Plantar Fasciitis site with tons of useful info

[omni550]

I know there are some other folks here also dealing with Plantar Fasciitis

In my quest to seek a solution, I stumbled on this young man's (William Prouse) youtube videos, which led me to his site Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide - Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide, which led me to buy his $4.95 e-book.

His comments on PF causes and cures make a lot of sense to me.

Mr. Prouse was very active, gymnast, surfer, etc. His very active daily routine led to over-training and eventually injuring his feet to the point where his PF had him wheelchair-bound for a few months. Through lots of study and research he figured out how to fix the issues which caused his PF and is now happily back to leading an active lifestyle.

He's got a ton of free info and videos on his site. I think almost everything in his book is on his site somewhere. He's also LBYM-oriented, often suggesting common household items (spatulas, cutting boards, wrenches) as tools to do the stretching and scraping exercises he recommends.

I finally think I have a handle on what my PF issues are and how to solve them. I've been applying his techniques for a few days and my PF heel pain is almost gone plus my ankle feels much stronger.

Turns out the orthotics and supportive athletics shoes I've been wearing aren't actually helping me in the long run. Who knew?

omni

 

[spncity]

I’ll check it out - thx!

 

[Helena]

.

Many years ago, I had similar foot problems. It was especially painful in the morning. I read somewhere that wearing good quality low heel mule/clog like shoes [shoes with no back] would help. So, for the past several years I have worn low heel clogs/mules exclusively and all my foot problems went away.

.

 

[ImThinkin2019]

Hi omni550! I really appreciate you posting this information. I have been suffering for about a year with foot pain. I did go to a doctor and get physical therapy which helped, but I don't want to keep paying for this. The site you referenced is great and contains a lot of info, including the type of therapy I paid for.

Thank you so much for this!!!

 

[omni550]

Hi omni550! I really appreciate you posting this information. I have been suffering for about a year with foot pain. I did go to a doctor and get physical therapy which helped, but I don't want to keep paying for this. The site you referenced is great and contains a lot of info, including the type of therapy I paid for.

Thank you so much for this!!!

You're most welcome! Thanks for confirming Mr. Prouse's material.

omni

 

[omni550]

Update: I've now been using Prowse's suggested stretches, scraping, and trigger point therapies for a little over 2 weeks. Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide - Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide

I start each day with his suggested toe/foot stretch while I'm still in bed. I do the scraping and trigger point activations daily. I am noticing minimal PF heel pain. The ankle discomfort I'd feel constantly during my 4-mile walks has disappeared. For my walks, I have switched to very unstructured mesh-like athletic shoes and stopped using my custom orthotics.

And as he predicted, I'm now finding new trigger points (current ones are deep in my upper calf muscle) that I'm working on.

My ankle, which I had injured/jammed 23 months ago and may have been the root cause of my PF, is feeling stronger overall.

Total cash outlay:

• $4.99 for his PF Survival Guide ebook (btw, most of the material is available free on his website, but it's handy to have in one reference document)
• $1.00 for cutting board "scraper" tool from the dollar store
• $9.45 for his recommended wood foot roller from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KK2RJC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 I keep it under my computer desk. Rolling it around allows for easily working out/massage of my feet while I peruse the interwebs.

So far, I'm very encouraged and pleased with my progress.

omni

 

[jetpack]

Thanks! His videos are nice a short and to the point! Love it.

My PF was just starting, so trying to nip it in the bud before it gets bad.

 

[omni550]

Another update: My progress continues.

I have found that I can easily do the calf trigger points after I wake up while still in bed and my muscles are relaxed and warm from being under the covers. It's easy to "cross my legs" while lying on my back, and use the knee of the non-PF leg to dig deep into the calf of the PF leg. Calf trigger points seem to have diminished about 90% after a few weeks of this. And as William Prouse had predicted, I just found a new trigger point on the 'in' side of my PF knee. It was initially quite tender, but it's improving daily with light massage.

Before getting out of bed, as recommended by Prouse's protocol, I also stretch my PF toes (by using my hand to flex the toes up towards my knee and hold them there) for 20 seconds. And I don't feel any PF heel pain when I get out of bed.

Hope any Pf sufferers here are finding relief, too.

omni

 

[Vacation4us]

For $19.99 you can buy a boot on Amazon for PF recommended by my podiatrist. Takes getting used to sleep in but it is my go to for PF. Cure in max 6 weeks. No exercises needed.

If you suffer from PF you should never go barefoot again.

 

[omni550]

For $19.99 you can buy a boot on Amazon for PF recommended by my podiatrist. Takes getting used to sleep in but it is my go to for PF. Cure in max 6 weeks. No exercises needed.

If you suffer from PF you should never go barefoot again.

Glad the boot worked for you, Vacation4us.

I tried one of those huge boots back in the early part of the year. It gave me NO relief, plus it was extremely un-conducive to getting a good night's sleep.

Personally, I'd rather do some exercise therapy and get my leg and foot system back to its healthy self.

I have been following Prouse's suggested protocol for about a month with great results as I've described above. He actually recommends walking barefoot (as that's what humans were designed to do) once you have addressed your PF issue.

As I mentioned up thread, I've also quit wearing my custom orthotics and stabilizing athletic footwear, as they were not helping my recovery.

I can feel that my ankle (injured 2 years ago and likely a contributor to my PF) has gotten much stronger, is pain free, and is more stable now as a result of releasing the trigger points and then scraping. The PF pain is virtually gone.

At my rate of improvement, I expect to be back to my normal pain-free existence very soon (and less than 6 weeks from start-to-finish)...and back to enjoying ballroom dancing (which I've been unable to do for the past 2 years).


omni

 

[TrophyWife]

If been able to get complete relief aside from some calf tightness by balancing minerals. I followed the root cause protocol which includes magnesium along with boron and whole food liver capsules. There are other supplements too. I was able to order my own labs and determined that I had iron overload and by working on all this my feet feel amazing. The podiatrists said I'd have it forever. LOL

 

[Vacation4us]

Snake oil? Liver capsules for someone who has too much iron in the blood or iron overload, I cry b**lsh**.

I guess if you think it works great.

Yes the boot can make sleep difficult but it works. You could wear it during the day if you sit for hours. The reason PF is worse in the morning is your foot relaxes and over extends the fascia wearing the boot allows the fascia to actually heal itself.

Walking barefoot no way our ancestors died long before they experienced Chronic PF, good luck to you. A gymnast would have to be barefoot.....I will stick with the MD.

 

[Boho]

What I do is stretch my foot gently several times a day. It helps reduce pain from walking when I get out of bed and I'm hoping it helps stretch stuff that needs stretching and promotes healing by increasing blood flow. I stand, bend my leg slightly, point my toes up (I bend my ankle as well as my toes), then gently straighten my leg until I decide there's too much resistance. I just to it a few times, like for 5-10 seconds several times a day. I feel tightness in my calf mostly on the leg with the bad foot which I figure is related to the PF.

Standing up and moving around ever 20-30 minutes is supposed to be good for other things too. A bit of exercise throughout the day could even prevent Alzheimer's disease (based on a recent study). The brain needs the blood flow and a once a day workout isn't enough. Similarly, PF takes so long to heal because there's poor blood flow to the inflamed area, so I try boosting the blood flow.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife's problem is Mid Foot Arthritis--on the top of the feet. She has zero cartledge in a joint on top of the foot. The fix is to use plates and screws to fuse the bones. It takes 7 weeks bed rest with zero pressure on the foot, and she needs that done times two.

So far, she's getting by with lidocaine lotion on top of Voltran Gel and taking OBD oil orally. Some days are worse than others.

Another problem is finding really good orthopedists that are foot specialists. We found one that didn't like to do foot surgeries like that. Another said surgery was 90% effective, and he would love to do it. But the time off doesn't work for our family situation.

 

[HadEnuff]

I had a terrible bout with PF about 5 years ago, in both feet, but especially bad in the left. Exercise and avoiding certain footwear (boots and golf shoes) and time took care of it. I am currently rehabbing a ruptured achilles tendon, and I can't do the exercises on that foot, and as I heal and progress with the achilles, I can feel little jolts of pain in the heal pad. I just hope I'm not heading for PF as I work towards getting my life back after the achilles deal.

 

[omni550]

I'm still working on the trigger points (which are lessening and interestingly, move from one location to another in my lower leg after a few days) and the toe stretching.

I can definitely feel that my ankle/foot has strengthened when I do my 4-mile walks.

I love walking barefoot now. And can't wait to be walking barefoot on the beach in Florida starting next week!

omni

 

[omni550]

PF issue is now 99% gone.

I now love walking barefoot (even on the tile floors here in my snowbird condo). And walking barefoot miles, pain-free, along the shore is heavenly.

I'm quite amazed that wearing unsupportive shoes and flip-flops can be so comfortable after a year of PF pain.

Hope all who have been following the "PF Survival Guide" protocol are enjoying similar positive results.

omni

 

[Monterey298sc]

2 years and still have PF. Have done about everything. Gets better when I don’t play golf. I walked 9 holes last week and my foot is back to killing me. I wear boot at night, stretch everyday, have inserts, Special shoes , Just will not go away. Love golf and don’t want to quit, so I play and live with the pain.

 

[Callitaday2022]

Boots at night usually don't work. Your foot just slides.
Try thesock.com and use as directed on web site.
I stretch every day and about 10 minutes total.
Pain gone for years now

 

[omni550]

Thought I'd post an update.

Due to the continuous improvement in pain reduction I've experienced in the past few months from having followed Prouse's protocol, I've stopped doing anything special as far as plantar fasciitis goes (like stretches, trigger points, scraping, exercises, etc.).

My first steps in the morning are painfree...and I sure hope they stay that way.

I'm wearing flip-flops or walking barefoot 95% of the time and don shoes only when cooler temperatures or social occasions require.

I sure hope others here have been successful in reducing their PF pain.

omni

 

[Z3Dreamer]

DW (no medical training, but she has been studying me for 40 years) just diagnosed me with PF. Thought I would revive this old thread. Have not studied Prouse's recommendations, but I began the recommended stretches. I also am wearing the old custom orthotics I have had sitting in the closet. I am already seeing some improvement.

I do have an appointment with a Podiatrist. Waffling over cancelling. I have not seen a Podiatrist in 10 years and I have flat feet. Maybe I should keep that appointment.

 

[Midpack]

I suffered with PF for months beginning in January, it was awful, especially for golf and walking for exercise. It hurt to even walk when I got out of bed each morning, I shuffled around like an old man as DW told me. But with the stretching exercises (bending and holding toes back & stretching on stair steps) and PowerStep insoles (not the cheapo drugstore ones) in my three most often worn shoes (golf, walking & casual daily) - I haven’t had that pain for months. The insoles feel a little strange at first (metatarsal pad), but I got used to it. I didn’t notice exactly when it stopped, just noticed recently that the pain is gone. I’m not doing the exercises anymore but I’ve continued with the insoles. Thank goodness. Golf buddy of mine got over it too, so there is hope.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/psa-living-with-plantar-faciitis-101769.html

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/psa-living-with-plantar-faciitis-101769.html#post2359454

 

[mh]

I suffered with PF for months beginning in January, it was awful, especially for golf and walking for exercise. It hurt to even walk when I got out of bed each morning, I shuffled around like an old man as DW told me. But with the stretching exercises (bending and holding toes back & stretching on stair steps) and PowerStep insoles in my three most often worn shoes (golf, walking & casual daily) - I haven’t had that pain for months. The insoles feel a little strange at first (metatarsal pad), but I got used to it. I didn’t notice exactly when it stopped, just noticed recently that the pain is gone. I’m not doing the exercises anymore but I’ve continued with the insoles. Thank goodness. Golf buddy of mine got over it too, so there is hope.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/psa-living-with-plantar-faciitis-101769.html

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/psa-living-with-plantar-faciitis-101769.html#post2359454

The same regimen also worked for me. You have to be disciplined and frequent on the stretching I found , to make it effective.

 

[Boho]

I've suffered with PF and done research too. You need to get good blood circulation to speed healing, so walk, but use good padded insoles. Scrapers and whatever help with circulation. I don't know if they have any other benefit or if they're too aggressive and do harm. I'd just make sure I move around and wear padded insoles.

I saw insoles at a medical supply place a few years ago and they were about $40-$50 but significantly thicker than regular drug store ones. I never tried them but I think they're a good idea. You can move around in them to get the blood flowing even if you're not strengthening your muscles and tendons and whatnot as much as you would be with less cushioning. At times when you can wear normal insoles without much pain, maybe do that to help condition you feet more.

 

[Sarpy]

Crocs Worked for Me

I've had PF before and tried numerous stretching exercises that didn't work for me. Just by chance, I had an old pair of Crocs I only rarely used and tried those for relief when walking. Really did the trick for me--as I remember, my PF resolved within a week or two.

A few years later, one of my sisters told me she had a horrible case of PF and had tried 'everything' as she said. She ordered a pair of Crocs and said they also solved the problem for her.

Every now & then you can see a review of Crocs online which will say the same thing.