How to Cope With Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a very painful condition of the foot. And, if you are reading this article you probably know what I'm talking about because you are looking for ways to cope with this inflammatory condition of the foot. I had never heard of plantar fasciitis until one day I had severe burning on the bottom of my foot and then the next morning when I got out of bed I could hardly walk due to the pain on my heel. I have found several ways to cope with this condition and I'd like to share them with you.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bottle of water
• Ice pack
• Shower mat
• Flip-flops

How to Ease The Pain As Your Foot Heals

1. My first step was to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist. He was able to confirm my diagnosis and offer suggestions as to how to treat this somewhat common condition. Plantar fasciitis is a common among athletes and people who stand on their feet for long periods of time. It can also be from ill fitting shoes. A trip to the podiatrist is a must for those suffering from plantar fasciitis.

2. Your podiatrist will inform you of the best way to treat this. It will more than likely be a regime of icing, exercise, and wearing the right shoes. He may also recommend inserts for your shoes.

3. Be sure to follow his recommendations. Stay off your foot as much as you can and wear shoes with arch support. Be sure to do the icing and the exercises.

4. The easiest way to ice your foot while at work (that is if you sit most of the day - as in an office) is to freeze a bottle or two of water. Then, while you are sitting at your desk, take off your shoe and roll the frozen bottle of water under the arch of your foot. I have found that a frozen bottle of water lasts most of the morning and another frozen bottle of water will last throughout the afternoon. Also, you will want to stand every now and then and do the stretching exercises that your podiatrist has recommended.
   
   I also do the icing with an ice pack when I go to bed in the evening.

Tips & Warnings

• Stepping in your bare feet on the shower floor can be quite painful. I purchased a good cushiony shower mat which helped.
• I also found that wearing a pair of flip-flops in the shower also eased the pain. Just be careful that you don't slip with the flip-flops on.
• I thought that the pain would go away within a week or two. It didn't.
• I also thought that getting used to the inserts in my shoes would be easy. It wasn't as easy as I thought. Follow the doctor's directions and break them in slowly.
• The pain does ease up as time goes on. Have patience. I realize now that I have taken my feet for granted all these years. I think of how I walked barefoot and at times wore ill-fitting shoes. I now have a new appreciation of pain free feet!
• Be sure to see a doctor or podiatrist for any foot problem - do not self diagnose as there may be more serious underlying problems.