I have it one foot a shot in the heel and special shoes took care of the pain. My bone doctor has it in both feet and he said the only reason he can walk on the concrete floors every day is because of his Merrill shoes. I bought a pair of the air glides and they are perfect. The air glides with the mesh fabric are made in a special way for men and women because we bear our weight in different ways. Now I have about 10 pairs and no discomfort except for arthritis.

I have it in both feet and was told to stretch my feet....There is a sling type thing that can be put on the foot that pulls the front part of the foot towards your knee...But, I just pull mine with my hand or if sitting, reach down and pull your feet towards your knee...You need to build up the muscles in the back or heel of your foot....It's funny the doctor didn't tell you this.....I do know, I can't go barefoot as much as I used to and by wearing a shoe every day, I don't have the problems.....

Someone on another forum posted something about blood flow stimulation therapy to help heal it. Wondering if anyone has heard of that and if they've had any success.
I found a couple of companies online that sell it but just don't really know much about it.

I had it and cured on the advice of a doc/friend. Be forewarned this works but hurts. My problem was chronic not sure if it is the same for you or if this is more sudden onset. Here is what I did...

Take a shoe box and fill it a couple of inches with marbels. Take 4-6 ibuprofens and crunch each foot into the marbles. Do this every day for a couple of weeks and it will get better.

This works by breaking up the adhesions on your plantar facial ligament. The anti inflammatory drugs help you both endure and recover from the crunching treatment.

If you take medications it might be wise to use caution with high dose NSAIDs. They can interfere with many blood pressure drugs for example-- you can look up NSAID interactions in a PDR or ask your pharmacist or doctor. Good luck

If you are suffering from this problem why don't you try a shot. My bone doctor gave me a shot in the heel, it's been at least 5 years, no more problem. He said it would probably last the rest of my life. The shot in my knee did not last long but found out it is arthritis instead of a bad knee joint.

This post was edited by EmmaR on Thu, Dec 5, 13 at 9:06

My doctor sent me to a physiotherapist took several treatments and seemed to have been cured for many years since. Very painful and so were the treatments I had.

I went to a sports doctor, was given orthotics and PT without relief.

I started stretching calves and Achilles tendons (gently!) by doing heel dips off the edge of the stairstep.
I also got a tennis ball and starting standing on it, rolling it under my arch, really hitting the sore spots. THIS HURT but it is just as a poster replied above -- it breaks down the chronic changes that cause the pain.

I also took the max dose of ibuprofen for 10 days. So I cured that episode some 8 years ago.

Now I have it again from walking on a broken foot, in a different part of the foot. The tennis ball trick didn't seem to be working this time and it has been going on for months now. Went to a chiropractor who told me that I needed to use a golf ball, and to freeze it first. He also has been doing "cross-fiber" therapy on the foot. Which also HURTS.
I am not taking any meds this time, but after only 2 weeks the pain is nearly gone and I can walk normally first thing in the morning again! Woo-hoo!

Congratulation on your success I think chiropractors do a good job.

It's stress on the ligaments. Excessive wear and tear, nothing else, dead simple, usually caused by arch collapse causing the ligaments to stretch too much. Happens far more to fat people than thin, and to others who slam their feet, like runners. Remedies basically mean ease the stress in the future and treat the pain today. Pain relieving drugs don't help the cause, only the symptoms. Steroids don't do well long term.

Docs will rely heavily on getting you to use arch supports. One they start people on is Superfeet. The "copper" one is mild and is often a starting point. Get them at hiking or outdoor recreation stores. They're expensive but guaranteed by the manufacturer to work or you get a refund or another (stronger/weaker) model. Arch support should be not painful and should start working right away.

Maybe see if you can borrow a TENS muscle stimulation unit from someone. They help a selection of people to ease post-walking pain, but also do nothing for many others. Chiropractors often use TENS on your muscles post-therapy, and if you go in for plantar work that's what they'll most likely use.

And if you happen to stumble across the shop of a acupuncturist, drop in. You may be surprised.