Planter Fasciitis - What Works

I have found something called a PSC "Pronation / Spring Control" worked best to stop the pain cause my my PF. I wore the PSC for a few weeks under my running shoe, and the pain got less and less, I highly recomend the product to everyone I know.

http://pattstrap.com/product_info.php?products_id=34

Anybody tried this?

http://plantarfasciitis.sonicrelief.com/

I think PF is one of those things where everyone is an experiment of one, so take this for what it's worth.

I had it for over a year and what seemed to work for me was going to less shoe. Wave riders to wave precisions and even some running in Nike Frees. It could have just been a coincidence though. Maybe I strengthened my feet? Maybe the greater sole flexibility put less stress on it? I don't know, but I'm not going back to cushiony shoes.

Initially, what provided the most immediate relief was "The Sock" and taping, but that never "cured" it. I wore the sock every night for over a year.

One thing that's important to consider is that there is a difference between getting rid of PF and preventing recurrence. So commonly listed 'cures' should be divided into separate categories:

While you have PF (inflamed/torn tissue), you don't want to unduly strain the area and aggravate the inflammation:

- make sure your arch is supported, especially when putting

stress on the foot:

- cheap store-bought arch supports

- no barefoot walking

- taping the arch

- make sure the calf muscles don't pull on the plantar

region:

- stretch calf muscles frequently

- don't put strain on the area when the tissues are cold:

- do some foot exercises (& perhaps massage) to get the

blood flowing before getting up in the moring

As the affected area heals, you want to make sure it does not heal short, or you'll re-tear/re-inflame it as soon as you put some stress on it:

- wear a night splint

- make sure you don't hold the foot at an angle (as though

wearing heels) for long periods during the day

- so don't wear heels

- when sitting at desk, move the foot frequently, and

try to keep the calf stretched

- keep blood flowing and keep the area loose as much as

possible, e.g. by rolling over a ball or a bottle

Once healing is on its way, and you can run (perhaps with tape) without aggravating anything, you want to start working on strengthening & stretching those areas to prevent recurrence:

- at this point, I think barefoot walking/running,

within limits, is actually advisable

(relatedly, more miminal shoes may also be good)

- calf raises work well for a lot of people

- continue to be diligent about stretching both after

runs and before going to bed

- do frequent exercises of the kind often prescribed

in discussions of PF (e.g. scrunch up a towel with

your toes)

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I've been dealing with this dang thing forever and I'm starting to get desperate, I am prone to fall victim to anything that looks like it might work.

If spending $200 on this would cure it, I'd gladly do it. however I dont' want to just flush good money down the toilet.

I think that Freddy's post was as good as it gets.

I had it for 20 months and tried at least a dozen of the

most popular remedies. Almost everything worked a bit initially, but nothing seemed to cure it.

I started doing some hip,ankle and knee rehabilitation exercises that I found in Ron Clarke's book, "Run Easy"

around mid summer 2007.

In early August I entered the first annual HERC Open which was a 16 mile trek up and down a Vermont Ski Slope resort called Sugarbush. I distinctly recall feeling like one of the feet feeling like it might be totally torn while climbing one of the slopes on all fours. A couple of days later I was on a run when it dawned on me that I was relatively p/f pain free for the first time in 20 months.

I think the exercises might be the reason, but I also think that the extreme exertion of the ski slope hike/run might have helped. I also think that time could have been the factor.

Basically I don't f.....g know what healed it for certain.

I do know that a lot of things that others swore cured them did not work for me. That is why Freddy's post made as much sense to me as anything else.

I tried two sessions of ART and it really seems to help. I feel as good as Ive felt in a long time.

I Highly recommend trying this for PF.

I've had it for over two months. As long as I don't run it feels great. Whenever I run it hurts the next day.

I will try the golf ball and icing hard. Hopefully mine isn't too serious although I do recall limping everywhere the first two weeks I had it.

For those like myself that do not have easy access to a store that carries various gear etc to help planter fascitis, Footsmart www.footsmart.com carries quite a bit including a planter fascitis kit.

All the information posted here is good. I have had some bad times with PF. I finally got a pair of insoles that are very stiff and have a high arch. They felt weird at first, but I was better within a few days of easy running. I can't recall where the insoles came from, I found them on the web after a google search. I am sure there are many good insole options. The softer ones at the drugstore did not help. Look for a very stiff insole (mine are like a board) with a good high arch.

This thread is a little like plantar fasciitis.

It's been lingering for more than 3 years, lots of inflamed activity in 2005, seemed to go away, recurred again in March, seemed to go away, and now it's back again in May.

Since I had a mild case last year, which I think is gone now, I'll add my 2 cents.

I think for me it's gone now, but here is a summary of what I think works:

1) Stop injuring it

2) Reduce the inflammation (ice, ibuprofen, aspirin, cortisone)

3) Gradually start stretching the PF (but don't reinjure it), plus the achilles, the calf, and the hamstring

4) Strengthen the foot with barefoot exercises

5) Gradually start training again

Shoes - there are 2 opposing camps:

1) Get shoes with the right support

2) Strong shoes make weak feet (but you can always strengthen your foot with exercises)

Other tips:

1) Ice shortly after exercise

2) Heat later

3) I didn't use either, but "The sock" looks more comfortable than splints for morning pain

4) I did buy a "footlog" for a complete foot massage, instead of a golf ball. Can't promise it worked with all the other stuff, but it does "hurt so good".

5) I ran 6 weeks at 50%, and then took 5 weeks off completely. This seems to be enough to completely lose aerobic fitness, which took 12 weeks to come back.

Good luck everyone,

I had PF for about 8 months last year. tried the cortisone shots and night splint.... no luck

stretch your feet (ie pull back on your toes) for 5-10 minutes BEFORE GETTING OUT OF BED and then several times during the day.

took a couple weeks for the pain to go away, but this was mostly because i started running again

full strength now. still need to stretch every now and then, but can wear sandals and walk bearfoot, etc