Plantar Fasciitis -- ideas?

Antoinette
Antoinette Posts: 1 ✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in General Health

Hi - My partner has Plantar Fasciitis and I am looking for a potential direction to research natural / herbal remedies. I did a research on the site and only found one comment about Earth Shoes and a great YouTube Video. I am hoping that someone might be able to share experiences with herbal support. Thanks

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    First, I recommend the Bob and Brad video

    I had heel spurs for 4 years, had my feet wrapped, shoe inserts and time with foot doctor. Guess what? The pain went away after I quit karate classes. In retrospect, I must have been unevenly developing the muscles in my legs and feet. Now the only time I get pain in that area is if I wear the wrong type of shoes. (I primarily wear "barefoot" shoes.)

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K You're right -- flip flops are the worst thing you can wear!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    As an anti-inflammatory, I would suggest topical applications of cottonwood bud oil. You could also try taking turmeric as an anti-inflammatory. There are some TCM herbs and combinations available including patches but I am not familiar enough with any of them to make a recommendation.

  • Karin
    Karin Posts: 272 ✭✭✭

    I had plantar fasciitis for 9 months. Brought on, I believe, by a series of things, including wearing wrong shoes and also stressing the plantat fascia by climbing up and down a ladder in said bad shoes. I tried a myriad of things, but the only thing that really helped was resting it!! and allowing it to heal. Strapping helped sometimes, if it was done properly, and using topical anti-inflammatory creams, but the main thing was rest. Very hard to do, I might add!!

  • DebiB
    DebiB Posts: 92 ✭✭✭

    @Lisa K yes, the frozen water bottle was a life saver when I had plantair faciitis.


    @Antoinette There are stretches that help also. This website shows some of them https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324353#plantar-fasciitis-stretches

    Hope it helps

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    @Antoinette I had terrible Plantar Fasciitis!! There were mornings I could not even walk and had to crawl to the bathroom and rub my feet deeply before I could stand on them. I was told by a podiatrist to buy these inserts and they were amazing! Instant relief. I bought the ones with a hard sole because I worked in landscaping and my feet got wet often, the soft shells absorb the water and feel gross! The hard shell acted just like a normal work shoe.

    I also loved the frozen water bottle trick and you can do the same with a tennis or racket ball (but my dog really thought they were his! Lol). I also found sitting on the ground on my knees with my toes on the ground and my heels against my butt helped stretch out those tendons. It took close to 6 months of using the insoles before I totally forgot I ever had the problem to begin with.


    https://www.rei.com/product/106651/sole-performance-thick-insoles

  • alindsay22
    alindsay22 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    To ease the problem immediately - orthopedic inserts

    I could never get rid of it fully until I stopped eating inflammatory foods and adding anti-inflammatory herbs/spices/foods. I did all the things other people are suggesting. I still have foot cramps in the morning (and every other cramp :0) but I can actually walk barefoot a bit again. I only wear sneakers with inserts or for sandals DAWGS Z-Sandals are a life saver. They strap higher on your foot so you aren't clenching your feet to hold them on, they are light and they have a really good arch support.

    Good luck - PF sucks!

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    Proper shoes are the most important solution. As others have said - never wear flip-flips. Buy sandals that have a strap around the ankle. High heels are out, unless for special occasions.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    Don't forget your shoes seriously Happy Feet Kenkoh sandals changed my life and I in no way profit by telling you about this company, except the good karma.


  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Ah...I have read this thread before, but am reading it again with interest. This could be what is going on with my feet. Being an athletic family, we have athletic tape, so we taped up my feet (as in the Bob & Brad video) and they felt great until the tape loosened.

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    Birkenstock inserts helped me the most after shots, and physical therapy. Much better support than what an insole like dr scholls provides.

  • carrie449
    carrie449 Posts: 3 ✭✭✭

    I've also heard that rolling a soup can back and forth helps. I had it and ended up getting shoe inserts that I never did wear. At the time I took ibuprofen. These days I try to not take anything not natural.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    Like everyone has suggested, sensible footwear with arch support. Thongs (flip flops) are a no no. I wear birkenstocks. You might like to try acupuncture as part of an ongoing integrated health program. Highly recommend acupuncture and chiropractic methods. Good luck.

  • fivelawrences
    fivelawrences Posts: 33 ✭✭✭

    Anyone have any ideas for someone who mostly cannot wear shoes? My plantar fasciitis has gotten progressively worse over the last month, but I am unable to wear shoes for more than about an hour at a time due to a chronic skin condition. I do calf stretches and ice my foot in the evenings, but I don't get much time to sit down during the day and am bare-foot 95% of the time.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @carrie449 Welcome to TGN!

    @fivelawrences My husband made a good point. Supports never help strengthen anything, they keep it weak. Stretches & rest are probably your best friend in this case.

    I am not a shoe wearer either...except when I have to go into the city.

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @Antoinette @fivelawrences Last August on my first day of school, I ran down the hall to fetch a notebook for a meeting. Little did I know that the floor had been freshly waxed, so my left foot was planted while my right foot stretched out in front of me and I fell. My heel had over stretched and all tendons and ligaments were shot and whimpering. Eleven months later my doctor tells me for the fourth time that I need to do the plantar fasciitis exercises and I'll be good as new. They never worked as much as I wanted to believe they would. It hurt to walk, hurt to have my feet up or down, hurt to put shoes on, hurt to take shoes off. I tried inserts, exercises, supplements, rubbing, and soaking them. Nada. One week shy of one year, I placed a folded up comfrey leaf in my sock under my heal and put my shoe on. I wore it all day. When I got into bed after being on my feet for longer than I had in over a year, I noticed my accomplishment. I repeated the folded comfrey leaf in my sock the next day and the pain was gone. I repeated the treatment for a third day just because I wanted to. Still no pain AT ALL. I simply can't believe that relief could happen that quick, but it did.

    I really must apologize to Ms. Comfrey as she was there last year, I just ignored her. Thank goodness she is such a good friend to stick around and help me out.

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I loved all of the comments. I too have this problem. I was sent by my Dr. to a custom orthotics place and that did the trick. I am so grateful for custom inserts. It has saved me from all of the pain.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    I have this as well.

    I just wish that my comfrey grew!

    Maybe I will have to get someone I know from BC to send me a few leaves. I wonder if dried would work. It would be pretty messy.

    @torey Would a comfrey salve work the same? What strength would be best?

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning I think a salve would work equally as well as a compress if you don't have access to fresh leaves and certainly, in the winter, a salve would be the solution. If you are using dried leaves to make the salve it would be 100 grams of leaves per litre of oil or a 1:10 proportion in smaller amounts. I usually make my oil with fresh leaves and then I use just enough oil to cover the plant material. I would try just a regular strength salve. Comfrey is good for penetrating to the site of the injury. But if that doesn't bring you some relief you could try a double strength oil. So after you make the oil but before the salve stage, you could try it on your feet and see if it brings you relief. Then if need be, make another steeping in this same oil. Then make a salve with the strength of oil that works for you.

    I can send you some leaves but it would be a few days as I don't have any dried at the moment. So I would have to pick and dry first. Harmonic Arts should have some and that might be quicker than what I could provide. Let me know.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited August 2020

    I actually have some leaves at the moment. I just remember a friend of mine there hating the comfrey because it took over everything. She told me never to plant it. She would cut all the leaves off hers to spite the plants and probably gladly send those to me. Haha She would die if she heard that I bought seeds. 😂

    I haven't told her. I like her. It would be sad to go out on those terms since comfrey is so very good. 😏 😄

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Thank you, @monica197.