Also, someone prone to this should be wearing athletic shoes/sneakers at all times possible. No flip flops, flats or boots. Even around the house, during warm up and cool down actvities at gym. It makes a difference.
Yes! I have found that this makes a big difference for my daughter, too. Supporting the arch outside of the gym will greatly help it for gymnastics. She laments not wearing flip flops or fashionable footwear, but at least she can still do gymnastics. The effects of this practice may take a while to notice (or, maybe not!) but it is well-worth the patience.
She also wears a night splint, which maintains some stretch on the calf muscles, achilles tendon, and arch/tendons in her foot. This way, she doesn't have to overcome this very tight tissue in the morning upon waking, which can sometimes stretch well into the day.
For practice, she uses the
cotton KT tape to support her arches, and has found that this really helps a lot. We really like the cotton version, instead of the regular synthetic, as the cotton version isn't quite as stretchy. (hence, more supportive) The cotton version is also less expensive, and tends to stay on much better, too.
Perhaps another avenue to investigate might be looking for a structural condition that may be leading to the plantar fascitis in the first place? Has your orthopedist or physical therapist made any notes on foot/knee/hip alignment while watching her walk? For example, my daughter's feet pronate quite a bit, leading to ankle tendonitis and plantar fascitis. She got custom-made orthotics for her shoes last summer, (via a podiatrist) which she wears all the time. (except in practice) Over the long run (6 months or so) it has made such a difference.
Good luck, and keep looking for solutions! You'll find the magic combination!
so... we never got those. The doctor recommended massaging it and I picked up a ball from REI that is for just this. It has really helped. she hasn't had problems with it since maybe November!
I hope your daughter feels better soon. My daughter's pain got so bad that her school called me to come get her.
When she is having pain, she does an ice bath (the whole foot), rolls her foot on a frozen water bottle, and uses a product called "Traumeel" (a cream available at health food stores). It definitely can be extremely painful, but usually if she is doing all of these things, it will get better. I've also been told by a number of people that good shoes makes a difference. Unfortunately, my daughter lives in flip flops or slip on boots, but you may want to give it a try. Good Luck! Hope she is feeling better.
