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Here's to Your Health:  Need Help For Heel Pain  |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 06:27:35 AM
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Does anyone know of a natural way to get rid of heel pain (known as Plantar Fasciitis)
Thanks,
Tina
The dogs own the house but the people pay the mortgage!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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lilpunkin
True Blue Farmgirl
368 Posts
Texas
USA
368 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 09:43:21 AM
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My husband has had issues with Platar Fasciitis. He has gone do the dr for it several times. Before you get out of bed in the morning do a few foot stretches to "wake" your foot up. You can roll your foot across a can of corn or whatever veggie you choose. But the best thing that helped was wearing cowboy boots or something with a really good arch in it.
Lilpunkin |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 10:26:32 AM
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I suffered with this for years! I went to Dr after Dr and finally I 'healed' the pain of my own accord. Mine was so bad in both feet I couldn't walk in the morning. I literally had to crawl to the bathroom. Here is what helped me.
Do stretch excercises every morning before getting out of bed.(write the alphabet with your toes)
I made a "brace" out of an old belt that held my foot in a flexed position while I rested or watched tv. (if It was a bad day I would sleep with it on)
Freeze a 2 liter bottle of water. Lay it on the floor and roll your tired feet over it.
Avoid sugar - this helped me to lose about 10 pounds which made a big difference.
Buy Nike Shox shoes. Dr. recommended Newbalance but they never 'felt right" Husband convinced me to try the Nike Shox and I will never wear another type of shoe. ( i disagree with lilpunkin about the cowboy boots unless you have them professionally fitted because most DONT have a good arch and if they do it is usually very hard)
Always wear shoes! (NO FLIP FLOPS or bear feet)
Rest your feet. Try to keep active but when you can give your feet a rest. They deserve it.
WhenI quit going to the doctor it only took me about 2 months of this homemade therapy to get better. I think the worst thing you can do is to get cortizone shots. It actually scars the muscle tissue in your feet and worsens the problem over a loong time. My doctor always wanted to give me cortizone shots and while it was a temorary fix the pain seemed to come back stronger and was more difficult to get rid of as time went on. I still have very occassional pain but usually only after I have been on my feet for a long time.
If you have anymore questions PLEASE email me. I totally understand the pain associated with this.
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 10:38:11 AM
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I will start the exercises today and appreciate both of your suggestions. I just saw the Dr. last week and the next step is the cortizone shots and I realllllllly don't want to go there. I didn't know if I might be lacking some vitamins or what other things that I could do. I had shoe arch supports made and bought new shoes (not entirely happy with the shoes - they are Easy Spirit with good arches). The one heel is so much better but the other is so painful all day long.
Tina
The dogs own the house but the people pay the mortgage!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 10:40:26 AM
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I have plantar faciaitis as well and I strongly agree with Julie. I keep mine under control with good orthotics, but even the inexpensive ones from a drug store better than nothing...I even have a pair in my slippers. You need to support the arch of your foot and prevent your feet from rolling in. If I go even a half hour without good support, my feet will begin to ache. Don't let it go...it's important to deal with it asap as it can get really nasty.
Di
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 6:26:04 PM
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I fought this for years off and on, a tie shoe with good support gave some relief but it didn't go away until I got a pair of orthotics. A little expensive, but for me they were definitely worth it. This is definitely under the category of 'relieve the symptoms'. I found the softer the sole (or insole) of the shoe, the worse it got. Kind of contrary to what you would expect. Wearing athletic shoes was bad for me because my feet tend to pronate (or is it supinate, I can never remember the difference?) and after wearing for a while you can actually see that the shoes are twisting. Good leather shoes with hard soles and ties worked the best for me.
Now I am battling it again, not getting enough exercise and spending too much time at the computer....
This condition is caused by the muscles in the back of the leg shrinking, then putting pressure on the feet tears the muscles. So ideally you want to stretch them as much as you can. The stretching on arising, and using the can of pop or veggies or frozen water bottle are all good. Also stretching the hamstrings by standing with the ball of the foot on a board or something. These are all good for 'preventing worse problems'....
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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susan kate
True Blue Farmgirl
109 Posts
susan
Western Washington
109 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 9:20:38 PM
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I don't know if this would help you but you might check it out. I had really bad foot (bunions), knee, back, neck and just about everything pain for a long time. I finally found a chiropractor who recommended that I try these over-the-counter insoles. The are about $50 and have been a miracle for me. There is a section on the page about the condition you have.
http://www.mortonsfoot.com/index.html#Q1 |
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl
1262 Posts
Rhonda
USA
1262 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 10:33:15 PM
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Tina,
A few years ago I had terrible foot/heel pain every morning. If I was on my feet a lot I could not walk without support. I tried good shoes, was on the verge of going to a foot doctor when my hairdresser friend offered to give me a foot massage. She explained to me that we get (calcium?) crystals built up in our heels that cause the pain. She said she could feel this in my heels. I seriously would have never believed something like that would work, but I let her massage away because I was desperate. After the 3rd massage the pain was GONE. She taught me how to do the massage myself, which I repeat from time to time. I have NO foot pain whatsoever now! Amazes me still! You might try something like this...anyplace that does massage or pedicures should be able to teach you. My friend was taught this in beauty school. Hope you get some relief!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 04:49:05 AM
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I very definitely second the motion about NO CORTISONE. My foot doctor initially recommended this, I was young and naive, and went along with it. It felt like I had a pebble inside my shoe, only it was inside my foot. It took about 8 weeks for that "pebble" to go away.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 05:41:37 AM
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I had a brief (fortunately) episode with this a couple of years ago, and found that the following helped:
1. Wearing Birkenstocks constantly (I kept a clean pair to wear around inside the house instead of slippers)
2. Rolling my foot across a bottle of taco sauce (like the suggestion to use a can of veggies, just find something that fits your own foot, that you can curl your own foot over, to be able to roll forward and back across the carpet several times, do this a few times a day while holding onto a counter or chair back for balance.
3. Stretching the leg/hamstring. Step off a curb backward, or place the ball of your foot on a lift of some sort. Let your heel drop and stretch the back of your calf gently.
I did this for a few months, and eventually the pain went away totally. I have had no problem since.
It scared me because I have a BIL who suffers terribly from this condition; so I wanted to catch it early and not let it progress to a point of no return.
Hope this helps!
Jo
"There are no strangers here, only friends you've yet to meet." |
Edited by - Hideaway Farmgirl on Nov 14 2006 06:10:41 AM |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 05:49:59 AM
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These are all very good suggestions. Sounds like a diet is in order with no sugar. Rats, and right before the holidays. I guess I'll have to behave myself. I had the orthotic inserts made a while back but one heel is still very painful. This has been going on for a while but I was in more pain from my knee injury on the other leg. So for at least 6 months I've had a knee injury on one leg plus pain in both heels. Talk about hobbling along in life! Anyway, I've had the knee surgery and that is healing but still quite sore. So now I'm working on getting the heel over this. I wonder if doing the exercises with a bungy cord type thing will work? The 2-liter bottles are a good idea too. It is somewhat comforting to know that I am not the only one out here with this problem. You ladies have convinced me to keep trying other things instead of the cortisone. I realllly don't want to go there.
Tina
The dogs own the house but the people pay the mortgage!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 08:06:10 AM
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I had the orthotics made too and it was okay on one foot but on one it made worse. I spent over 250.00 on the stupid things and wore them maybe twice. I just didn't get any relief. I think my foot was so out of alignment when I had them made it just didn't help. A bungee would be great. If you have a physical therapist around they also sell these resistance bands that work great. I still swear by bracing the foot in a flexed position while resting. A bungee would work for this too. Wrap the bungee around bottom of foot just above the arch and below the "ball" of the toes. Pull until foot is flexed and tight. Sit on the ends of the bungee. Just be careful that you dont let your foot go too far back or the bugee wil slip off and hit you really hard and it hurts! :)
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
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quilt8305
True Blue Farmgirl
409 Posts
Mary
Spokane
WA
USA
409 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 08:17:31 AM
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I have had this problem twice in the same foot. The doctor recommended stretching and so I would stand with my toes on a step and hang my heel down toward the step below and stretch as long and hard as I could balance. I did this about once an hour or every time I took the stairs. Before I knew it the pain was gone........quicker the second time.....and now three years later, no recurrence. In the meantime, Birkenstocks or Earth Shoes help a great deal.
Mary
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. Albert Einstein |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 09:31:02 AM
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One of the things not mentioned yet...find a good comfortable shoe or two and stick with them. I know some us love shoes and like to switch but the doc told me that we are doing more harm than good.
I wear clogs with rubber/or cork bottoms (not wood) and switch to my Crocs in the house now that it's gotten cold out. The other thing is to never, NEVER go barefoot especially when you get up in the morning. Instead of flat, fluffy slippers try wearing your shoes instead (LL Bean has a really nice clog slipper with a rubber sole and some support). After years of this due to an achilles tendon injury in HS. I think I have finally won the battle. I only had one reoccurence in the summer when I got out of the pool carrying the baby and something went OUCH in my heel before I could get my Crocs back on. Hope you get some relief soon, this is no fun.
with a happy heart |
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gregs_lil_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
219 Posts
birdi
hartford
me
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 09:37:34 AM
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I have battled with this for years...great shoes and heel cord exercises will heal it. Just remember it takes time and consistency. I invested in a pair of sas shoes... they are really the ticket. I have very small feet and you need to make sure the supports are all where they need to be for you. Good luck. I really sympathise with your pain...
-Simple pleasures make my heart smile- |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2006 : 10:00:23 AM
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Tina,
Emu Oil massaged into the area may temporarly take the pain away. It is great for all kinds of aches and pains as well as cuts and scrapes. You should be able to get it at your local healthfood store or from www.herbalhealer.com I am sure that the other ladies know what they are talking about with diet, good shoes, stretches, etc, but this may help with the am achies and other times you need something now.
Trina
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Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Proverbs 27:23 |
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Here's to Your Health: Need Help For Heel Pain |
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Need Help For Heel Pain
