does anyone have plantar faciitis (heel spur)?

Josie_Jump_3

I'm having the dreaded cortizone injection this Friday, I know it's going to hurt like hell but I'm going to give anything a try to finally clear this up.

elliethecat

I have had this painful condition for over 4 years. Pain-killers and anti-inflamatorys can not cure the problem and merely mask symptoms. For me the only thing that's worked have been plastic insoles which I wear in my shoes. Fortunately I was refered by my GP to the Podiatry Dept at my local hospital and have them tailor made for me there. However similar insoles can be bought in Boots etc., however they are pretty expensive. Without these insoles I am certain I would not have been able to carry on working as I'm a nurse and on my feet all day.

My mother and my son also have this condition and have both been prescribed similar insoles.

stressedoutmum

Ellie do you have any idea what the name of the insoles are that you can get in Boots and the cost so I know what I am asking for please

apprentice_tycoon

stressedoutmum wrote:

Ellie do you have any idea what the name of the insoles are that you can get in Boots and the cost so I know what I am asking for please

I got mine from a Scholl shop, they were quite happy to open the packs and let me try them out, at Boots they are all sealed up so you are buying blind

apprentice_tycoon

elliethecat wrote:

I have had this painful condition for over 4 years. Pain-killers and anti-inflamatorys can not cure the problem and merely mask symptoms. For me the only thing that's worked have been plastic insoles which I wear in my shoes. Fortunately I was refered by my GP to the Podiatry Dept at my local hospital and have them tailor made for me there. However similar insoles can be bought in Boots etc., however they are pretty expensive. Without these insoles I am certain I would not have been able to carry on working as I'm a nurse and on my feet all day.

My mother and my son also have this condition and have both been prescribed similar insoles.

4 years!!!! that's terrible! how do you go on with the night time/ early morning pains?

LizEstelle

Yes, I have PF.

A pair of Orthaheel inserts went a long way to solving the problem.

You can get them from Boots and sometimes cheaper from ebay sellers.

apprentice_tycoon

I'm really pleased that I started this thread as I don't know anyone that suffers from it so I've not had anyone to talk to about it - but now I do, and they are all here on MSE! - when I see someone walking with a bit of a limp I'm so tempted to ask if it's PF but I know that there are lots of things that can make walking hard so I've resisted the temptation so far

stressedoutmum

Thanks for the info everyone. Mythanks button has gone walkabouts:T

Josie_Jump_3

Well I had my cortizone injection today and I'm not sure what all the fuss was about, I've had so many people telling me how painful they are but quite honestly there was nothing to it. Quick jab from the side into my heel and that was it. Now I'm hoping it works, I'm booked in for another one in 6 weeks if needed. Fingers crossed this is enough to sort it out!

elliethecat

Apols not to having replied sooner, been caught up with other things. Though I've had this condition for a long time, so long as I wear my insoles religiously my feet don't ache any more than most peoples' do at the end of the day. If I forget to put them in my shoes and am on my feet alot - it's another story.

However, since this all started I'm not very good when I first get up in the morning as my feet seem to have lost the ability to bend properly- fortunately once I've taken about a dozen steps this wears off. Unfortunately this also happens when I sit down for a relatively short break, a tea break for instance. I'm so used to this now that I just limp away secure in the knowledge that the "very old woman walking" effect will wear off after a short while!!

To ease this, my Podiatrist suggested (hard to explain these simple things in words!) putting a rolling pin on the floor and rubbing my feet over it in a "rolling" action. She also suggested stretching the foot by facing a wall, placing both hands on the wall, stretching a leg out behind and lowering the heel onto the floor a few times. You can feel the muscles being stretched and this one works best for me when my feet are stiff. Hope this helps someone.

Sorry cann't help with names or cost of insoles. I've definitely seen them recently in a very large Boots the Chemist. I seem to recall that they were in excess of £20 per pair. However this is in a retail park on the other side of Glasgow to me and I'm not likely to be there for a wee while-sorry again not to be able to help.