WAG Early signs of plantar fasciitis... How to prevent from getting worse

[duyetanh]

I tried them... And my feet have never had so much pain!!! I had to get different shoes and $100 down the drain... And I found them ugly too... Lol... I don't know what the deal was but they KILLED my feet....

Its so interesting how everyone is different, seriously! I was worried also....because like you said, it's big time money. At first it was a bit challenging, and I can honestly say if I hadn't spent a Benjamin, I probably would have bailed on them....but I stuck it out for a few weeks, and after that my feet were so happy...I rarely wear anything else now (and yes I do have orthotics for my tennis shoes).

 

[Musicmama]

There seem to be two main schools of thought regarding Plantar Fasciitis. One is very well represented above already: the one that recommends extra support in the middle of the arch by wearing supportive shoes and orthotics to help relieve the pain.

The other school of thought is quite different and focuses more on doing exercises to strengthen/stretch the foot and wearing flatter, more flexible shoes.

Given that gymnasts aren't able to wear supportive shoes while competing and practicing, I believe that it's important to at least be aware of the second school of thought and consider what they think as well, regardless of what you end up deciding on (preferably with the help of a qualified professional if it continues getting worse).

An article outlining the basics of treatment recommendations from that school of thought:

http://www.somastruct.com/treatment-of-plantar-fasciitis/

A page of various links about natural food integrity and gait gathered by a sports podiatrist from this school of thought:

Link Removed

 

[Musicmama]

*foot integrity, not food integrity! Didn't catch that in time to edit

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I tried them... And my feet have never had so much pain!!! I had to get different shoes and $100 down the drain... And I found them ugly too... Lol... I don't know what the deal was but they KILLED my feet....

Really??!! I got mine at The Walking Store and they did all sorts of tests to make sure I had the right fit and right insoles. They did say they take a little while to break in, so I'm lucky that I only work part time. I bet going straight to wearing them 40 hours/week would be painful? Sorry to hear that!

 

[duyetanh]

Really??!! I got mine at The Walking Store and they did all sorts of tests to make sure I had the right fit and right insoles. They did say they take a little while to break in, so I'm lucky that I only work part time. I bet going straight to wearing them 40 hours/week would be painful? Sorry to hear that!

Yes, that is where I got mine also....it's quite the drive, we don't have one near us....but it's worth it. And I did break them in slowly....going straight to 40 hours would have been brutal.

 

[meganliz77]

Yes, that is where I got mine also....it's quite the drive, we don't have one near us....but it's worth it. And I did break them in slowly....going straight to 40 hours would have been brutal.

Oddly , mine hurt worse when sitting!!! Must be my strange feet... Lol... They would make my feet go numb and the sides of my feet killed.. Lol

Glad they worked for you though!! I gave them 6 months. I couldn't take it anymore...

 

[B.Gold]

There seem to be two main schools of thought regarding Plantar Fasciitis. One is very well represented above already: the one that recommends extra support in the middle of the arch by wearing supportive shoes and orthotics to help relieve the pain.

The other school of thought is quite different and focuses more on doing exercises to strengthen/stretch the foot and wearing flatter, more flexible shoes.

Given that gymnasts aren't able to wear supportive shoes while competing and practicing, I believe that it's important to at least be aware of the second school of thought and consider what they think as well, regardless of what you end up deciding on (preferably with the help of a qualified professional if it continues getting worse).

An article outlining the basics of treatment recommendations from that school of thought:

http://www.somastruct.com/treatment-of-plantar-fasciitis/

A page of various links about natural food integrity and gait gathered by a sports podiatrist from this school of thought:

Link Removed

To back up the school of thought that too much support makes PF worse, my dd's PF onset was concurrent with her foot being immobile for three weeks in a boot.

That first article is great and we do a lot of what is described with success. Taking even a day off from the stretching and massaging results in a flare up. Having a guide on what kind of shoes to buy is really helpful. Thanks!

My best advise is get some physical therapy to treat the PF. Sit in on the sessions, take notes, ask questions. My dd's PT has been a wealth of information. And she's happy to share it. Then continue the treatment at home. The physical therapy is what has been most successful for my dd.

 

[Musicmama]

I've known many people (mainly online and a few IRL) who have had success with the strengthening methods, but none that I know of had been gymnasts (either current or former) so it's wonderful to hear about your dd, B. Gold!

A little more of my background that's somewhat relevant: I've been a member of a large online barefooting community since I was in my early-20s and many of the members who started barefooting later in life did so partially because of issues like PF that weren't getting better and kept requiring more orthotics to help with the pain. So, that's how I learned of this other school of thought in the first place

 

[rsm]

There seem to be two main schools of thought regarding Plantar Fasciitis. One is very well represented above already: the one that recommends extra support in the middle of the arch by wearing supportive shoes and orthotics to help relieve the pain.

The other school of thought is quite different and focuses more on doing exercises to strengthen/stretch the foot and wearing flatter, more flexible shoes.

Given that gymnasts aren't able to wear supportive shoes while competing and practicing, I believe that it's important to at least be aware of the second school of thought and consider what they think as well, regardless of what you end up deciding on (preferably with the help of a qualified professional if it continues getting worse).

An article outlining the basics of treatment recommendations from that school of thought:

http://www.somastruct.com/treatment-of-plantar-fasciitis/

A page of various links about natural food integrity and gait gathered by a sports podiatrist from this school of thought:

Link Removed

Thanks for the articles! There were great to read through. I think DD will end up doing a combination of some kind. I can't help but think that with the conditioning they do at gym every day, she must have some of the strongest tissue and ligaments on the planet. She is usually barefoot half the day, on all sorts of surfaces (except for sand), and the other half, she's in school in sneakers. For now we have started with wearing heel cups to sleep. They seem to keep her foot more flexed that they would be otherwise, and the morning pain was gone after the first night of wearing them. So we'll definitely continue that for a little while at least. We also ordered some closed sandals with good support for the summer to see if that might help in school and when shoes are required. We'll keep monitoring and if the pain returns, we'll definitely be getting some professional help on this.