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Hi Lynn - I am so glad that you are doing so well after surgery . . . when did the Dr. say that you should feel the full outcome - i.e. NO MORE PAIN!

Please let us know how you are doing.

Sue

I too am suffering from this HORRIBLE condition PF. I have been to the podiatrist 3 times now. The first visit I was told to wear a boot and do stretching exercises. No relief. On the second and third visit the doctor gave me a cortisone shot which relieved the pain for almost 2 months at a time. He told me that he could cast my right foot for 10 days and see if that would help. Has anyone ever tried this and if so did it HELP!

Andy, Sue, and all,

Andy,

I know how you are feeling with this whole pf thing. I tried a cast for 3 weeks. It helped while I was in it, however within days after having it off, my pain was back! I would say it is worth a try though, you never know what may work and if it took it away, wouldn't it be worth it????

OK, I went to the Dr. today since I am now 10 days post-op from epf surgery. He said I was doing fine. I need to wear my "boot" one more week, then try a tennis shoe. He said if it still feels uncomfortable, put the boot back on for a few days and alternate between the boot and tennis shoe for another week. The good news is I can now get my foot wet, since he took the sutures out today. He said it was ok to stand in the shower on the ball of my foot, but get it back in the boot immediately after drying. The pain level is minimal. He said it is common to have pain in your heel one time and in your arch other times and outside of your foot. He told me that is all normal heeling pain. I have to tell you that honestly, I wouldn't say I have pain, more of pressure if anything. So keep your fingers crossed!!!! I hope to be back up to 15 miles or so a week by spring........Time will tell!!!
Lynn

Hi everyone,

I've been doing medical massage for 24 years now, and you don't have to suffer with this. I've had it, I KNOW how much it hurts, but I got rid of it, and you can too. I've put together a FREE self-help guide. Just go to my website, http://www.kaywarren.org fill out the contact us page, and in "remarks", let me know you want me to send you "Healing Plantar Fasciitis w/o Surgery". I PROMISE, I WILL NEVER GIVE, RENT, OR SELL YOUR E-MAIL TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON. I promise, I will not start sending you e-mails to sell you stuff, or send you chain letters or joke lists. (I really hate spam!)

The guide is based in solid anatomical and physiological principles, and 24 years of clinical experience, 5 of it working directly for an orthopedic surgeon doing hip, knee & Ankle injury and surgical re-hab. There is just no point in suffering, they don't hand out prize money for it, so why go through it when you don't have to? The guide is free, all you have to do is ask for it, and use it. Please, tell me what on earth you have to lose? Now, if you really want to drive to High Point, NC, and see me in my office, you're welcome to, but not everyone can, which is why I'm handing out the guide. I really do want to end the ridiculous amount of suffering this causes.

When I see someone in office, you can definitely tell the difference in how your feet feel as soon as you stand up from your first session. The pain is significantly reduced, even with just 30 minutes of treatment. You know how much it hurts if you've been sitting for 15 minutes, and then stand up right? It's not uncommon to have a 1st treatment reduction of 20-40% in that "standing back up" pain. Along with that is often a reduction of 30-50% of the pain you feel the next morning when you first stand up as you get out of bed. Doing it yourself, you probably won't have as marked an increase, but I'd expect 10-25%. If you don't get that, you probably didn't quite get in the right places. You might have had trouble with my directions, in which case, please let me know so I can make improvements. It's been a very long time since I didn't know how to do this, and sometimes it's hard to translate what I do automatically into words.

Kaelyn

Hi All,

I am finally so glad to find a forum about this painful subject. I have had PF going on three years now. It comes and goes in both feet after the injections, but my doctor wouldn't give me anymore since i had so many. I also had the start of a heel spur on the one foot, probably the other one too by now, not sure. I also have bursitis (spelling?) I'm in physical therapy now and hoping it works. It is so very painful and i cry sometimes too. I have spent so much money on "good" shoes but they only seems to hurt more. I've even tried those heal seats. They were great the first few days but the pain came back so i went back to my custom orthotics. The custom orthotics work, i like them, but i just want the pain gone for good. I feel so bad for everyone that has this, but i am glad i am not the only one suffering. I heard it is very common and treatable but its seems as though its not very treatable after all. I have also had the shock wave therapy. The pain went away for a few months but came back again just like all of the other treatments. I wish all of us luck in recovering for good.

Thanks

Oh the wonderful pain of plantar fascitis. I've battling this since May, bilaterally. No one seems to do anything I'm going to a podiatrist this Thurs. My husband was talking with someone who they thought had it but then discovered she had plantar fibromas. Has anyone here had that be their case or heard of it. I had to have a bilevel cervical disctomy a year and a half ago and had to go into the hole on leave with that and am still paying that back, so taking time off from work has not been an option for me. Then after the neck surgery I developed fibromyalgia, and now almost a year of this, so I'm going crazy. It is comforting in a strange way to know that I'm not alone in this though. I just don't want to have to have another surgery and have to be advanced sick leave again. Any hope from anyone out there?

I would assume that Plantar firbromas is basically a fibrotic growth or excessive toughening of the plantar fascial tendon, however nothing comes up on Web MD when it's searched for. Was your cervical discectomy done due to swelling of the spinal cord or was it spinal stenosis (narrowing of the vertebral foramina) that then pinches nerves? Did they use screws and a couple of small plates to hold the foraminal space open? Did they go in through the front of the neck? It's not at all uncommon for women to develop fibromyalgia after serious surgery. I would suggest you seriously look into hypnosis. The success rate in 12 sessions on fibromyalgia is upwards of 80%, and there are no side effects. The developer of the protocol is Melissa Roth, she owns and operates the Alabama Hypnotherapy Center, and she suffered from FMS herself. Go to her website, http://www.tranceworkers.com/ and you can order the CDs. Go to my website, http://www.kaywarren.org and ask me for "Healing Plantar Facsiitis w/o Surgery". This guide explains the concepts, and gives you step-by-step instructions, with diagrams. It's free, and I promise, I won't spam you . There are a few cases of heel pain that are caused by a nerve entrapment, or by "Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome". The guide works well for tarsal tunnel. If you have the nerve entrapment, that's actually easier to fix. 2 trips to a chiropractor who has CCES (certified extremities specialist) after their name, they'll do a 1-2 traction adjustments to the ankle itself, and you're done. In 2-3 days, the pain is totally gone. In my experience, cases of plantar fasciitis that turn out to be tarsal tunnel are about 5 in 100. Cases that are actually nerve entrapment run about 2-3 in 100. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming freight train.

It sounds like we are all at the same point, discouraged! I went to a podiatrist yesterday. I told him all the things I have done, from cortisone shot, to PT etc. He said I have so much inflammation in my feet he has to get rid of that before anything else. He banned me from any stretching, and told me to be off my feet as much as possible, telling my husband he needs to do basically all he can around the house to keep me sitting. I'm not a sit down kind of person but I have to try. He put me on a high dosage of celebrex to try to get the inflammation down. I told him I wasn't in favor of more cortisone since the one shot I had hurt so BAD. He said not to rule it out and that the shots don't have to hurt like mine did. We will see. But he's not going to do that until he gets some of the swelling down. He said he isn't a fan of the surgeries and will only use that as a last resort. He said no matter what I am going to need the orthotics once he gets this under control. He did recommend me getting a good arched DR. Scholl insert and it really does seem to help with the pain a bit. I too have to wear my shoes all the time. This morning I tried my sneakers without the inserts and immediately had to take them out of my work shoes and put them in the sneakers, what a relief. I wish I had used these earlier, it's not perfect does feel better. I hope we can all get through this. I too feel that someone should be able to solve this problem since it is so common.

Kaylyn, My cervical discectomy was due to two hernited discs in my neck. They said I have degenerative discs. They went in through the front of my neck, took the two discs out and replaced them with donor bone, then a plate over them and screws. It was a long healing process but definitely worth it. The doctor that diagnosed my fibromyalgia said it was probably a result of my body being unhappy with me for having two surgeries in less than a year, I also had a hysterectomy.

Hello all,
Just wanted to give a quick update. It has now been just over 3 weeks since my epf surgery. I saw the doctor yesterday and he thought I was healing ahead of schedule. He worked on my orthodics for extra cushion. He said to wait about another two to three weeks before starting a walking program or treadmill again. So how does it feel?? Right now it feels like a tooth ache. Not bad, just nagging. If I am off my foot it doesn't hurt at all. However after standing or walking for more than a half hour or more, I feel it. As soon as I sit down for a couple of minutes, I feel ok again. I have to say it feels better this week than last week. I am careful to wear my tennis shoes every time I am up. I have noticed though, even standing in the shower does not hurt my heel like it did prior to surgery. So far I am cautiously optimistic the surgery was the right thing to do. I will keep you posted!!
Lynn

tghostlaw,

Go to Melissa Roth's website and order the fibromyalgia CD set. You'll have great results. They definitely did a fusion in addition to the discectomy, which is pretty common. At least you didn't have to go for a full laminectomy. Make sure you see a massage therapist with a very light, very precise touch who can make sure you have no trigger points or adhesions in your anterior neck muscles. If you need pointers on what to ask them, let me know. Abdominal surgery can often cause low back issues due to incomplete or improper healing of the abdominal wall. Tranversus abdominus wraps all the way around the back, and then sticks to everything else. Good fascial release work will help resolve this. They need to have taken John Barnes' classes.

Kaelyn

I am a skateboarder(actually a longboarder to be exact) and I have had PF for the last 8 months. My physical therapist gave me a ultrasound and if anything that made it worse. He says the only way its going to heal is if i stay off it but my board is my trasportation to school, work, etc so laying off for a bit just wasnt an option. I have an air cast thats meant for sprained ankles and out of everything that helps the most because it supports my weight so my foot doesnt have to.When i try stretching it it just doesnt help. I will have random sharp pains along with constant irratating pain and thats the worse. Sometimes if i skate on it long enough it it will go numb and i wont notice the pain till hours later. then im really paying for it. There arnt any arch supports made that are high enough for my arch so that doesnt help either and the custom one are too expensive. I was wondering if PF is a common condition in skater or if i am just stopping or pushing off wrong?(any pressure on my foot hurts). any fellow skaters know how i feel or what helps for them. also i dont have pain so much in my heel it the lower arch close to my heel and its always swollen and purpleish *_*

Skaterchick,

ok, you most likely have a serious grade 3 tear, with broken bones. For you to still be purpling after 8 months is SERIOUS.
GET OFF IT, AND STAY OFF IT! I'M NOT KIDDING!!!
Get to a serious sports orthopedist, and have several ankle x-rays taken, especially oblique lateral angles. I suspect that you are consistently re-fracturing the bones, but only the X-ray will show for sure. I suspect the doc will put you in a fiberglass cast, but if they don't, keep using the ankle cast, and I mean all the time. This goes way beyond PF. How your physical therapist didn't clue in to the probable broken bones is a mystery to me. The sharply painful reaction to an ultrasound should be a dead giveaway. Where are you? If you're in Northern CA, like, going to Sac State, I can send you to a guy.

Chances are, that when this first happened you had an X-ray right away.... right? I'm betting it showed nothing... right? NEWS FLASH..... it takes 2 weeks for a hairline or small fracture to show up on an x-ray. Even then, if you're not shooting from the correct angle, especially in the foot, you won't see it. So the old "nothing's broken" doesn't necessarily mean squat. If you're going to stay a skaterchick/tomboy, you need to buy a tuning fork. They can be had at guitar city or a small music store for $5-15. It doesn't matter what frequency. This is the best investment you will make for along time. A bone isn't really solid. It's porous. Bone doesn't have nerves on the inside. Bone does have a covering called the periosteum on outside, and it is LOADED with nerves. Because healthy bone is continuous it vibrates at the same rate. If it's broken the ends vibrate against each other, and it hurts. So, you take your trusty tuning fork, hold the post, and strike one of the tines against something hard. (not your head) Take the post, and put it on the end of a bone you know to be healthy. This is what it should feel like if the bone you test is actually ok. Now, we're going to use the arm as an example here. Let's say you think you broke the bone on your arm that heads toward your thumb (it's the radius) close to the wrist. Follow the line of the bone up to the elbow, where you can feel the hard end of the bone. Strike the fork, and put the post there. If you feel nothing or the very faintest of vibrations, the bone is solid. If it hurts a bit, sort of like a bell reverberating, for about a minute, maybe 2, you have a hairline crack. How long it hurts is how bad it is. If it really hurts, then you're definitely broken, and it will have to be re-set, and depending on which bone it is, and what direction the break runs, probably casted.

I probably sound a little alarmist to you, but I swear, this is serious, you need to get it taken care of, and I mean now. Invest in a set of crutches, and get used to bumming rides from friends for awhile. It sucks, but it's necessary. You do too much bone damage for too long, they're going to need to put in pins and rods, which I promise you, you don't want.

Once you actually heal, you're going to need the guide to healing plantar fasciitis. It will really help your recovery. Good luck, and keep me posted.

I honestly dont think it has to do with a bone. but when you metioned the ankle thing it reminded me that a few months before i had PF syptoms i did sprain my ankle really bad. but they did an x-ray and nothin was broke in my ankle. the arch in my foot kinda looks like half a golf ball sticking out. but i think if it was a bone problem my physical therapist would of noticed somthin when he was pushing on the painful spot(which hurt so bad it almost put me in tears). I know that I had a pretty bad case of PF but i didnt think anything more than that. your reply did help though it made me think about stayin off it more. i have been trying to ride a bike around for awhile but that even hurts my foot when i push the pedals or get off the bike. for now i will continue to try and remember to wear the aircast and layoff it as much as i can. Thank you for the advice though. I have a doctors appointment in a couple of weeks so i will bring it up to my doctor again. last time i mentioned it to my regular doctor she didnt even care and just told me to take pain killers. The reason i keep skating on it is because I figure it will just go away after awhile....but so far it hasnt....somthin has to change. or and im located in central oregon. wishin i was in cali though...much better skating weather.

skaterchick,

When I was talking about the bones, I was really talking about the tarsals and the tibia. The tibia is your shin bone, and the tarsals are what it rests on. As far as the "golf ball" in your arch. Did it appear right away after the injury? Or did it take time and sort of grow? If it appeared right away, you have probably torn one or more tendons and ligaments. If it appeared gradually, it is most likely scar tissue from the ligament and tendon damage rather than a fully detached tendon. Gravity is helping it stay swollen, but there should be no pain with ultrasound if the bones are healthy, the fact that there was pain, and that it was ignored is pretty scary. Ok, so keep your doctor's appointment. Is most of the purpling on the bottom of the foot or on the outside of the ankle? If it's on the outside, make sure it gets X-rayed. If it's on the bottom, you should have an x-ray shot from the plantar view. I want to rule out bone chips, and breaks that are weakened and could get worse. go to my website http://www.kaywarren.org and request the guide. If there is NO purpling AT ALL within 1/2" of the inside ankle bone, and none above the ankle bone, you can safely do this protocol to release your calves. Do not do it if you're having purpling and bruising around the ankle bone. You would want to skip the part the lightly tucks under your foot until all bruising has been gone for at least 2 weeks. You really do have to stay off of this. You should be using ice at night, and sitting down/elevating your foot whenever possible. 20 minutes is max time on using a 1 pound bag of peas as an ice pack.

Depending on how bad the internal scar tissue is, you may have a sort of lump in your arch for a long time. It's possible that a piece of the plantar tendon has detached and balled up in that space. It's not seriously likely, but it's possible. If that's the case, you would have 2 choices; #1 leave it alone (this is most likely the best choice) and #2 have surgery to remove it. #2 is VERY painful and you would have 3 months of being COMPLETELY OFF YOUR FEET. I don't think that's up your alley. Seriously, find a good sports doctor, and have them look at the foot. If you're going to a "doc in a box" (urgent care clinic) find a new doc! They're good for general things, but not this. You're looking for a sports medicine doctor, an orthopedist, or a podiatrist. Most other docs don't have the training in these types of injuries. Medicine is far too vast a subject for anyone to know everything about. It's all about using the right tool, on the right patient, at the right time. Seriously, you wouldn't ask a podiatrist to do brain surgery, asking a general practitioner to handle a probable multiple grade 3 ligament sprains with detachments and probable multiple hairline cracks throughout the tarsals and calcaneus doesn't make much sense either.

Keep me posted....