I had the pain a long time ago. I went to my primary and she sent me to the podiatrist. He told me that I needed special supports in my shoes and to go to a regular shoe store (not one of the chains). We have one here in town and they had an 'insert' that fit inside my shoes.

I wore that for years and years (it helped to make me a bit taller!). Now retired, I don't wear those kinds of shoes anymore. HOWEVER, every once in a while it hurts. I make a special point to wear the inserts for a couple of days and then I will be OK for awhile.

I had it years ago. I was told never to wear heels, only wedgies and/or Clark shoes and New Balance tennis shoes. I had special shoes that I wore for a year. Looked like shoes my grandmother would wear, only worse!! I put my heel on frozen butter beans for 30 minutes twice a day ( this allowed them to form around my heel). Used the same bag for the year. After the pain was gone, I have never had it again. Threw out the butter beans. Good luck!

I have been suffering for the past month or more. Have done the exercise, have bought new shoes, have started wearing some 25 year old orthotics that I had those many years ago for a different ailment and they help most of all. I thought that I had something in my heel for a long time, and being diabetic treated it as an infected wound.... so it really got a head start ..... and yes, my 'new' pamphlet says it can take 6 to 7 weeks to fix and NEVER go barefoot (MY shame)

I've had it. I wore New Balance shoes with inserts and arch supports. Powerstep insoles and Powerstep Arch Boosters. There are also arch bandages that give a lot of relief. I seldom have any problem with it now. Here's what I have learned. Never go barefoot. I wear Crocs around the house. Regular ones in the winter, flip flops in the summer. The have good arch support and mold to your feet.. Never wear flats that don't have any arch support. At the first hint of PF pain get that bandage on.

I too had it five years ago. Spent a year rolling a can of peas on the floor with my feet... I always wear a shoe with an arch support - crocs are good... I never go barefooted any more either - I don't have the pain any more but take care of my feet as I spend so much time on them...

I had a broken leg, walked on crutches, and had PF in the "good" foot. It was a difficult time and lasted months. What helped me was a therapeutic masseuse. She worked a lot on the PF foot and leg but said a whole body massage was important because it's all connected.

Never walk barefoot on a hard floor, stand on a soft towel in the shower (be careful). Massage your foot. Some people wear those boots which keep the foot flexed at night but I could not stand that.

Good luck! So sorry.

I agree with the New Balance shoes! Someone gave me that hint and I have never gone back to any other brand of tennis shoe.

Roll your foot on a frozen water bottle. Between the stretching and the icing, it really helps.

I had it in both feet for one whole year. I went to New York City and sat on the subway rolling my feet with a tennis ball to ease the pain. I did notice when we went out to dinner and I had heels on, there was some relief. I'm talking 1 1/2" to 2" block type heel. When I got home, I put those heels on the first thing in the morning (still in my p.j.'s) and I wore them until I went to bed at night. Even when I was cleaning or just sitting in a chair. In two weeks time, it was all gone. Now, when I feel the slightest tightening of the fascia, I put those shoes on….I call them my plantar fasciitis shoes….. and in a day or two, all is well. Before the heels, I did all the exercises and rolled the feet over a frozen bottle of water, but to no avail. The frozen water is soothing though. It's very painful. Good luck.

I had it 20 years ago...arch supports help, but what got rid of it for good were cortisone shots. Last year I had a bone spur, which is different than heel spur. PT may have helped some, but I think it was the ultrasound treatments that finally healed it....after 8 months.

I had episodes a few times, always well into the summer when I had been wearing sandals that had no arch support. Since learning that wearing shoes with no arch support is the culprit, I threw those shoes out. I wore genuine Crocs shoes at first from my sister's suggestion, skipped wearing my slippers and wore Crocs with my robe too. They were comfortable and had enough arch support that it went away. I bought Merrill sandals for the summer and I have never had another episode of plantar facitis since changing what I wear on my feet.

The exercises and anti-inflammatory OTC (if you are able to take them) really help.

Good shoes make a world of difference - and REPLACE THEM OFTEN! At least once a year. I know they still might look OK - but get new ones.

Avoid cheap shoes. For me the PUMA brand sneaker was the best. I know for others it is other brands. I could still wear cute shoes - just not heels. I like Keen sandels in the summer.

I think I could go barefoot a little now in the house, but I don't. I always wear some type of shoe.

I have had it for the past six months. It's like walking around with a knife in my heel. Crocs do help. But it has sure cut into my walking.

When I had it, the podiatrist gave me a shot in the heel, and the pain was gone the next day.

I had it and bought special arch supporting inserts for my shoes. It took a year for the PF pain to go away. I was told to never, ever go barefoot. That was a difficult habit to break because I went barefoot all the time. Now, I even keep a pair of supporting shoes by the bed to slip on if I have to get up at night.

During my research (I'm suffering now), I came across this therapy. Still looking for someone to do this where I live.

"Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of chronic plantar fascitiopathy and other lower limb tendonopathies.

Originally used for treating kidney stones, Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) has proven itself to be effective in the treatment of certain musculoskeletal conditions over the last 2 decades.

ESWT a highly specialised piece of equipment designed to deliver a precise, calculated dose of high energy into the treatment area.

It is particularly favoured by active individuals as it is totally non-invasive and requires minimal or no down-time after treatment.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Shock waves are acoustic pressure waves with a unique waveform characteristic. Research has shown that such waveforms have biological effects including:
Release of certain growth factors in the targeted tissues, which may lead to formation of new vessels and other biological effects associated with tissue healing. The effect occurs over a period of several months and is responsible for facilitating regeneration and repair in certain injured and degenerative tissues.
Effects on nerves carrying pain signals, which may result in pain reduction.
Interruption of the âÂÂpain-spasmâ cycles which occur in many chronic pain situations.
EVIDENCE OF BENEFITS?

There are numerous papers supporting ESWT for chronic plantarfasciopathy including:

âÂÂExtracorporeal shock wave therapy contributes to healing and pain reduction in plantarfasciitis and ultrasound imaging is able to depict the morphologic changes related to plantarfasciitis as a result of this therapy.âÂÂ

Vahdaptour etal, 2012. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.

âÂÂIn conclusion, shockwave therapy not only decreased the pain VAS rating but also improved the gait parameters of the symptomatic foot in PF patientsâÂÂ

Hsu etal Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1088��"93.

WHAT CONDITIONS CAN BE TREATED?

Conditions most commonly treated with this therapy include:

PLANTARFASCIITIS
Heel pain
Arch Pain
ACHILLES TENDONITIS
KNEE
Patellar tendinopathy (jumpers knee)
ITB Syndrome
Muscular and myofascial trigger points
The use of the Dornier Focus Extracorporeal Shockwave system allows a high level of control, precision and prescription of shockwave therapy. Unlike cheaper âÂÂradialâ shockwave machines, the focusing ability of the shockwave beam in this machine allows acute delivery of the shockwave to the treatment area. No, not all machines are the same.

HOW IS THE TREATMENT SESSION CARRIED OUT?

An ESWT session is on site at Peak Podiatry and will take around 20 minutes. We do allow 30 min for all treatment consultations.

The injured site is first identified, then precisely targeted using the ESWT focused beam. Shockwaves are then delivered in rapid...

I had it so bad was sent to a sports physiotherapist and he worked on my foot and it hurt like crazy, but he go me walking and back to work in no time.Horrible thing to get.

I have had it for many years and still do. It comes and goes. I have high arches and if I don't wear supportive shoes, my feet, especially the arch area, feels it, as do my heels. I need very padded insoles. I've been to PT. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I stretch my the ligament in my feet/toes/ankles and calves to limber them before walking. It helps a lot. While watching TV, I use a golf size ball that is dense, but has give, and roll/massage my feet on it, especially arches. FYI: You can buy a set of 3 balls in the pet section of Dollar Tree. These balls are the perfect size, and not too hard or soft.

I find my PF comes and goes, but, is never gone completely. I think once you have it, it will always haunt you at one time or another....at least that's the case with everyone I know that has it. The key is to stretch, stretch, stretch.

I had it in 2001. It was the day of 9/11 I found out about it. It lasted about 3 yrs, I don't have any pain from it anymore but I do always wear shoes. It helps to stretch your feet before getting out of bed. I don't think much else helped . I also iced often. I think it just has to heal on its own with time.
If I were to abuse my feet it would come back.