luck!

[UTUSN]

6. I'm a WUSS for pain, whether there or in the tooth department. n/t

[UTUSN]

5. Thanks, All. You can't feel pleasure without feeling the opposite.

I enjoyed the barefoot life till now. They say the return to painless can be up to a year. I've gone THREE days without treadmill and I DON'T FEEL GUILTY!1

[Shell Beau]

7. Whaaaaat? You treadmill barefoot?

:o

[UTUSN]

8. Well, ONLY for about 9 years, will NOT do it from here on out!1

And, just to put myself into perspective, I know of this dude who jogs on the FRONTAGE of an expressway barefoot and has done it for (20-30?) years. Talk about CALLUSES!1

[Shell Beau]

10. Oh my! I can't believe he has any feet left!

:o

But treadmilling barefoot is better than not treadmilling at all! I guess anyway! :)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I think I got two plantar neuromas.

When I take my socks off and wiggle my toes, they are numb from the bottom of the toes to the middle of the foot in front of the heel.

[UTUSN]

11. I'm not a MD obviously, but numbness in extremities can be "neuropathy" (diabetes) n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. No numbness in arms or hands. Just bottoms of feet.

[CC]

12. There are flip flops out there you can wear

though they are pricey for flip flops. Have arch support and a heel cup to keep your feet aligned.





Recovering from two broken feet here and one was a Lisfranc Fracture, broken metatarsals and snapped all the tendons and ligaments, the other foot was a broken heel. I was dreading having to wear shoes all summer and never again wearing flips flops until I found the Orthoheel Waves . I can't wear them all day like I used to but then I am still relearning how to walk after being in a wheel chair for 6 months. Damn but you lose muscle fast when you don't use it. I can't walk barefoot on my left foot at all. :cry:

[Bertha Venation]

13. Something I've found that helps

Does a surprising amount of good, for how simple it is



not too expensive, either - $13

http://www.footsmart.com/P-FootSmart-Arch-Brace-10079.aspx

Congrats on your diagnosis - explains it all, doesn't it? :hi:

[raccoon]

17. I'll look for that. thanks for the heads up. nt

[femmocrat]

15. It scared the hell out of me when I first experienced it! OUCH

My PCP sent me to an orthodedic dr. who confirmed the diagnosis but told me nothing useful. I was really afraid I would have to have surgery. But one night I was watching the health reporter on our local news, and she explained it better than the doctor.

Instead of a towel, I use an old knee-high athletic sock to do the stretches. The pain does go away if you keep up with the treatment. I don't even use orthotics anymore.

I don't wear flip-flops, but have invested in some Birkenstocks. Good luck!

[gbate]

16. Kind of makes me glad I cannot wear flip flops. Can't stand that thing between my toes.

I have had plantar fascitis, though. I got it from doing step aerobics.

[raccoon]

18. I've been suffering from this since February. I've tried insoles,

exercises, ice, etc.

I have good days and bad days.


Thanks for this thread. I did a search on "plantar" and found it. I was going to start one myself if I didn't find one.

I think sometimes exercises make my feet hurt. I think maybe I do them too hard. I always tended to do things too vigorously, instead of doing them gently. Anybody know if the exercises could harm you if you do them too hard?

I've seen my GP and hate to go back when (1) I have to pay for everything out of pocket (lousy individual ins. policy), and (2) much of what you do to heal soft tissue is make lifestyle changes. I have tendinitis in my arms years ago and all the fucking Drs. I saw did was write me presciptions for anti-inflammatories. :grr:

[UTUSN]

19. You're welcome, & thanks to all for all the suggestions. Today I did treadmill after 3 or 4 days

of not doing it. I've been doing the towel thing, which seems to be helping somewhat.

As I said, I've been doing LOTS of WRONG things: Barefoot treadmilling, which I think is the main one, leading to the inward, flatfooted thing. The weight, which isn't going to be fixed overnight. The THIN layer type of flip-flop around the house on a hard, concrete/tile floor. (The flips I use out of the house are more cushioned.)

So in these resting up days, I've put on sneakers, even at home, and using the Spenco gel insoles the doctor recommended. As somebody said here, I've even put the insoles into the sneakers, AND the cushioned flips. However, the binding type of supports can be bad for the circulation for diabetics.

Besides everybody here, I've heard from the friends I've told and it seems like this is a very common condition, which I'd never heard of before, and the friends say they recovered, one by ONE massage, another doing the towel thing ONE time, like it happens but is not the drama I'm making it.

Maybe I went too long after it started (a month) before doing anything to fix it.

The treadmill with sneakers (and insoles) today was really different, really clunky and like ten more pounds were loaded onto the deck. I'm not having the sharp pain today, just a mild discomfort. Some of the websites say it can take months or a year to get over it.

And the poster with the broken extremities gave me a lot of perspective on my petty griping. Thanks again, everybody.

[uppityperson]

20. kick to mark and reply to later when I'm not dashing out the door to work

as a massage therapist and nurse, I've some thoughts for you but have to dash now.

[yy4me]

21. Unless someone has experienced foot pain, it is hard for others

to understand. I have Morton's Neuroma's in both feet. The left was made better with a cortisone shot. The right has 2 neuroma's, a bunion and my second toe is a little longer than it should be. The bunion was a result of years of wearing professional shoes to work--you know, pointed toes. I also found out I was flat footed-who knew?

For treatment for the Neuroma's, I had to have alcohol shots in that foot to kill the pain. Even now without wearing arch support, cushioned innersoles, I can not walk, the pain in the ball of foot is too great. Plus it is always swollen. When I first went to a podiatrist, he sent me to have orthotics made. One of the step in the foam box deals. The result was so bad, I could not walk with them in my shoes.

While visiting my daughter who is a Doctor, it was arranged for me to visit a Podiatrist in Indianapolis. Although he said the treatment was fine, the orthotics were entirely wrong. He took x-rays, examined my feet, made a CD and gave me a prescription for custom orthotics to be made here by a certain type of supplier who did not use that step in the foam box type fitting.

I guess with all this, you might want to know what I did. I did not have the money for the orthotics or the corrective surgery. I bought Profoot Miracle 2oz innersole. They are fantastic. The ball of the foot area wore out fairly quickly so I called the company for a suggestion as to another product they might have that would be better for me. They have been great in helping me. I am now wearing their Aero-3 Air-cell Insoles. Plenty of heel and arch support and the ball of the foot area is thicker. They also sent me the Ultra Gel Energizing insoles to try. I will start using them next week. All they asked of me was to give them a report as to what I liked and did not like about them.

My point, they make all kinds of foot care products, including some that would possibly make your situation better. Call their great customer service people, they know what they are talking about.
www.profootcare.com. My 2oz insoles were about $5.00 at WalMart. The new ones are more $$ but I don't care. Can't be that much and they have made a great difference in my life.

Big Plus: Made in USA!

Good Luck