I wonder if you have plantar faciatis. I did a good job on myself with flat, no support summer sandals. I threw them all out and bought more expensive sandals by manufacturers who build in good arch support. Even then, I could not go barefoot around the house or wear bedroom slippers for a year while it improved. Always had to wear good arch support shoes, even with pjs. And I did the stretch exercise where you stand on a bottom step on the balls of your feet, hang onto the stair railings, and drop your heels and hold it for several seconds to stretch out that muscle.

I also think that is what I have, and I am wondering if I can forgo the doctor visit altogether. But i am also wondering if a light course of steroids might help the process. I have no clue, which I why I think I must go.😫

Plantar fasciitis is what I would guess since you said it's worse I'm the morning. Physical therapy can fix you right up.

If it's fine when you are in bed, but when you get out of bed you can barely walk, it's probably plantar fasciitis. It can be very painful. If you walk around barefoot a lot, or wear flats with little arch support, you're a prime candidate. It generally occurs in one foot at a time. According to Mayo clinic, it's rare to have it in both feet at the same time. I'm a rarity! I had it in both feet at the same time for one whole year. I did all the exercises, rubbing your foot over a bottle of frozen water or over a tennis ball soothes it, but no matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. I did notice when I went to New York City and wore heels in the evening, I got some relief. I think because the bulk of your weight is on the ball of your foot, not your heel when you're wearing heels. Orthotics (OTC about $25.00) helped the first time I had it but not this time. The most effective was wearing heels 1 1/2" - 2" block type heel from the time I got up in the morning until I went to bed at night. I felt like Donna Reed when I vacuumed with heels on but after two weeks it was totally gone. Occasionally, I get that familiar feeling in the foot and as soon as I do, I don the heels and all symptoms are gone within a day or two. I have what I call my 'plantar fasciitis shoes' and will never throw them out. Good luck - hope this helps.

P.S. Check out on line some exercises. Stand on a step with the top portion of your foot and let the heel drop down, pick up a small towel with your toes is another.

I do the same as you. Deny, work through it, keep truckin’.

Well, mine turned out to be a torn tendon. I stepped down wrong and my ankle twisted. I was still able to walk (my daily 10,00) albeit with some pain. Well, it got worse, until I couldn’t walk with pain.

I had an MRI which verified the tendon was torn.

Two orthopedic surgeons said I could wait and see what happens. I had to wear a Velcro brace. Luckily not that dreaded boot. I did PT and the continued all the exercises for 6 months.

Nine months later and I’m 90% healed.

My point is, you just don’t know. And, you need to know. I waited 3 months before seeing a doctor.

Since I know you try to get in a lot of steps, likely plantar fasciitis. First, try some SuperFeet inserts in your walking shoes. Go to a running store and let them fit a pair in your shoes and see if your foot doesn’t feel better in a day or two. Mine started out very similar to yours, when I was running.

Yes, it could be something else, but if you haven’t injured yourself another way, maybe not. I would try the inserts first, don’t wear flip flops or any other non supportive shoe and see if it starts to feel better. The biggest thing is, don’t let it get worse. I don’t recommend a shot because then you get into the vicious cycle of a temporary thing that makes it feel better for a little while without addressing the problem.

Here are some quick links on exercising the foot, which I strongly believe in. Stretch those toes!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/multimedia/foot-stretches-to-prevent-plantar-fasciitis/img-20008230

And another old one I really like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNPfbB2sX5Q&app=desktop

Sounds like plantar fasciitis. Skip the doc - it won't do any good. It will eventually go away on its own. Do the exercises mentioned, above. Good luck!

I had weird foot pain when I was a regular runner, 5 miles a day minimum. I did the rolling a tennis ball under my foot...it helped. My DH gave me foot massages, too.

But....here's another story, bear with me: A coworkers wife had lower back pain. She saw a chiropractor for 3 years. Finally fed up she went to a medical doctor, was diagnosed with cancer, started chemo immediately and died in 4 weeks. So there are these weird cases.....that make me think doctors maybe aren't so bad. :0)

I also think it’s plantar fasciitis The 2 things that it is known for -pain in the heels and the worst pain is when you get out of bed or out of a chair after sitting for a while. I never went to a dr for mine. Time and a comfortable shoe will make it go away. Rule #1- do not walk barefoot at all. Only take shoes off to shower. The only shoes I found comfortable for me come in pink!! Crocs clogs or a crocs Athens flip flop. Sneakers left me in pain no matter the arch support or cushioning. I realize those might not be appropriate for work. Maybe you could keep a pair under your desk. Get plantar fasciitis shoe inserts for others. Drs can’t prescribe a medicine. Research this condition online and start doing the exercises now. Remember-no bare feet at all for now. Some people on here once recommended Vionic shoes. No clue if they come in pink!

Amy, hope you can get in to see a face to face doc. I also go to the urgent care clinic upon the rare occasion something happens, about once every five to ten years. Recently I've gotten emails from them saying they are doing tele-medicine only now. Not sure how that is supposed to work for a broken bone, bleeding or other typical urgent care needs.

Amy, I would try the Tele doctor thing first. Sure they will tell you if they need to see you in person. My daughter had some sort of insect bite. Itched for a few days, after that her leg started to hurt in a way like she had a vaccination. She made an appointment and had close up pictures ready. They prescribed antibiotics and prednisone. Probably overkill and over cautious, but it worked and she felt better not to go in person.

I echo what everyone else has said, sounds like plantar fasciitis. Not sure what a doctor could do, though a friend had it so severely she went in and got shots in the bottom of her foot (OUCH!!!) that seemed to help for a little bit.

I just do stretches, massages and wear more supportive footwear and it eventually goes away.

Likely PF, but could also be a bone spur.

There are a couple of physical therapists I like on Youtube, Bob and Brad. They have a few videos on PF. Give their exercises a whirl and see if they help! Here is one of the videos. https://youtu.be/XM7N-QPnK90

Please don’t get shots, as they will only eventually damage the soft tissue and possibly more in the foot, leading to even more pain you don’t need. The more shots, the more damage. Treat the problem, don’t just mask the pain.

Could also be a calcaneal spur.

Sounds like PF to me. I have had this. Very painful! I had it in both feet but not at the same time. I wear shoes all the time in the house. No way can I get out of bed and walk without something on my feet. Do stretches before you get out of bed or get up from a chair, it will help. I still do them when it's feeling tight or if I've been on my feet a lot. Do you have any tenderness in the arch, also?

The heel hurts so bad,I have no idea if the rest of my foot hurts,if that makes sense. Sometimes my ankle hurts as well, but I think that is because I am not walking correctly when my heel hurts.

I immediately thought of a bone spur since you only mention pain in the heal and not in the rest of the foot.

There are other things such as tendinitis that can cause pain in the foot but time and not using the foot as much as normal can help the pain. Best to give up and see the doctor so at least some things can be ruled out. Sometimes there is simply no good treatment only suggestions on how to manage until your body heals itself.

While it's quite possible maybe even likely it's PF, there's always that chance it's something else. If it's PF, short of recommending inserts for your shoes, shoes with a good arch support and exercises, there's not much else your Doc. can do for your...no shots. On the other hand, if it's a bone spur or something else, there may be some kind of treatment. So, you need a proper diagnosis before you can treat, and there's only one way to get that. Yup, you're gonna have to "suck it up". :-))))

Sounds like PF to me too. I don't think the urgent care would be a wise choice. If you want to go to the doctor, find a specialist. Even then, they really aren't a lot of help. My cousin has it really bad and went to a few different doctors and none of them helped, wanted to give her shots to kill the pain. Even then it didn't help. She ended up researching PF because that is what she was diagnosed with, she just kept trying new shoes until she found some that helped her foot. OH and yes, you can absolutely just have it in one foot. Often times it is in just one foot actually.

Also add that if it is PF, you don't want to walk around the house barefooted. You will want to wear your support shoes with insoles after you get them. OH and another added note, PF can be extremely painful! I have it mild in my foot but with my cousin, she can't even put weight on her foot when it flares up! Hers is in her heel because she thought it just had to be a spur but it wasn't. My niece has it also and had the surgery for it, it didn't help one bit and in fact she has more trouble now than before the surgery.

Actually there are new and better treatments for PF, a friend last year was treated for it with laser therapy.

I did not buy special shoes. Just wore a pair of block heel shoes that were extremely comfortable that I had in the closet. This was maybe 18 - 20 years ago They are definitely out of style now but I will never get rid of them because they do the trick every time I feel it coming on. As soon as I got out of bed in the morning, on went the shoes and they stayed on until I went to bed at night. For someone who walks around either barefoot or in socks, this was extremely difficult but it worked and was a small price to pay to get rid of the pain.

You could try the massage and exercises for PF, but I'd want to rule out a bone spur with imaging.

DH played a lot of tennis as a kid and was on the team in HS. Fast-forward two decades and he is diagnosed with 'tennis toe' -- too much repetitive stress on one big toe from serving the ball. (This was out-patient surgery. The doctor also found a second spur on the top of the same toe.)

Ditto Lucille.

You need a professional opinion. Suck it up.

I've had PF twice. The first time it took months to heal and I had to stay off my feet and only wear sneakers. Last year I had it again and went to the doctor, who sent me to their orthopedic clinic. They fitted me with a splint to wear at night (a huge boot that I never used as I knew I wouldn't sleep wearing it) and silicone heel cups by ProCare. They are fabulous! I was better in a week and haven't had any pain since.
https://www.amazon.com/ProCare-PC141FB04-S-M-PAIR-Silicone-Heel/dp/B016ZXWFCQ

It definitely sounds like PF. The splint didn't help me but the chiropractor did. Also heal lifts in my shoes. Good luck. It's really painful and upsetting. Amazon has the heal lifts and there is stretching too. You could try at home remedies if you are not ready to go to doctor yet.

I had plantar faciatis in both feet at different times. The second one the podiatrist wrapped with athletic tape and it helps so much. There are U Tubes to show you how. Worth a shot.

As to walking barefooted...while it might seem contrary, exercising the foot by walking barefooted is actually very good for you, including good for PF, posture, etc. It exercises the small muscles of the feet which support the tendons which are affected by PF. Mostly you don’t want to wear a shoe with a heel drop, which is why the shoes georgysmom is talking about gave her some relief. Otherwise you are putting strain on the shortened tendons causing the heel pain, or whatever pain you are feeling.

Yeah, mine felt like a stabbing pain one day in the middle of a long run. I limped home, went to the running store, thinking I had something like a heel spur, and the guy immediately reached for the inserts. I was lucky I didn’t let it get worse and more inflamed. This was several years ago and as long as I don’t wear ‘bad‘ shoes for a long period of time, I’m fine. Still running and walking with inserts I replace often.

Hope you find some relief soon. Foot pain is not fun.

Amy, did you recently start wearing a new shoe, can you trace the pain back to new shoes? I wish my cousin was on here to tell you her long story about the PF, it would be probably quite comical, as she's quite a story teller and seems to have the craziest things happen to HER! HA! As I was reading other replies, I started remembering all the things the doctors did and had her doing, all of which only seemed to make things worse. She did the exercises where you stand on the step and raise up and down and that seemed to help and also a shoe she finally found that works but has since been discontinued so she has to hunt them down on ebay....another funny story. They gave her special insoles and foot wrappings etc etc etc...none of it helped.

You really are describing all the typical PF symptoms about how it doesn't hurt so bad after you walk around but sit for a while and get up and you can hardly walk, that is typical PF!

I seem to remember my PF was somehow tied to my achilles tendon injury. It was kind of a miserable year for me. I don't have anything to add other than I hope you feel better soon. Foot problems are the worst.

Lucille's advice to see the doctor is best.

I had some similar problems crop up. I ended up going to an athletic shoe place that watch you walk and help you pick out shoes based on the wear on previous shoes, etc. They had me increase my shoe size. I also bought new socks that are specifically made for the right or left foot. I bought shoe inserts. That helped. I've been back to no pain again for a couple of years.

I have had PF twice - and neither MD nor chiropractor nor PT helped. In fact I think the chiro made it worse, by digging a hard tool into the tissue. The orthotics the PT had made for me didn't help either. This is what I did to cure it:

First a steady course of ibuprofen (in my case it was safe for me to take the maximum daily dose for 8 days; I also took Pepcid while on the ibuprofen to reduce the stomach effects). This was to halt the inflammatory process.

I bought a pair of Dr. Scholl type flat (not shaped with a raised edge) heel gel pads, but wore it under the arch of the affected foot, not the heel. This helped immediately.

I got a tennis ball and, a couple of times a day, I would put the ball under my foot starting at the arch and put my weight on it. Shifted it around to hit all parts of the bottom of my foot. This hurt like the dickens at first but also brought relief, more each time.

The second time I had it was worse, because it was caused by having 2 broken toes and continuing to work (standing, walking, bracing for heavy lifting for 12 hours) with it. So, in addition to the other measures, I ended up borrowing a boot and a PF sock splint/brace. I wore the boot when I was at home in the daytime (not at work) and the sock while sleeping. The sock splint is soft and didn't bother me. These two additional measure fixed me up in just a few days.

Now I make sure that I have very good arch support in all shoes - I still use the gel pad trick in my running shoes.

My research on the issue said that "bone spurs" aren't really the cause of the pain.

I had something similar and went to a foot doctor. He gave me a shot ( very painful) and I have never had it again and it must be 30 years. The pain was gone within hours.

Both mayoclinic.com and webmd say not to go barefoot,

Yep, you really are NOT supposed to go barefoot if you have PF.

I wear birkenstocks around the house because I can't walk around in sock feet or bare feet. And my PF seems to get worse when my thyroid is really low.

Update:

Sucked it up and went to an urgent care. Jumped through all the ridiculous hoops to get in the door. Saw no doctor, but a nurse practitioner who said that if I lose 20 pounds it wont hurt as bad, then sent me on my way with instructions to take advil to help until it stops hurting when I walk on it. And lose weight. Ok. No tests or official diagnosis. Guess its fat girl foot syndrome. Hope that resolves on its own. I did not take any advil. I have been taking it,to no avail. She said not to stop my walking routine. The circulation will help heal whatever it is going on,she says.

I woke up earlier today to SO rubbing something on the bottom of my offending foot. Aspercreme. When I got up a few hours later it felt a lot better when I went to walk on it. It still hurt,but not nearly as bad. So now I intend to use that for the next few days and see if it gets better. I went and bought some insoles to put in my walking shoes and ordered some booties that you put ice packs in to use after my walks. And I will be doing some of the exercises/stretches suggested here. Couldn't hurt right?

All in all, I could have better spent the time I wasted going there by staying in bed.

Hopefully what you mentioned in the update will help. I once had intense heel pain that was plantar fasciitis and was especially bad in the mornings. Cortisone shots would help but I didn't wnat to continue with that. Based on a recommendation, I went to a one of those places where they measure your feet, have you walk, check your balance, and I can't remember what else. The inserts they brought out were pricey, and I remember thinking I likely made a stupid mistake with buying them. Totally the opposite...the pain went away and never came back. I still have the inserts but haven't used them in years.

Amylou, that must be so infuriating. That kind of response from a nurse is appalling. I'm angry for you 🤬!

I would be furious too. What a racket! I was thinking about you and your foot pain yesterday, so glad you reported in, just wish you had something better to say. Do let us know how the inserts work out. I strongly recommend SuperFeet. They are pricey but so worth it. Get fitted with the right ones for your foot shape. I wear the green ones, but I have a very high instep and arch.

I'm sorry you didn't get the relief you were seeking.

Sadly, extra weight does contribute to a whole host of issues with one's body, especially the feet and the joints. I'm currently about 30 pounds over my ideal weight and my knees are letting me know it. I just need to get my head back in a good place to get myself back on track with eating right and exercising more.

I'm not mad at all. Just a waste of time to me........

And a waste of a copay. I should at LEAST get a discount since I did not see an actual doctor. But whatever.

Well, to be fair, there aren't any tests to be run to diagnose PF. The symptoms all point to it, so an xray would have been a further waste of $$. But I know what you mean, you were in pain enough to go in and she sounded pretty flippant - ignoring that you had been taking Advil & it wasn't helping.

As I mentioned, I had to take the max permissible prescription strength dose, for the max permissible number of days, to get it under control. There are risks to that so i am not telling you to do it. But she should have discussed it with you.

If you have a good running store in your area, they can fit the proper insert for your foot's instep.

If the cream/insoles/booties/exercises don't help (or not enough) do look for a PF night splint. They run about $15-$19 and really can make a huge difference. They work because they keep the achilles tendon and the fascia stretched in a good position - they don't get to tighten and shorten overnight or after a rest, which is why it hurts the worst when you first get out of bed or get up after sitting a while.