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HI All,

I found this forum while searching for heel pain, PF sounds like what I may have but I am not sure because it was the result of an injury. Let me explain...
Back on Oct 23rd I was at work in my office building walking down the stairs, the top front of the stair broke off and caused my left foot slid down and slammed into the stair below it. At first I had pain in my foot (under it, heel, ankle, and near toes) and the top of my leg just below the knee. The foot was clearly swollen and bruised... I filed an accident report at work and the next day, Friday, they (workers comp) sent me to a doctor.

I went to see this doctor and she said it looks to be badly bruised, but she wont know for sure until I have x-rays. They set me up with x-rays the following Monday and a follow up doctor appointment on Tuesday, she kept me out of work until the follow up.

On Tuesday I go to see the doctor with the x-rays, and she said nothing looked broken, just enflamed. She gave me some excersizes to do (stretches), some anti-enflamatory and pain meds, and sent me back to work the next day. I called my employer and asked them if I can work from home because I am in pain while driving (I have a clutch and traffic would be murder!). They were fine with working from home so I continued the excersize and met with the doctor once again the following Tuesday.

By the following Tuesday all my pain was pretty much gone except for the ankle area, heel, and my lower leg was numb. So she sent me for physical therapy 3 days a week. Its been two weeks now of therapy and almost all the pain is gone except the leg is numb and my heel, if anything, got worse. During a deep tissue massage I almost flew off the table when she found the "spot" near my heel. I told her, that spot, and up to the arch has gotten worse. It hurts like hell to take even one step, driving my car is nearly impossible IF there is traffic (when isnt there? lol). So with my therapy report in hand, I went back to the doctor. The doctor is now sending me to an orthopeadic doctor/foot specialist.

I have a couple comments about this so far:

- The workers comp doctors are rude and abusive. They make it appear as if you are there to rip off the system, they are more concerned with costs and not your health. This to me is BS, I am a professional working a white collar job making six figures, not your typical "MO" for ripping the system off. In addition, im 46 and have been in this industry (IT) for over 20 years, never once did I go on comp. With that said, I seriously don't think these doctors are doing whats in MY best interest

- Fortunately my company is working with me... they dont have to let me work from home, but they are. They are not a small company, we have 60,000 employees world wide. So this is a good thing, I think

- Physical therapy helped with everything but my numb leg and my very bad heel pain, in fact I think it got worse I am in serious pain after leaving that place, but I been dealing with it because it did seem to help everything else.

I hope the "specialist" isn't a rude jerk. I just want to feel better, i don't want anything else.

Anyway, one thing that is different when I read these forums is that in the morning I do NOT have heel pain. In fact, it feels best in the morning... but by the end of the day (and I work behind a desk) it hurts like heck, right from the front inside center of my heel to about 1/2 way to my toes. Do any of you not have pain in the morning?

Thanks!

Dear hurtsalot,
I'm no doctor, but your symptoms do not sound like plantar fasciitis. At least not the chronic kind that most of us seem to have. I have a couple of thoughts though. It may be possible that you ruptured your plantar fasciitis. Also, I wonder if it could be an achilles tendon problem.?...Most people when they first take a step in the morning have a lot of pain in the heel with pf but each case is different. Mine has gotten to the point that my whole foot hurts! The numbness in your leg sounds more like nerve pain. Maybe TTS (tarsal tunnel). It sounds like you are going through all the necessary steps and I agree workers comp. is a pain in the butt. Please keep us posted. I'll be interested in what you found out. For now, I would keep icing and stretching. Good Luck!!
Lynn

I went to the specialist, he did a sonogram and it looks like the Plantar ligament is swollen to almost twice its size. So its not Fascitis, just the same ligament.

He told me that they probably shouldn't have sent me to therapy so soon and that it should have been immobalized when the injury first occured. So now I am wearing the boot for a minimum of two weeks and on meds to reduce the swelling.

The specialist, for being a WC doctor, was not rude at all (especially after he seen the sonogram). I wish the first doctor they sent me to was competent...

Thanks for letting us know. Your symptoms sounded similar, but not exactly like my PF. Hopefully with rest and meds you will be feeling better in no time!

You are correct in your assessment that you don't have traditional plantar fasciitis. Anything with "itis" at the end means inflammation, which you definitely have. However you got yours through a direct injury which completely changes the game. It sounds like you may have bone bruising, some tendon and ligament damage, and possible hairline fractures. The foot is pretty complex, if the X-ray isn't taken at the right angle, you won't see a hairline crack. If you have a hailrine crack, it takes 2 weeks to show up on an X-ray, and it shows up as a bright white dot with a cobweb radiating out from it. Bone bruising typically takes 1-2 months to heal for an ordinary bruise. A bruise that has been aggravated by too much activity, starting PT too early etc, can take much longer. VERY gentle massage to the ankle and calf to help keep the muscles from stiffening up is a good idea. The plantar fascial tendon typically takes 1-3 months to heal depending on the level of damage done, and how well you're able to stay off of it. It too needs to be stretched very gently, but only with your hands, NOT LOAD BEARING! VERY gentle massage, not pressing in against the tendon, but gliding alongside it from the heel to the ball of the foot will help keep everything from sticking where it shouldn't . When I say very gentle, I'm talking bout 1-2 pounds of pressure. Test your pressure on a diet scale. This amount of pressure is just enough to remind the body that yes, this really is supposed to move. Then gently point & lift your toes 5 times. All of this should be done while sitting, NOT NOT DO ANY OF THIS WHILE STANDING OR ANY OTHER KIND OF LOAD BEARING! If you have any other questions post here, and I'll anxwer as best I can. I've been doing orthopedic massage for 24 years. You do need to obey your doctor and stay off of it as much as possible.