I'm so sorry you are dealing with plantar fascitiis. I have had this for years and will be having surgery for this soon. It is extremely painful! Who could imagine that those first steps would hurt so much?
My doctor says he rarely does surgery for this anymore (only on about 2 patients a year) because in most cases, conservative measures work. I have tried everything (ultrasound, taping, night splints, boot cast, medications, ice, stretching, physical therapy, custom orthodics, and every shoe pad imaginable, different shoes, etc.)----and I cannot get it resolved, but I am not the typical case. I have extremely flat feet and I pronate or turn my foot to the side when I walk---due to poor bone structure), and this has caused that muscle to constantly be stretched. And I also have nerve damage in my foot and a disc problem in my back, so my case is very complicated.
My doctor----one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country---told me that many times it takes 6 months to 1 year to get PF under control, and that the sooner you nip it in the bud, the better off you will be. The longer it lingers, the harder it is to get rid of, so PLEASE take it seriously and get it under control now.
It sounds like you have a wonderful PT and he is recommending all of the right things for you. The stretching exercises should help. You may want to ask him about icing your foot. Rolling your foot on a very cold can of soda can help.
Other things I'd recommend:
1. Always stretch before you get out of bed in the morning. Massage your heel to get the circulation to that area going.
2. DO NOT GO BAREFOOT---ever! The minute you get up in the morning, put your shoes on. Going barefoot, especially on hard surfaces such as wood floors, concrete or ceramic tile, will only make it much worse. I know this is how mine got so bad!
3. About shoes: wear a good pair of running shoes all the time. I have to wear a type of New Balance shoe that helps prevent my foot from pronating. If you have a NB store nearby, talk to the manager about your problem. The store near me has a computer that can scan your foot and tell them which shoe is the correct one for you. They are pros at dealing with foot problems. All those cute summer shoes (flip-flops and slip-on sandals) will only make the problem worse.
4. Also, there is a treatment called extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) that many people have had success with. With this, your heel is treated with shock waves, similar to the technique used to dissolve kidney stones. I was hoping this would work for me (my doctor recommended it), but my insurance will not cover it and it's $2,500!!! Some insurance companies will pay for it and others won't (because it is fairly new and the jury is still out on whether it's successful for this problem.)
I hope I haven't scared you to death with the details, but I wish someone had told me years ago how hard this is to treat. I didn't take it seriously and I'm now suffering the consequences. If I had had the surgery last year, I would only be dealing with one foot. Now---because my right foot hurt so much that I changed my gait---I have it in BOTH feet!
I also have nerve damage in my right heel (tarsal tunnel syndrome) and degenerative disc disease (problem with 2 discs in my lower back), so my case is kind of completed. I'm dreading the surgery because I know being on crutches and in a cast for 6 weeks will only make my back problem worse.
You should be able to get rid of this since you caught it so soon! PLEASE do every thing your PT tells you to. And if you need to vent, I'm here to listen. Only someone who has dealt with this can understand how painful it can be!
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Shell.....about PF
