Heel Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis

[spncity]

While happy to find Telic footwear ten days ago, which helped a lot, I was still hobbling around after a month.

Finally went to the foot specialist. Doc says I have two small-to-medium heel spurs (one is worse than the other) and plantar fasciitis. He prescribed stretching exercises for the feet (and icing) and described other options (such as wearing a boot at night that stretches what needs to be stretched, and shots to the heel.)

Got the shot in one heel and experienced relief right away. He does a series of three shots (if needed). I think I'll opt for the shot to the other foot also and we'll see how things go. This seems like the appropriate emoticon:

I'd be interested in comments if you care to post. For example - if you got the shot or shots to the heel - did it last?

Kindest regards.

 

[H2ODude]

I'm a wuss; the idea of a needle in my heel is not appealing!

I'd been a long time runner and about 2 years ago came down with PF. Read a lot on internet, did the rolling of a frozen can under the foot (helped) and tried the sock that holds your toe up (didn't work). Finally saw Dr. and received 6 weeks of therapy; I really don't think it did much. Put the electrodes on to drive the meds in, stretching, massage, meh.

In the end I've pretty much given up trail running, will do some miles on flat and now do mountain biking, which cost me a broken collarbone. The PF comes occasionally, and mildly, but when it does I lay off the running. Noticeable in morning when get up or if lay on couch like a potato.

PF is an inflammation and not sure there is a cure. I don't like meds, even over the counter so have just learned to live with it. Oh, and the physical therapist said that MY calf was not tight, hence the boot or sock holding toe up unlikely to have an effect, for whatever that's worth. Good luck!

One other thing; Dr. prescribed silicone heel cups. Got one pair, ordered another on web; Pro Care? Not cheap, $40 but WAY more better than Dr Scholls's at Walgreen.

 

[AllDone]

Steroid injections cause atrophy of the fat pad on the heel which is the one place that you want as much fat as possible. Stretching and icing are much alower, but more effective in the long run. You can buy the plantar fasciitis brace in the foot brace section of any drugstore for about $20.

 

[braumeister]

If you're talking about cortisone shots, I think you'll find (like me and several others I know) that the first one is a great relief but subsequent shots are a waste of time and money.

My advice would be to keep trying different sports podiatrists until you find the one who really helps you.

 

[Sue J]

I've had this twice. With the first one I had many Dr appts, hydrotherapy, an elastic arch cuff and then finally the cortisone injection in the foot which helped the most.

The next time I had this I returned to using the elastic cuff left over from the previous occurrence. The Dr also recommended flexing my feet with an elastic band before getting out of bed. I still do this and have not had a recurrence.

I'm also using heel cups in certain shoes. They are a soft, but firm waffle construction.

The elastic arch cuff I found at www.footsmart.com They have all kinds of things for many different foot issues. They also have shoes in all sizes, widths and heights.

 

[splitwdw]

First time, family doctor said no problem and gave me a needle in my heel. PAINFUL!!! But cured it. Second time, thoughts of the pain from the needle made me put off for months getting treatment. I tried tennis balls, shoe inserts, heel support, arch support, night splints. I heard these woman at the gym raving about this podiatrist so I got his name. He was super. Older man that only worked a few days a week. Said he did not like to use the needle in heel. He used ultrasound on my heel for about 10 minutes and I never had any more pain. That was 3 years ago.

 

[Theseus]

First go-round with plantar fasciitis was many years ago. Got some great advice from an old-timer podiatrist - he asked to see my work boots, after a very brief look at them he told me to throw them in the trash. Maybe he felt a little guilty, as he never did send me a bill, but the advice he gave was worth a small fortune! He told me to go buy some real boots, with good, solid support for the arch. From that day on, I've avoided the low priced - low quality work boots, saw an immediate improvement. Did end up opting for the needle once after that when a flare-up became unbearable - that experience (the needle) was not pleasant. More recently have been using the custom fit kiosk at Wal-Mart to get "custom fit", albeit mass produced, Dr. Scholl's orthotics at a decent price with great results even after some very long days on my feet.

 

[RunningBum]

Steroid injections cause atrophy of the fat pad on the heel which is the one place that you want as much fat as possible. Stretching and icing are much alower, but more effective in the long run. You can buy the plantar fasciitis brace in the foot brace section of any drugstore for about $20.

No personal experience but this is what I've heard as well. And steroid/cortisone injections in general shouldn't be overdone.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I have had a recurrence of heel pain lately from dance exercise videos. It seems to match the heel spur symptoms. This has happened before and replacing dancing with yoga, especially calf and foot stretches, always cured it after a few days. Yoga has helped but this time it is not going away. I bought Dr. Scholl's gel heel pads from Target and they have helped. I can still go for walks but not long hikes.

I am going to try replacing my shoes next as I think the cushion has worn down in mine.

 

[H2ODude]

Daylate's response reminds me. When I did see the Dr. and we discussed the PF and it's relationship to running, he advised that I was at the age (62 at the time) when yoga could offer considerable benefits and I should consider substitute it for some of the pounding. It did help but I must admit I've fallen off a bit. You can get Yoga apps for your I pad for free, I've used and they can really give you a workout.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I had it bad in one heel about 8 years ago and since I'm an active tennis player I had to find a solution. I tried the ice and the expensive custom orthotics and although they helped reduce the pain they didn't eliminated it. Then I had one cortisone shot that did the trick for me immediately and I never had a problem since.

 

[eytonxav]

DW is dealing with PF right now. Dr gave her the boot to wear, some shoe inserts, and some exercises to do. Dr said this can take a while to treat, and the longer it goes untreated the more difficult it is to overcome. Dr did not offer shots, but did provide some numbing cream.

 

[Silver]

I have had PF in my right foot for 8 months now. The pain is still pretty bad, although slightly less than when it started. I've read as much as I can find about PF, and it all seems centered around avoiding continued injury and calming the inflammation.

I do the stretching, ice bottle rolling, and massage diligently. I wear a rigid night splint that keeps the foot dorsiflexed at pretty much a right angle which definitely helps. I wear the splint whenever I am sitting for more than a few minutes.

I have tried perhaps 8-10 different OTC orthotics and have found that Sof Sole High Arch Firm Support (Amazon) work the best for me. They are very thick and provide the most cushion of any I have tried. I wear them in my walking shoes for at least 10 hours a day. For when sports shoes won't do I found Orthaheel shoes online and QVC sells them. They are the most comfortable and attractive of anything else I've found.

I read that Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) helps inflammation, so I am currently taking 2000mg daily plus using a cream that has msm in it to massage the foot. Not sure yet that it has made much of a difference.

I am considering buying a small ultrasound machine and trying it. I have heard that this can help...just haven't made the investment yet.

I know of three people who saw podiatrists with their PF and felt that they were not helpful at all. They just wanted to sell them custom orthotics for $400 and injections. One had two cortisone injections and lost about 60% of her heel pad and is in much worse shape now. So I have stayed away from them.

I am concerned that it has lasted this long and hope it doesn't become chronic. Most literature says that PF resolves within 9 months 90% of the time. I'm hoping mine will.

 

[Alan]

I had PF about 3 years ago and it took about 7 months to fix. I had left it far too late to address as I was on an extended vacation of 7 months doing lots of hiking and just put up with the pain. The treatment included stretching exercises, shoe inserts from Academy Sports as per the foot doc, OTC Naproxen, icing, stretching foot over a bottle of frozen water, and finally a cortisone shot. He wouldn't give me a shot until the pain was very localized. I also tried using the overnight stretching boot and stopped playing tennis during this extended period.

Since then I recognize the symptoms and immediately do the stretching exercises if I feel any heel pain. He didn't do any X-Rays to look for heel spurs, just ultrasound to confirm swelling, as he said bone spurs are rarely the cause.

I also continue to wear the foot inserts (replaces the inner sole) in all my shoes/boots, costs about $30 / pair, and change my shoes and boots more regularly. The old boots I was wearing for the hiking when this happened were very well worn down - stupid me for changing them or at least replacing the insoles

 

[springnr]

I had some pain in 2011, did not seek medical help, guess luck was on my side as it is a fading memory.

I did order and use this foot rocker, seemed to help.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Daylate's response reminds me. When I did see the Dr. and we discussed the PF and it's relationship to running, he advised that I was at the age (62 at the time) when yoga could offer considerable benefits and I should consider substitute it for some of the pounding. It did help but I must admit I've fallen off a bit. You can get Yoga apps for your I pad for free, I've used and they can really give you a workout.

My problem is I have to get the dog interested in yoga to help me with motivation. He bugs me all day long to go for walks, but not to do yoga.

Part of my problem is my foot is tight because my posture has gotten off kilter. The tightness kind of zig zags from a tight left shoulder to right hip to left foot. So really I know the only long term solution for me is going to be an hour of yoga a day for at least a month to reverse engineer all the tight spots. I have been down this road before. I was just hoping for a quicker fix but it looks like it is not going to happen this time. My heel won't get better until I get my shoulder and hip moving freely, too.

 

[Alan]

FYI, the insoles I was recommended and use are Spenco Polysorb Total Support, and I see that they are available on Amazon for $30

http://www.amazon.com/Spenco-Polysorb-Total-Support/dp/B000Q8LFX2

 

[Ally]

After 3 shots in my heel over 2 years, the PF never has returned. I love that it's gone. I wouldn't hesitate to get the shots again, but he said that usually 3 shots takes care of it forever. Yay! Good luck on your heels.

He also suggested Chaco sandals and they are wonderful help to PF. They last for years, and you can throw them in the wash, too.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I thought I would report back with an update. My heel is close to back to normal for the first time in several weeks. I have been doing more yoga and especially think these two poses seemed to help me the most -

Thunderbolt Pose - this is the yoga pose I found most often mentioned for heel pain.

Wide Angle Forward Bend - only instead of bending straight forward I tried to touch my nose to the knee on the leg with the heel pain, since my torso muscles were shorter on the opposite side. This helped lengthen the torso muscles on the shortened side and reverse course on the tight parts.

We were able to go for a hike again this weekend and I even ditched the heel gel cups. I hope everyone else who was still having heel problems when this thread was first started is feeling better, too.

 

[spncity]

Thanks for continuing to comment on this thread with what has worked/is working for you.

I'm the one who had one shot in one heel - with significant relief right away.

After hearing about the risks and reading about heel fat pad atrophy, I thought I'd try the stretches for now, although I'm probably not consistent enough. I'm also staying in the Telic shoes except for walks when I use Z-Coil hikers.

So, you might think this is hokey, but after reading a lot about the risks of the shots, I noticed my heel was hurting more. I'd also been reading about placebos some, so I wondered if reading about a condition which could happen to me (but had not happened to me) could be throwing me off. And, conversely, could I get back to the previous sense of feeling relief in heel pain? I started visualizing the visit to the doctor and how much relief I had felt at that time. I started saying to myself, "Wow, that really helped!" and "It feels better now." Within a day, the foot felt better (I'm not saying it actually was better, just felt better).

Also not saying I can "think" my way out of plantar fasciitis, but the mind is very powerful.

I appreciate all the comments and those who posted about the risks. If I go for more treatment, I'm thinking about going to a different doctor for a second opinion and to see if that person discloses the risks of shots or has anything to add with physical therapy.

Kindest regards.

 

[kcowan]

Mine acts up after days of barefoot living around the house. Still use special shoes for going out with good success. It is now 15 months since the injury.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Mine acts up after days of barefoot living around the house. Still use special shoes for going out with good success. It is now 15 months since the injury.

I can't walk barefoot either, even in the house. I bought a cushy mat for the shower so I wasn't standing barefoot on hard tile.

 

[W2R]

While happy to find Telic footwear ten days ago, which helped a lot, I was still hobbling around after a month.

Finally went to the foot specialist. Doc says I have two small-to-medium heel spurs (one is worse than the other) and plantar fasciitis. He prescribed stretching exercises for the feet (and icing) and described other options (such as wearing a boot at night that stretches what needs to be stretched, and shots to the heel.)

Got the shot in one heel and experienced relief right away. He does a series of three shots (if needed). I think I'll opt for the shot to the other foot also and we'll see how things go. This seems like the appropriate emoticon:

I'd be interested in comments if you care to post. For example - if you got the shot or shots to the heel - did it last?

Kindest regards.

My sympathies! I have not had that condition since 2001-2002, but I was utterly miserable with a severe case of PF and Achilles tendonitis; I was almost unable to walk at all for about six months or a year. Custom orthotics, good supportive shoes, ice, gentle stretching, and most of all, resting my feet, helped me to recover.

Like Alan, I can perceive the slightest twinge that might indicate a return of this condition. So when I do feel that, I start applying the measures that helped me way back then. I have had no recurrences.

I spent $1200 on shoes that year. Switching (good, supportive) shoes from time to time seemed to help. I never went to a doctor or got a shot because I was too chicken.

 

[Which Roger]

I had a bad case a few years ago. I used the boot to stretch gently and got custom orthotics. That did the trick, and it hasn't recurred. I weaned myself from the orthotics and eventually stopped using them altogether. They were great for healing, but long-term use makes the feet weak.

 

[W2R]

I had a bad case a few years ago. I used the boot to stretch gently and got custom orthotics. That did the trick, and it hasn't recurred. I weaned myself from the orthotics and eventually stopped using them altogether. They were great for healing, but long-term use makes the feet weak.

I don't use them any more either. But I still wear only good, supportive shoes that I know work for me (certain models of New Balance and Birkenstocks, in my case).