Hi
I have plantar fasciitis myself for a few months now. My podiatrist prescribed me with Custom made orthotics which did not work at all. I understood that treatment efficiency is very individual. If something works for one maybe it will not work for the other. I have found Taping very useful.
Today as I am feeling much better with the pain I am doing a combination of stretching and strengthening exercises. I have found a good website summary explaining the subject of these exercises in:
http://www.plantar-fasciitis-elrofeet.com/plantar_fasciitis_exercises.html
Take care & Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: elrofeet

I also have Plantar fasciitis, in my left heel. I think it comes from being overweight, it also seems that it developed after entering Menopause, I'm not sure if there's a correlation, at least in my case, plus from not stretching enough. I do wear insoles and they help me extremely well. Google insoles for plantar fasciitis. There is a catalog that I received, which has some great products, it's called FeelGoodStore.com. Check it out!!

Good Luck!!!

ezri is right. It is individual.
I've had it since early August. I got it from walking in flip flops which I never used to wear. I have inflammation not only on my heel, but in the ball of my foot, so can't do some of the exercises.
I am getting better in very slow steps. If I overdo it, it gets worse.
Here is what I have done:
-bought heel spur orthotic for my shoe
-got a gel pad for the ball of my foot
-got a night splint ( http://walking.about.com/od/medfoot/tp/heel.htm ) (to prevent pain on first steps in the morning)
-got a topical anti-inflammatory from doctor
-ice 3x/day for 20 minutes
-rest, rest, rest (if you can-I am lucky to be retired and can do that)
-massage. I have one of those Homedics chair massagers. I lay it on the floor and let it massage the bottoms of my feet. It gets blood to the area for better healing.

I really recommend the night splint and heel spur orthotic for your shoe. I thought the splint would be really cumbersome to sleep with, but it wasn't and my heel didn't hurt so much in the morning. Wear supportive shoes. I bought a pair from 'Walking on a Cloud' with a good arch and in a size larger so that there was room for the orthotics.
There is a lot of information on the internet. A lot of people have experienced this at one time or another. Some people can get relief after a couple of months, others-it may take a year. It does take a long time to heal.
Check out the links.
Good luck limorda

Here is a link that might be useful: Plantars Fasciitis message boards

It takes a long time to go away. Try everything, and never go barefoot. Even put a soft towel under your foot if you stand on a hard surface in the shower. What really made the difference for me was a couple trips to a massage therapist. I highly recommend it.

socks12345..
A massage therapist! What a great idea. I know massage helps and a registered massage therapist can do a better job than me.
Thanks for the idea.

I got mine about 10 yrs ago, it took several years before it was better. I still wear orthotics now, no pain for some time unless I over do.

The best tip I has is to stretch your feet, back & forth before getting out of bed. Do it just a few min. Always wear shoes, and they should be supportive. There is a great heelspur website you can google it. I spent alot of time there.

I had it really bad in my 30's. Custom orthotics and NSAIDS helped alot (although the NSAIDS injured my GI tract forever).
But.......it did require an injection of steroids. Sometimes it just needs that, if the other things don't help.
Stretches are real important. I stretch out my calf and then my Achilles tendon. I think the best way to do that is to get a piece of wood that you can put at an angle (like they have at physical therapy places).
But like I said, if these things don't help, get a steroid injection. Be sure to take it easy for the rest of the day after the shot.

P.S.
I recently developed a Morton's neuroma. The very expensive custom orthotics didn't work this time. I discovered that the Walk Fit orthotics that they sell at Target are just as good. They are very firm and come with 3 different types of metatarsal pads.......low, medium and high.
I would think they would be very good for plantar fasciitis, since its usually good arch support that you need to take the stretch off the plantar tendon.