Hating my foot

[Jeri Lynn]

I was recently diagnosed with a bone spur on the bottom of my heel and plantar faciatis. Walking around the house is ok, sometimes my foot is tender, sometimes it feels fine. The podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot and is sending me to PT. I just returned from visiting my daughter in CA and I'd have to say hiking was very painful. I would start off ok but then as I continued to walk my foot would get so painful.

I have 56 days till my Disney trip, and I'm scared to death the constant walking is going to hurt.

Any suggestions?

[disney obsessed]

Yikes.

When did you get the shot? How well did it work? Will you be able to get another before you travel? Is it the pf or the spur that is hurting most? If it is the ph, stretching that foot is key. Also, great supportive shoes helped me a lot. I wore my birkenstocks everywhere for several months. I also had great shoe inserts that the podiatrist recomended. I have only had bone spurs in my hip. I had to have it replaced but the shot worked for a good long time before the surgury.

[Jeri Lynn]

The shot felt like it was working until I went to CA. I am seeing the podiatrist in another week and I am going to ask him about getting another shot (OUCH) right before I leave for Disney.

I am also trying something called Trigger Point Therapy that is supposed to stretch muscles that are knotted and I've called someone who I go to for Massages and she is great for body manipulation. I can tell my calf muscle is tight so I am stretching a couple times a day.

Some days seem better than others. I'm hoping with the time I have left before I leave that this will be taken care of.

It's been going on since May but I didn't go to the doctors right away because I thought I just bruised my heel by stepping on a stone when I was walking my dog in my slippers...I kept telling myself it was a deep bruise that needed time to heal...grrrr!!

[Daisy'sMom]

I have 53 days til our trip and have been having the same problems. I have birkenstocks and have been wearing them nonstop. It has helped more than therapy and shots. Everytime I put another sandal on or flipflops, it starts up again. The support in the birkenstocks are great. And they finally have attractive looking sandals. Good Luck

[Zoe]

You just really really need to find the right pair of shoes. I ended up with the Jod Bood by Veredus and now I can walk all day on concrete and not even blink, and that is with flat feet as well. The right shoes for you will make all of the difference in the world. Good Luck and my heart and good wishes go out to you!

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Make sure you bring plastic baggies to WDW with you and ice your foot each night after the parks.

And make sure you do stretching exercises before you leave in the morning and when you get back to your room at night.

I also started wearing Fit Flops and that helped a lot. I also wear my Clark's too. You need support for your instep. And you don't want to wear the same shoes every day; switch them out.
My PT suggested Dansko shoes but those were so expensive.

PF will go away after a while but can reoccur at any time.....I don't have any experience with the bone spur so I have no advise on that. Good luck and I really hope you have a fun time. Take breaks and sit down whenever you have a chance.

[Jeri Lynn]

Thanks everyone! I really hope I can get this straightened out before I go...if it means spending big bucks on shoes I will!! I just want to walk comfortably around Disney.

I will definately bring bags so I can ice my foot at night.

[Lindsey310]

I work for an orthopedic and we also recommend insoles to ease the pain of walking. My father in law has the same problem and we are leaving in 3 days. The dr told him 5 minutes of ice on the bottom of his feet and repeat this 4 times. (5 minutes ice, rest for 10-15 minutes and repeat).
Inquire about this bc he has said these insoles have helped him tremendously. Good luck!!!

[princessgirls]

You can get the orthotic inserts for your sneakers.
They are around $40. Helped my heel pain to the point, where it is gone. I started using them last fall, after the summer of limping in pain due to wearing poor choice sandals. I did the brace every night for 2 months. Advil helped, but didn't solve the problem. The orthotics did!

I also found awesome sandals that I have worn all summer (bought 2 pairs) and stayed away from flip flops and slides with no support. Huge difference. HUGE! I walk pain free. I got them online from Footsmart.
Good Luck! You'll do fine in Disney, if you wear the proper shoes.
Julie

[DisneyDINK]

I developed plantar fasciitis last year. I was training for Ironman and found myself unable to run with about 9 weeks to go before the race. I ultimately saw a sports medicine doctor who used ultrasound to guide a cortisone injection. The shot got me through the race, but, as expected, the pain later came back.

Try and remember, cortisone works, but it is a "quick fix" and I decided I wouldn't get a second shot whether or not the first one worked (which gratefully, it did).

You're probably realizing there are TONS of things you can try. I am donig more stretching, when I wake up and before and after exercice I try to stretch the muscles in the back of my legs (glutes, hamstrings and calves) which tighten my acillies tendon which probably leads to my plantar fasciitis.

I have also put some extra arch cushions in my shoes, which I believe has helped. I ice a bit after runs. Some (my wife) have used boots or strassborg (sp?) socks to stretch the achillies out while they sleep, but I could never sleep while wearing those darn things.

My uncle recently told me about "MBT Walking Shoes". If you google or search Amazon you should find them easily. He claimed excellent recults.

You'll need to be patient. It may take some time to find something that works for you. Mine is better now and I'm able to run a bit again, but it is still frustrating as the recovery has taken a LONG TIME. Unfortunately being depressed about it is not an effective recovery nechnique, quite the contrary acrually. I know that much from experience.

Not to mention you mentioned a bone spur, which I really know nothing about. Good luck with that one.

[Janmac]

In late August of last year I had plantar fasciitis so bad in both feet I could barely walk anywhere, even around the house. Intense almost unbearable pain.

I did a lot of stretching, massage and exercises. I was religious about this, even before getting out of bed, every morning. Warming up calf muscles, stretching the soles of my feet, massaging same. Also doing exercises during the day - like scrunching a towel along the floor, or, while standing, lifting heels off floor.

For the first few weeks I wore the most cushiony slippers I could and simply didn't go anywhere (luckily I'm not employed outside). Then I switched to my Birkenstock sandals. And luckily "Santa" brought me some Birkenstock shoes, as well.

By early October I was able to go hiking in the mountains in New Mexico. I hurt so bad in August I would never have believed I could have improved enough to hike, pain free, in October.

I've been wearing Birks for years but had let my favorite sandals get thoroughly worn out before I sent them for recrafting. I will not do that again. And I went to a family reunion with those worn out Birks and stood around all weekend. Since then I have had my Birks recrafted and bought a second pair of sandals, so now I will be more apt to get the recrafting done in a timely manner.

This isn't an ad for Birks - those are just the shoes that work for my feet. Definitely discover what shoes/insoles work best for your particular feet.

I don't massage or stetch the soles of my feet any more but I do fairly often warm up my calf muscles before getting out of bed. Maybe half the time.

Good luck!

Jan

[VWL Mom]

Sorry you're going through this. I've been dealing with it for about 3 years now on and off. In addition to the suggestions others have said, my doctor recommended taking an elasticized ace bandage with me to WDW and it does help when the pain starts. It looks like a sock with no heal or toes but the added instep support helps. No very expensive and you can find it at most drug/grocery stores.

[Jeri Lynn]

For those of you who have birkenstocks, are the soles of the sandals hard, they look like they are cork. I've never worn any.

Do you recommend a certain style? I do not like tong like sandals, hate anything between my toes! I also like a sandal with a heel strap, I typically wear Teva's in Disney. I am not a big sandal wearer, I usually have sneakers on. My podiatrist recommened Ariel by Brooks so I am going to go to the shoe store to try on some different things.

[Aggie97]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I started treatment for plantar fasciitis in my left foot earlier this summer. This is what I've been doing:

• Go to physical therapy, initially twice a week and now every 7-10 days. He does ultrasound therapy on my heel and arch, and I do a series of stretches and exercises at PT and at home.
• Never, EVER walk barefoot -- not even for a single step. I wear New Balance shoes with orthotic inserts from my podiatrist out of the house and Birkenstock sandals at all times in the house.
• I was wearing a compression sock for several weeks; now my PT has me taping my arch for support.
• Wear a night splint from my podiatrist. I can't seem to sleep in it, so I wear it pretty much any time I am sitting at home.
• Ice after any amount of time spent on my feet. I use a plastic water bottle -- empty a little water out and freeze it -- and roll it under my arch and heel for 10 minutes.
• Stretch my foot before standing up, whether I've been in bed or just sitting down. Stretching the plantar fascia every single time before I stand makes a huge difference.

I was doing really well but had a setback when I sprained my left ankle seven weeks ago. I'm back on the mend again and am patient but very determined! Very best of luck to you.

[Aggie97]

For those of you who have birkenstocks, are the soles of the sandals hard, they look like they are cork. I've never worn any.

Do you recommend a certain style?

The Birkenstocks I've been wearing have a softer footbed. They are called "Soft Footbed Tobacco Oiled Leather Granada." The New Balance sneakers I wear are the 1540.

[Janmac]

I have several kinds of Birks: the original, Tatami I think it is, high arch and maybe one more. My feet prefer the original footbed. The high arch is okay but the sole shape is a little different in a way that I haven't quite figured out yet. I have thought of trying the Soft Bed but haven't found them in my size yet.

The Tatami, if that's what it is, requires a different sizing, which doesn't fit my foot really well. It's okay for a short time,when mostly sitting down. It's important to make sure your size is correct. For me, for the original Birks, a size 35 Regular fits great. My feet are a size 5 C in other kinds of shoes.

In the original I have two pairs of sandals, a closed toe, and a shoe. If I have the names right, Arizona, Boston, and London. There is a sandal like the Arizona that has a heel strap but I'm drawing a blank on the name. The Arizona do not have anything between the toes. The cork gives with your step but not in a manner you will be aware of. My feet are sure aware of the give, tho. Also, I generally look for sales and markdowns. I don't think I've paid full price for any of my Birks.

My original pair of Arizona sandals were bought back in 1997. I can not recall how many times I've sent them to be resoled. The only original part of the sandal is the two straps. All the rest has been replaced several times. The sole consists of a rubber sort of material that meets the floor, the cork layer, and then the suede that your foot rests on. I think there may be a couple other small layers of stuff in there - a Birk store on line probably has a graphic detailing this. It costs about $70 with shipping to recraft the sandal which seems reasonable to me, as much wear as they get.

As Aggie97 says, I never go barefoot, so when I get out of bed, my feet go in my Birks. And stretching the sole of one's foot before standing - every single time - does make a huge difference.

DH, who has flat feet, does not tolerate Birks. My niece has more arch than DH but has very narrow feet and a problem with her metatarsal arch and doesn't tolerate Birks either. We all have New Balance shoes that we like altho they are all different. It's important to read the descriptions and get the New Balance that works for your particular foot, whether it's high arch and extra cushioning, metatarsal problem, flat feet with knee problems, etc. I get some shoe numbers from the New Balance website and then go searching other shoe web stores for good deals. My DD's mother-in-law likes Merrells alot for her plantar fasciitis. Before PF I used to wear Merrell's when I could find shoes with lots of cushioning in my size and on sale.

If your podiatrist recommends a certain shoe, that might be the way to go. If you're having trouble finding that particular shoe, maybe you ask for other recommendations.

Good luck!

Jan

[7165red]

I hate my left foot too. I won't go into my story but if all fails, rent a schooter and have a good time.

[Jeri Lynn]

Thankfully my foot is feeling a little better. I still have days when it is sore, but other times if feels almost normal. It feels best when the PT tapes it up. I had it taped this past Friday and went away for the weekend and it was only tender a few times, most of the time I didn't notice it.

Once the tape was off I noticed it more. I went to the foot doctor yesterday, he gave me another cortison shot. My heel where the spur is located is tender if you push on it. He also now has me wearing a brace at night to help stretch my calf.

I have 44 days till Disney and I think I could handle walking right now but I may have some tender times. I will prepare myself with tape and ice if needed. I'll be seeing the doctor in 4 more weeks.

[gratuspater]

Are these Birks that everyone is raving about really that great? I went to the store today, to check these out, because of the great reviews on here, and those things just looked scary! They looked like they would provide no cushion at all, even the soft sole wasn't very cushy. My back hurts after a long day on my feet, would these shoes help or hinder. The lady at the store said everything felt better, her back, feet, everything, but she is also trying to sell me these shoes. Anyone with back issues, wear these?