I'm curious as to what podiatrist usually recommend for PF/heel spurs. Is the recommended treatment usually orthodics or lay off the running for awhile? I've been looking at the past threads for this topic and it looks like most podiatrist usually refer to orthodics for treatment and that the outcome after treatment usually ends up being worse than before.
the advise you spend LOTS of money on it
the podiatrist, finally was the one dr. that saved my career after floundreing around with orthopedic-sports drs. for a few years, who could only give me cortisone shots, (yes, they helped), but didn't solve the problem in the long run. The podiatrist took casts of my arches and made me soft orthotics to wear in my training and racing shoes. The pain slowly went away after a final round of shots in both feet and never came back after getting the orthotics.
Orthotics, physical therapy, stretching, etc.
An article by Dr. Fullem:
If you find a good one, everything an ortho will do and more. On average, most insurance companies want to see conservative care for about 6 months before reimbursement for surgery.
There are about 3-4 popular surgical treatments for PF although 85-90% of PF can be cured with conservative care, if the patient actually follows directions.
I personal thoughts would be visit some who knows this work,
http://www.mrtherapy.com/articles/article2.html
.
I am a MRT massage therapist, this stuff works, basically a much cheaper form of ART.
Now that I am using this MRT the results are nearly 90%
I also have been a victim of PF multiple times through a 32 years running career, so I know... it sucks. My hurts have been up to 3+ years, so get headed in the right direction NOW!
Where do you live? Look up a MRT person in your area.
You have tight muscles, nothing a shoe insert will help.
cant you become a massage therapist in like a week thru a course lol???
do all the conservative things listed here, but seriously folks, if you're suffering after more than one or two years, it's time to try eswt. non-invasive, bad outcomes nearly nonexistent.
fda-approved, so insurance should cover it.
Many insurance companies will not cover the shockwave therapy as their 'people' will look at the study done out of Australia that shows minimal results, due to the fact that is was done at too low of frequencies etc. but the couple major papers out of Europe show excellent results, depending on your state and/or your insurance carrier, it MIGHT be covered
got splits? wrote:
You have tight muscles, nothing a shoe insert will help.
that is not true. custom made orthotics cured my plantar fasciits. I was barely able to walk at one point and afterwards was able to go back to 100 mpw training with interval training as well with no more p.f. problems.
I remember Michelle Sikes (Wake Forest All American, now on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford) talking about her own PF. She said a split, that she wore while sleeping that gently stretched it, was what worked for her. Different people respond to different treatments though.
My kid's physical therapist is struggling with it right now though. She's tried several remedies. Hopefully, soon, you both will hit upon something that works.
pf expert wrote:
got splits? wrote:You have tight muscles, nothing a shoe insert will help.
that is not true. custom made orthotics cured my plantar fasciits. I was barely able to walk at one point and afterwards was able to go back to 100 mpw training with interval training as well with no more p.f. problems.
I side with got splits on this one. What's likely happeining is that pf expert's PF is due to a combination of tight muscles and bad foot mechanics. You fix the foot mechanics with orthotics in cases like this, and the PF goes away. The tight muscles are still tight, and treating that part is most effective against PF. If the muscles get tighter, PF may return and will not improve with orthotics.
ubiquitously, orthotics, cortisone shots and bigger shoes
Why should anyone listen to you? My patients are all different. Nothing is "ubiquitous" about sound podiatry. Conservative measures are many, and can be combined in thousands of different ways. While you continue to bash podiatry over and over again on this board, many of us realize you have only anecdotal evidence against "cortisone" shots and orthotics, barely a leg to stand on. Cortico-steroids are sometimes part of the answer, occasionally the only thing needed, and sometimes ineffective. Orthotics, done properly are helpful 90% of the time,; a higher percentage of success than let's say an appendectomy. Bigger shoes are for clowns.
My view wrote:
pf expert wrote:that is not true. custom made orthotics cured my plantar fasciits. I was barely able to walk at one point and afterwards was able to go back to 100 mpw training with interval training as well with no more p.f. problems.
I side with got splits on this one. What's likely happeining is that pf expert's PF is due to a combination of tight muscles and bad foot mechanics. You fix the foot mechanics with orthotics in cases like this, and the PF goes away. The tight muscles are still tight, and treating that part is most effective against PF. If the muscles get tighter, PF may return and will not improve with orthotics.
you and 'splits' are a couple of nut cases. say high to the tin man and scarecrow on your next run down the yellow brick road.
inserts may help in the short term, but come talk to me in a little while. All you will do is shorten the muscle(s) more & transfer the stress up into another joint up the chain. you are just marking time.
i had 3 sets of inserts, no help at all. most of the time they felt as though the "feel" of the surface was gone.
short tight muscles are the problem, not a lack of plastic or some oter material in your shoe.