Plantar Fasciitis

Fitflops, an expensive brand of shoes and sandals make walking easier (as opposed to flip flops that cheap poolside sandal that make it worse)

With plantar fasciitis it is the first few steps after resting which are the most painful. Lie in bed with your feet straight out. Point your toes pressing them down towards the mattress. Keep your legs rigid and rotate your feet up, heels still on the bed and try to get your toes pointing towards your face keeping your legs rigid so you are pointing away from you with your heel. Continue to strain to bring your toes closer to your shin and hold. I have found that doing that a few times before getting out of bed eases the pain of those first steps then hamstring stretches a few times a day.

Buffy my podiatrist does not recommend sketchers as they don’t give enough support.
There is no need to spend a fortune, I tend to get my trainers and insoles from Aldi.

I've had it for over two years and is improving. At first I thought it was arthritis in the foot and just put up with it. About a year ago, reading about it on here made me realise that I probably had plantar fascitis. Doing the recommended stretches several times a day helps a lot. I bought stretch ankle supports which also help.
I only go out in lace up sensible shoes. I gave up my comfortable Clarks trigenic soft lace ups. I recently got another pair of firm lace up shoes for indoors and it's made a huge difference.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B073BBWHD3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=gransnetforum-21&ie=UTF8
These are the ankle supports.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BOYWI5U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=gransnetforum-21&ie=UTF8
I bought this for stretching, as recommended by my podiatrist.

I wear Ecco or Hotter lace up shoes. I haven't tried insoles as never know which ones to buy. (Not sure if the links work).

Great minds Auntie flo.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, which appeared while I was replying to Onthe.
I’ve realised I probably need something better than slippers to wear in the house, I’ll buy some memory foam ones and get the memory foam Sketchers also.....this is going to cost a fortune.

X posts Silverlining

When I had it, I found stretching exercises helped.

Stand facing your stairs, and step onto the first stair, with just your ball of the foot, balancing on the edge.
The rest of your foot will be over thin air!
Then, raise and lower your heels, holding on to the stair rail for balance.

Or you could roll a filled plastic bottle/ rolling pin, under the arch of your foot.
Good luck.

The advice here is good. It’s unlikely the doctor will be able to do anything other than if it’s still a problem in a few months which could be a steroid injection. It may help.
It usually gets better on its own but will take up to 2 years so it’s long haul.
Trainers, insoles, no heels, exercise the foot by stretching on stairs, check online, and using tins to roll your feet over, it needs patience but will go on its own. Eventually!
I have had it twice and do sympathise.

Thanks for all your suggestions Onthenaughtystep1, I will get a proper insole today and try some of your other suggestions.
I have made an online appointment with the doctor but I have a feeling he will just suggest pain killers, which don't seem to touch it.
I have been walking barefoot to the loo, so putting a trainer on straight from bed is a good idea.
May I ask, what was the treatment your friend had and how would I access it.

Fit flops and Crocs shoes, boots and slippers worked for me. I also bought gel heel insoles from Amazon.

Last January I went to a Ceilidh, great fun, but after a day at work as well, I probably overdid the exercise.
That night I got up for a trip to the loo and virtually fell to the floor with the agony in my left foot.
From that point it definitely established a pattern over being fine in the day in trainers, or shoes with insoles, but then worse at night and first thing in the morning.
Tried putting ice on it, painkillers, the lot.
Coped with it until March, was thinking about a visit to GP, but then at the end of March the world changed so I thought better of it.
Bought a night splint for my foot, cut my exercise to small of bouts of walking and touch wood nearly free of it now.
However, getting used to a night splint is not easy!

I had it some years ago, could hardly walk.

I bought some special Scholl inserts from Boots - about £25 - and they really did help a lot. I wore them religiously for several weeks. The PF eventually went and touch wood I’ve never had it since.
I do understand that this may not work for everybody though.

Might add that two brothers in law who had it, both paid an awful lot of £££ for specially made insoles, with no better results.
Maybe I was just lucky though.

I bought some Skechers memory foam slip-on shoes. They were the only ones I was able to walk in. I tried all the inserts and socks to no avail. I froze a small bottle of water and rolled it beneath my foot when getting up in the morning, also did downward stretches with heel overlapping the edge of a stair. Lots of exercises on Youtube.
It will get better but may take a year or more. Good luck!

Poor you. I had that years ago, I couldn’t walk, sit or lie without pain. GP, Painkillers, Podiatrist, Special insoles, Special shoes, Osteopath, Shiatsu....no help. Eventually on a friend’s recommendation, 2 sessions of Acupuncture and no pain since. That’s just my personal experience.

Don’t stagger on, do rest it and don’t walk barefoot or in completely flat shoes until you can get a proper diagnosis.
Good luck.

A steroid injection worked for me but 10 months later it is on the way back.
A friend had a shock treatment years ago and has had no trouble since.
Exercises help, a rigid boot worn overnight helps some, personally I couldn’t sleep with it on. Rolling a chilled can under your foot or a tennis ball, foot massage.
Do not walk barefoot, on getting out of bed wear a shoe such as a good quality trainer and never wear high heels.
Put proper orthopaedic insoles into your shoes, the £3 ones from Lidl work as well as the £20 ones from scholl.
Once you get to the crying because you can’t bear to get out of bed and put your foot on the floor you will try anything.
Good luck.

I've had it - and it was extremely painful.
I didn't find anything that helped either.
The GP suggested insoles.
I'm not sure what else they can do, as B9 says.

I would advise ringing your GP for an urgent appointment, you shouldn't be in that much pain, and there are options for treatment.