Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What are you doing FOR your PF? I think focus on that for now.
I normally stretch my hamstrings, back, calves, ankles, etc every day for about 30 minutes as part of just getting going every morning. I've been doing that for over 2 years. My PF has been hitting hard for about 7 months. And I've really focused on it for about the last 2 months. I went to ortho and got an x ray as I thought it was a heel fracture because it's not worse in the morning. No tenderness on the arch. It gets worse the more I use it. etc. But Xrays showed it was PF. Started prednisone instead of cortisone shot. I rested for about 3 weeks straight taking 800mg of ibuprofen twice a day and icing it several times a day. Walked around the house in a ortho boot (I work from home). That really didn't help. Started using ortho slides around the house and stretching it and doing foot exercises. Doesn't seem to help. I started online physical therapy 2 weeks ago. I also massage my calves and feet with a massage gun 3 times a day. I lift weights 4 days a week. This doesn't seem to aggravate it. I have orthotic insoles and heel cups. The insoles seem to make it hurt worse so I use heel cups most often. Most of the time it feels OK until I walk for 5-10 minutes straight then my heel kills me. I can't run or it hurts very quickly. So that's why I'm looking for cardio ideas. I haven't done cardio besides riding my bike in months. Any hopping, stepping, skipping, etc kills my heel.
Sorry you're having so much trouble and it's not seeming to improve. You say you use insoles and heel cups; but I found that a good pair of walking shoes with actual arch support is what really took care of it for me. I had some Vionic shoes I loved, got a second pair; extended their useful life with Vionic inserts; but they no longer make that particular style and I haven't had the same good fit with other styles. Nevertheless, I don't know if just a really good supportive shoe rather than inserts would help you??
Swimming and cycling, including a stationary bike, are the only non-leg-weight-bearing cardios I can think of right off. So I'm sorry I don't have any helpful suggestions for you. Using arms gets the heart rate going; so maybe seated movements with a lot of arm work?