Getting really frustrated (PF)

[kat644]

Just to chime in and agree with Rose...

I have chronic PF, and it took me a long, long time to get to the point where I could live with it. The bottom line is, you can't cure/manage it until you know the specific reason you're dealing with it.

When I first got it, I assumed it was overuse / too much impact. I went to a podiatrist who did some xrays, looked at my foot, and then prescribed shots and pain medication. Yes, those helped, but they did nothing to cure me long-term. Even adding lots of icing and stretching only offered temporary relief.

Eventually, (and oh-so-tired of the pain), I went to see my husband's chiropractor. He spent much time with me and concluded that the reason I had PF (and would struggle with it forever) is because I have very, very high arches. My foot isn't going to change, so I will always be susceptible to tears in the fascia...

For me, the solution is either shoes made with very high arches specifically for support (Chacos sandals, Birkenstock's high-arch offerings), or to wear some kind of arch supports in my shoes. I have found supports that work for me, and different ones for different shoes (I use Superfeet, or scaphoid pads from Hapad). As long as I'm wearing those, I'm fine. If I go a day without them, I'm on the road to pain.

It's annoying, but at least I know the cause and the preventive cure. I do still try to steer clear of too much high-impact, just to be safe.

Anyway, though I was in pain for a long time, as soon as I found out the underlying cause and how to treat it, my pain went away very quickly.

So I would just add my agreement to others and encourage you to see someone who can identify the root cause / vulnerability. In my case, the podiatrist was no help (though I admit I only saw one...hopefully a different one would have tried harder!), but the chiropractor was a lifesaver.

I hope you're able to find relief very soon! I know PF is no fun at all!

-Kat

[Sancho]

Originally Posted by kat644

So I would just add my agreement to others and encourage you to see someone who can identify the root cause / vulnerability. In my case, the podiatrist was no help (though I admit I only saw one...hopefully a different one would have tried harder!), but the chiropractor was a lifesaver.

I hope you're able to find relief very soon! I know PF is no fun at all!

-Kat

Yes Kat, you are right. My podiatrist was quite easily able to identify my problem (tight calves) and then give me the right course of action (the right stretches for me, the right inserts for me). You're right, that is the key though, figuring out what is causing your individual problem and then addressing that specifically.

By the way, my podiatrist told me to ice only if it brought me relief from the pain but he said it would do anything to "cure" the PF.