Plantar Faciitis - Please help (sorry long)

[ebianco]

Hi to my beloved VF forum,

Can you please please help me. I have had plantar faciitis for about three months (was officially diagnosed about 1.5 months ago from the podiatrist) and up until the last couple of days, the pain has been diminishing and some days doesn't hurt at all.

I am a jogger and love step aerobics and high intensity workouts but I have not been doing those at all. I have been biking outside and doing strength videos (all low intensity), and it doesn't seem to hurt my foot, but could even that exercise be hurting me? I also usually walk to the metro (subway) station from my house (about 0.8 miles each way) but have stopped doing that too.

I got $397 custom orthotics from the doctor but they hurt to wear. The dr told me to wear them gradually (I have, got them last week) but now they just hurt all the time when I wear them. I have been wearing comfy shoes (primiarly Privos) at work which is better than sneakers (still trying to look semi professional) but not the flats or low heels that I usually wear, but now even the Privos hurt my feet.

I tried the cheaper insoles from the drug store, a gel insert for the heel and a memory foam for the whole foot, neither have really helped (in fact the heel insert actually hurt it more).

I froze a bottle and have been icing my foot every day when I sit at my desk, I also use a prickly ball to massage my foot, and at home I use Yoga Toes in bed. They feel great but I don't know how much they're helping the PF. I also do calf stretches with the towel while I am at work. These seem to make my foot feel good at the time, but not really help the pain go away. I bought the Strassburg sock and have tried using it (for maybe a 30 minute stretch each) but it gives me shooting pains! There's no way I can sleep in this unless I am not using it properly?

The doctor did x-rays 6 weeks ago and determined I do not have any heel spurs (the PF is in the left foot) but now I am worried maybe I have developed one. Can one develop after three months of PF? I have not been ignoring the pain, I think I have been doing what I can to walk around it.

During my doctor appointment six weeks ago I did get a cortisone injection but I didn't really feel it helped that much in particular.

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow with the same podiatrist, I am hoping he will repeat an x-ray on me to check for a heel spur that may have developed in the past 6 weeks and I am so worried I might have that problem. I'm so upset because I'm scared, will I ever be able to jog again? Will the PF ever GO AWAY? If you any advice to give me, or anything to try that I haven't already, please let me know. Thank you so much for any help you can provide.

Emily