Leg and foot pain

[FitChick]

I mentioned the plantar fasciitis before, in another thread. I could use some advice for day to day survival of this crap, if anyone else has it too.

(I shouldn't have to include this disclaimer on THIS board as I do on the fitness forum, but I will anyway)....ITS NOT MY WEIGHT...I weigh 135 lbs currently. Its OVERUSE in my case. The causes of plantar fasciitis are several....overuse...sitting too much....standing too much....pregnancy....yes extra weight can aggaravate it but it does not AFAIK CAUSE it.

I work out 90 mins daily, 5 days/wk and have for almost 5 years. NO problem until a few months ago when we started making plans to move. I began doing lots of packing, heavy lifting of boxes, etc...IN ADDITION TO my daily exercise routine. They tell me THAT is what caused it. So until we finish moving, I reduced my exercise to 60 mins.

But first thing in the AM the pain is horrid. My 80 yr old mother lent me one of her walkers (egads)...and I use that first thing in the AM to get to the bathroom, and a cane periodically the rest of the day. I have inserts in my shoes and roll an ice cold can of soda on my heels and arches when the pain is too much. And to make matters worse, because I was (without realizing it) shifting my weight to my left leg/foot to avoidf putting too much pressure on the right foot (the one with PF), now my left knee is swollen and feels like its going to "pop"! %$#$!!!!

Does anybody have any other ideas? My dr said he can give me drugs for it but I want to try natural remedies if any.

HELP!!


Here is an article about this %$#$%'ing condition:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-78-79-0-533,00.html

[missaf]

Have you seen a podiatrist? I strongly encourage you to do so if not. They will look at your feet, how you're walking, take soft tissue x-rays, and also spend time with therapy ideas and probably send you to physical therapy to help with the pain.

Beyond that (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/8/1680_54532.htm), there are shots and there is foot surgery that can be done, but I'm not an advocate unless it's totally necessary. My mom developed a wicked staph infection in the hospital with this surgery and it was not a fun experience for her.

[OriginalCyn]

I had P.F. when I was in my mid-30s--it was only in one foot, if memory serves. It'd hurt like Hell when I first got up in the mornings, and the pain would lessen as I'd go about my day.

The doc (I worked in a hospital at the time and was lucky to have free on-the-spot medical care there) said that mine was a classic case of P.F., in that the pain is typically bad only after one first awakens and starts to move about, that it lessens throughout the day as one "walks it out." (The trick, I suppose, is to get through the initial pain and DO some walking.)

Anyway...
He gave ne a shot of steroids in my heel (He said, "You're gonna hate me!" just before he stuck me with a HUGE needle, and it DID hurt like crazy), and the pain eventually lessened and has not recurred.

I'm a big advocate of "natural" cures. So I'm sorry that I have none to share with you today.

[BBWMoon]

Due to the fact that I reawakened my back injury last fall, I began walking incorrectly with my weight shifted to my right side.

I had surgery in my left leg as a teen, and I always baby my left leg unknowingly.

I damaged the ligaments in my right foot to a point where I could hardly walk, and the pain was almost too much.

I found a podiatrist two months ago, that performs ultasound directly to the injury.

It's been two months, and I'm almost pain free in my foot. I've come a long way, and I'm walking very well now. :)

I strongly urge you to go to a podiatrist.

[JMNYC]

Had the same thing in January. Ran 11 miles in Central Park on a Saturday, no problem, ran 6 miles the following Monday, came home and could hardly walk.

First thing I did was get to a podiatrist, who x-rayed and examined the tootsies, and diagnosed plantar fasciitis. He said my feet naturally wanted to turn out, so I was to stretch feet and calves with feet turned in, pigeon-toed, instead of the usual self-taught stretches I'd been doing.

3 weeks later, after faithfully doing stretches, I was pain-free, and now I'm back out there doing 5-milers.

See a doc!

[FitChick]

Thanks to everyone, I'm calling my dr as soon as I get off. If I remember, he has a podiatrist on staff there (or was it a cardiologist?)

One thing that has helped (but only for a short time), is a hamstring-calf stretch that I found at a sports medicine site. They say PF is often caused by a tight hamstring or calf.

The pain IS much worse first thing in the AM, and I do find it lessens as I walk, but if I stand or walk TOO much that day, its horrible by nighttime. Ditto for SITTING too much too. Maybe PF is the body's way of telling us "all things in moderation", even sitting and standing!:doh:

[EbonySSBBW]

I also was inflicted with that horrible pain and again, the mornings were the worst. I did my own research and found a night splint to be very helpful. I wore it while sleeping (for a few months) and the pain in the morning was almost nonexistent since my foot was stretched all night. I am now pain free. I hope it stays that way because I work out 4-5 times per week for 45 min and I weigh 440lbs. Good-luck with it all...I feel for ya.

[Rosie]

Wow, thanks for the info! I'm going to try that next time mine flares up.

[Rosie]

I have it, too though thankfully have not had a flare up for quite some time now. I find it imperative to have lots of cushioning in my footwear. My mom had it and she bought pieces of foam and cut them to fit in the heel of her shoe. I have also heard the tip to take a mini pad (sanitary napkin) and fold backwards so that the padded part is on the outsides of the fold and slip in the heel of your shoe. I have tried that using half a dozen or so panti-liners (because that's all I had at the time) and that helped, too. Hope this info is of some help to you.

*Edited to correct a typo.

[FitChick]

What works for me is: gel arch/heel supports. It helps a lot but does not totally eliminate the pain. AIRPLUS I find is the best brand, and Dr Scholls works too.

[RedHead]

Ditto on the steroid shot....ahhhhhh it soothes.

[mossystate]

Yup, have also had problems with this.One thing that helps is to not go barefoot too much.Also, before I stand up in the AM, I gently massage my feet.I was using splints as well, but I stopped after the most horrible of flare-ups.I know weight is not always a cause, but I also know I never had this in the past.

[FitChick]

Yup, have also had problems with this.One thing that helps is to not go barefoot too much.Also, before I stand up in the AM, I gently massage my feet.I was using splints as well, but I stopped after the most horrible of flare-ups.I know weight is not always a cause, but I also know I never had this in the past.


Weight does not *cause* plantar, but it can and does *aggravate* it. I started getting it a couple of months ago (first time ever in my life), and it started after I began doing heavy lifting and boxing of moving crates, etc, *in addition to* my regular exercise. Its more often thasn not an overuse injury, common to runners, dancers, and people like me who overdo it (shrug)

BTW I used to be over 300 lbs and never had it. I've been well under 200 for the last few years, and in the last few months is when I first got it. So you can see weight doesnt always even aggravate it, let alone cause it.

[mossystate]

ok..fit chick..ok..ok..ok..ok..ok..ok

[BBWBelle]

I gave myself a rollicking case of plantar fasciitis last winter when I spent a month in a cold old farmhouse painting and fixing things on hardwood floors in bare feet. D'oh! Not too bright of me.

Finally breaking down and away from the Tennessee stereotypical barefoot girl thing that'd been my personal trademark for so very many years, I started wearing shoes with good support. That plus stretching with a soda can or tennis ball under my heel helped immensely.

I considered purchasing one of those contraptions that stretches your heel tendons as you sleep; getting up and stepping on those hardwood floors in the morning was agony. I never did buy one, but they sure look like a good idea. *shrug*

[FitChick]

Do you find the pain is inconsistent, and comes and goes? Sometimes for maybe an hour, I have no pain. Then, I'll have it for a few hours for no apparent reason.

Something a guy told me to do on a runner's forum: NEVER walk barefoot, EVER. He also said, first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed, put on your sneakers with arch/heel support. He said he knows its a pain in the butt to do that just to go to the bathrm, but I have been doing it and it makes it SO much easier to get to the bathroom! I put them on and use my mom's old walker, and the pain is greatly lessened.

One thing I found on my own: don't overdo physical activity. If I need to walk somewhere, or need to go to Walmart/Kmart/whereever (lots of walking in those stores), I save it for the days when I don't exercise. Ditto for any heavy housework...save it for my "days off".

Oh, and YES that ice cold soda can is the absolute best when the foot just can't take the pain anymore! I keep a can of cream soda in the fridge just for that (I use cream because nobody here likes it, and so they won't forget and drink it, lol!)