Plantar Fasciitis Release Surgery

So I’ve been suffering with plantar fasciitis most of my life and rather consistently since 2004. I wear custom orthotics and have had a handful of cortisone shots through the years. There’s been a handful of months where I’ve been pain free too.

The following is a rundown of the past year for me.
January 2017: Felt an excruciating burning pain while playing basketball with the middle school team I coached. This hurt very bad and caused me to walk with a limp for a handful of weeks.
March 2017: Visited foot doc who’s also a tennis friend. I received a shot and went in for more treatments of taping, etc. over the next handful of weeks.
May 2017: Doc told me I could resume activities so I did. I was playing basketball and felt “the pain” come back while sprinting. It was only 10% of the January pain so I decided to just rest and ice myself.
Summer 2017: I was busy with kids’ activities, tennis, and coaching soccer. My foot hurt but the pain was mostly under control. I refrained from sprinting activities and tennis was mostly on har-tru which helped. I played some very good doubles tennis and didn’t play singles or played rarely. My feet hurt but I made it through tennis. I also made it through soccer and was able to condition with the team on endurance runs. I was definitely running on my right foot awkwardly and that was causing swelling where my foot was not designed to strike using a normal motion.
Fall 2017: The pain was getting more consistent. I couldn’t/can’t get out of bed and walk a handful of steps to the bathroom in the morning. Once I get my shoes on I can at least walk as long as my orthotics are there.
December 2017: I had plantar fascia release surgery. It was only a handful of days ago on 12/29/2017. My doctor thought it was a good choice. I’ve suffered long enough. I waffled a little with the idea but it was my idea to begin with. My insurance deductible had been met. I’m tired of the pain.

Here’s the oddity to me. I consider myself a sissy when it comes to foot pain. In conversations about PF, I heard many people tell me they had it for a short time and it was excruciating. I never considered it excruciating except for the January 2017 event. Even the last couple of months where I crawled to put my shoes on in the morning hasn’t been that bad. I was thinking I was blowing this out of proportion and maybe shouldn’t have the surgery but I did it anyways.

The procedure:
I received a nerve block from the knee down and then I was put under via iv sedation. The nerve block was supposed to wear off within 12-24 hours but seemed to last closer to 30 hours. At that time, I was to take the prescription of oxycodone with acetaminophen as needed to deal with the pain. PAIN??? WHAT PAIN???? Like I said, I don’t consider myself a tough guy but I’ve had blisters that hurt worse than this! I’ve not taken one of the pain pills or anything else. This is a walk in the park! I’m on crutches by doctor’s orders or I’d probably just walk on the stitches.

Am I wrong about my pain tolerance? Regardless, I’m looking forward to getting back to activities and enjoying them pain free!

I’d post a pic of the procedure but I don’t want to gross anyone out.

There's a wide variety of tolerance to pain among people.

I tried to have a root canal without any painkillers and that was a mistake but I get dental fillings without painkillers. Same thing with crowns and other procedures. I know people that have chronic pain and require Oxycodone to live. Yeah, they get looks and paperwork from pharmacies and doctors but chronic pain is chronic pain.

Cause I got various foot injuries, I've started to get PF off and on for the past several years. I found a solution that heals it in a week or so, it's called DMSO. Look it up, it's a remarkable anti-inflammatory that will cure just about all that ails you.

@dak95_00, post a follow up of your progress from time to time if you can. Curious to see if the surgery was effective with PF.

I just got PF this past month after 25+ years of running. Not thinking about surgery now obviously, but who knows in 10 or 20 years

I got it over 20 years ago from basketball. It eased up in a week or two so I went back out on the court and it returned but not quite as bad. Got some cheap orthotics from Target and wore those for about a month, and it seemed to resolve itself. No further problems until a year ago New Year's Eve. I was playing in a social tourney and heard a pop in my right foot (same one) while running for a drop shot. Could barely walk the next day, needed a cane. Bought some heel cups and PF insoles, wore the orthotics again for 2 weeks, and then did what my foot would allow, a little more each day til I could play with the insoles for a month or two, then without. Knock on woodie it hasn't come back. I would try everything I could to avoid surgery, but if it worked for you, giddyup.

It’s stories like those above that make me laugh in an uncomfortable disbelief. I’ve done everything over that last 15 years and have never been lucky enough to be pain free but for a handful of weeks at a time.

I’ve tried all sorts of devices; custom orthotics, night splint, Strassburg socks, cortisone shots, tape, and many treatments including lots or ice and stretching.

It’s been bad. I can usually overcome the pain mentally and keep going; I ran a marathon after my knee buckled at mile 1 from ITBS pain. The PF pain had gotten to the point where I could barely function; walk.

I’ve also done plenty of resting.

I’ll update at my treatment progresses. It’s been 10 days since surgery. I hate crutches and would love to just be able to place my foot on the ground for stability. I don’t because I’m very good at following protocol or doctor’s orders. At two weeks out or this Friday, I get the stitches out.

I’d post pics but I don’t want to gross anyone out. I have a pic of the incision where you can see the PF cut, fat pad, muscle, etc and another pic of the stitches from my 1 week follow up appointment. I think it’s interesting stuff.

dak95_00 said:

It’s stories like those above that make me laugh in an uncomfortable disbelief. I’ve done everything over that last 15 years and have never been lucky enough to be pain free but for a handful of weeks at a time. I’ve tried all sorts of devices; custom orthotics, night splint, Strassburg socks, cortisone shots, tape, and many treatments including lots or ice and stretching.

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I would also like to hear if the release surgery worked for you or not.

I am in the same boat as you but am only up to 4 years with PF. I have tried all things you stated, without any long-lasting relief from PF. I recently received a PRP treatment but haven’t played tennis or run since the treatment to see if it helped or not. If this doesn’t work, then surgery is the recommendation.

r2473 said:

@dak95_00, post a follow up of your progress from time to time if you can. Curious to see if the surgery was effective with PF.

I just got PF this past month after 25+ years of running. Not thinking about surgery now obviously, but who knows in 10 or 20 years

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Running is one of the causes of PF. That is why I don't run. Running also causes knee and hip wear and tear.

IDK but good luck. I had PF and it hurt. Opted for rehab instead. All is good for me. Time + right shoes.

I'm a marathon runner, had no issues with PF till I ran a halloween fun run 5k (after an 8 week hiatus from running due to hip injury, which made me skip the chicago marathon). Plan was to jog it ever so easy, but got dumb and ran it as fast as i could - when i awoke that night, left foot heel pain and could not walk on it! it finally eased up after 4 weeks and i started jogging thru the pain, but finally went to a doc in late december - he gave me a steroid injection. Hurt like hell for 9 days then finally let up. 3 weeks in I started jogging, and then I got a "longitudinal interstitial" tear in the central cord => 10 weeks boot, 8 weeks Physical Therapy BUT pain came back when ever she had me try jogging. RESTED all year, 2nd MRI 2 weeks ago and now I have a NEAR-COMPLETE tear at the "calcaneal attachment" at heel.

Doc is suggesting plantar fasciotomy, not so much a release but a complete sever of 2 of the 3 cords and then immediately resume walking on it so it will NOT re-attach to heel. obviously i'm looking for 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions - worried i might not be able to run marathons again!

Was your fascia release a complete sever of cord, or did they just cut snippets of cord to relieve some tension??

PS dont play tennis, but always loved it. stumbled upon here while googling plantar fascia ruptures

Raff said:

I'm a marathon runner, had no issues with PF till I ran a halloween fun run 5k (after an 8 week hiatus from running due to hip injury, which made me skip the chicago marathon). Plan was to jog it ever so easy, but got dumb and ran it as fast as i could - when i awoke that night, left foot heel pain and could not walk on it! it finally eased up after 4 weeks and i started jogging thru the pain, but finally went to a doc in late december - he gave me a steroid injection. Hurt like hell for 9 days then finally let up. 3 weeks in I started jogging, and then I got a "longitudinal interstitial" tear in the central cord => 10 weeks boot, 8 weeks Physical Therapy BUT pain came back when ever she had me try jogging. RESTED all year, 2nd MRI 2 weeks ago and now I have a NEAR-COMPLETE tear at the "calcaneal attachment" at heel.

Doc is suggesting plantar fasciotomy, not so much a release but a complete sever of 2 of the 3 cords and then immediately resume walking on it so it will NOT re-attach to heel. obviously i'm looking for 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions - worried i might not be able to run marathons again!

Was your fascia release a complete sever of cord, or did they just cut snippets of cord to relieve some tension??

PS dont play tennis, but always loved it. stumbled upon here while googling plantar fascia ruptures

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Interesting. I get my stitches out tomorrow and I’m hoping I can begin walking in a boot (2weeks out). I’ll ask the doctor about the procedure. I believe he cut the whole thing but I’m not certain. He’s a tennis friend of mine and he’s helped me in the past; Lisfranc fracture. I didn’t seek other opinions and actually approached him about surgery options due to the ineffective previous treatments, growing pain and difficulty walking, and the fact I’d met my deductible for the year.

@Raff
I had a complete cut. My stitches were taken out today and I can begin walking in a boot without crutches after the weekend. I need to be careful and use crutches if my foot is causing problems but I don’t foresee that as a problem.

I go back in 3 weeks and at that time it’s expected that I’ll start therapy and begin wearing normal shoes again.

Walking is more difficult than I expected. My foot hurts but it’s not terrible. I have no push off power plus the boot is just awkward while walking. I took some steps yesterday and it was challenging. It’s much easier to crutch being able to put some weight down. I’m going to use a cane right now and continue with the knee scooter while in large areas like work. Today, I coached basketball for 30 minutes without any extra assistance. It was okay but I’m really slow. Luckily I was just demonstrating where to be in a zone offense and how to read the defense.

dak95_00 said:

Walking is more difficult than I expected. My foot hurts but it’s not terrible. I have no push off power plus the boot is just awkward while walking. I took some steps yesterday and it was challenging. It’s much easier to crutch being able to put some weight down. I’m going to use a cane right now and continue with the knee scooter while in large areas like work. Today, I coached basketball for 30 minutes without any extra assistance. It was okay but I’m really slow. Luckily I was just demonstrating where to be in a zone offense and how to read the defense.

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Have they told you what your recovery time would be? I have considered having this procedure since I have problems with PF.

MRfStop said:

Have they told you what your recovery time would be? I have considered having this procedure since I have problems with PF.

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I’d try everything else first.

Initially I was told three weeks on crutches and three months in a boot.

This will sound strange but I’m an unusually fast healer. All of my wounds have always healed faster than doctors expected. This has been no exception but I always error on the side of caution too. I could’ve had my stitches come out after a week but waited until week two. I was walking in a boot at 17 days instead of 21. I’m still two days away from being three weeks out.

The doctor told me I could transition to a regular shoe from the boot at approximately week 5 or just before he sees me again if I felt up to it. I told him I’d just wait for him to see me first. To be honest, I think I’d be fine in a regular shoe as early as this coming weekend. I’ve had much less pain than I was experiencing prior to surgery. The pain I feel now is more like the pain you feel when something touches a healing wound. Likely because it is a healing wound.

My foot and strength get better each day. I don’t think I’ll be able to really tell until I’m in a regular shoe again. I’m just hoping for multiple days where I get out of bed and am living pain free. That would be wonderful and the ultimate outcome! If that happens, it’s all worth it!

dak95_00 said:

I’d try everything else first.

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Would you mind sharing some things you tried over the years before you elected to have surgery that helped.

Sure, I've read the articles from Google searches and know about stretching, changing running shoes, etc. But I was wondering if anything you tried over the years you found particularly helpful (even if it didn't obviously ultimately provide a "cure").

For those suffering from chronic conditions that haven't responded to treatment at your symptomatic site, you should consider looking further up the leg for unresolved soft tissue restrictions and misalignments esp by the pelvis which can be putting stress on your symptomatic regions.

That concept might be easier to understand if you suffer from PF on one foot as the question is "If I walk/run on two feet, why do I have PF on one foot?"; but it still applies if you have PF in both feet.

r2473 said:

Would you mind sharing some things you tried over the years before you elected to have surgery that helped.

Sure, I've read the articles from Google searches and know about stretching, changing running shoes, etc. But I was wondering if anything you tried over the years you found particularly helpful (even if it didn't obviously ultimately provide a "cure").

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Changing shoes doesn't do jack. Custom orthotic from the doctor's office is the only thing helps--cost around $600 but it is well worth it if it cures you. Everything else is a temporary measure like cortisone shot that does help tremendously but only temporarily like 2-3 month.

dak95_00 said:

I’d try everything else first.

Initially I was told three weeks on crutches and three months in a boot.

This will sound strange but I’m an unusually fast healer. All of my wounds have always healed faster than doctors expected. This has been no exception but I always error on the side of caution too. I could’ve had my stitches come out after a week but waited until week two. I was walking in a boot at 17 days instead of 21. I’m still two days away from being three weeks out.

The doctor told me I could transition to a regular shoe from the boot at approximately week 5 or just before he sees me again if I felt up to it. I told him I’d just wait for him to see me first. To be honest, I think I’d be fine in a regular shoe as early as this coming weekend. I’ve had much less pain than I was experiencing prior to surgery. The pain I feel now is more like the pain you feel when something touches a healing wound. Likely because it is a healing wound.

My foot and strength get better each day. I don’t think I’ll be able to really tell until I’m in a regular shoe again. I’m just hoping for multiple days where I get out of bed and am living pain free. That would be wonderful and the ultimate outcome! If that happens, it’s all worth it!

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Anyway,,, When you are fully healed,,, what did your doctor tell you ???? Did he tell you that you will be back to 100 % of your speed and mobility on the tennis court ??? Will there be any Draw backs to having this surgery done ?? That tendon underneath your foot is there for a reason... it is something us humans have developed over thousands of years of evolution.......

r2473 said:

Would you mind sharing some things you tried over the years before you elected to have surgery that helped.

Sure, I've read the articles from Google searches and know about stretching, changing running shoes, etc. But I was wondering if anything you tried over the years you found particularly helpful (even if it didn't obviously ultimately provide a "cure").

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Yoga, stretching, ice, orthotics, night splint, strassburg socks. The orthotics, night splint, and stretching was the most beneficial. I always struggled to submerge my feet in ice water but that’s also good.

RogueFLIP said:

For those suffering from chronic conditions that haven't responded to treatment at your symptomatic site, you should consider looking further up the leg for unresolved soft tissue restrictions and misalignments esp by the pelvis which can be putting stress on your symptomatic regions.

That concept might be easier to understand if you suffer from PF on one foot as the question is "If I walk/run on two feet, why do I have PF on one foot?"; but it still applies if you have PF in both feet.

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Scratching my head with this one. We all have imbalances. It’s perfectly normal to use one foot to do the load of landing, planting, jumping, etc. Most of us do not play with two forehands either.

I’ve done so much work to strengthen my core. There’s no doubt things can be prevented. There’s also no doubt that some of us are predisposed to injuries. My feet have hurt since I was a child. I’m 46 now and still feel I can get stronger, faster, and play better tennis.

Nostradamus said:

Anyway,,, When you are fully healed,,, what did your doctor tell you ???? Did he tell you that you will be back to 100 % of your speed and mobility on the tennis court ??? Will there be any Draw backs to having this surgery done ?? That tendon underneath your foot is there for a reason... it is something us humans have developed over thousands of years of evolution.......

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Unlike other areas, the bottom of the foot gets blood flow and the tissue will heal itself. I’m genuinely not worried about recovery. Everyday that I get up and move, I’m getting stronger in the foot and I’m not in pain. I’ll be faster and more mobile afterwards because I won’t be in pain.

FWIW, I can run repeat 7 minute miles. I can keep up or out sprint the high school kids I coach in soccer and basketball. I’m just not worried because I know I should’ve done this years ago. I’ll be 46 next month. My feet have hurt since I was a child.

The disagree about custom orthotics being the only solution. I think there are many things a person can do to solve the problem. After a certain amount of damage, then it’s too late.

dak95_00 said:

Unlike other areas, the bottom of the foot gets blood flow and the tissue will heal itself. I’m genuinely not worried about recovery. Everyday that I get up and move, I’m getting stronger in the foot and I’m not in pain. I’ll be faster and more mobile afterwards because I won’t be in pain.

FWIW, I can run repeat 7 minute miles. I can keep up or out sprint the high school kids I coach in soccer and basketball. I’m just not worried because I know I should’ve done this years ago. I’ll be 46 next month. My feet have hurt since I was a child.

The disagree about custom orthotics being the only solution. I think there are many things a person can do to solve the problem. After a certain amount of damage, then it’s too late.

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look man,,, cutting that ligament called plantar fascia is not all 100 % greatness. Sure there won't be pain due to inflammation there but the support won't be there either. I was told that walking around or running isn't the same anymore after that surgery...... Your foot won't be stable anymore,, I was told this by orthopedic surgeon.............

Nostradamus said:

look man,,, cutting that ligament called plantar fascia is not all 100 % greatness. Sure there won't be pain due to inflammation there but the support won't be there either. I was told that walking around or running isn't the same anymore after that surgery...... Your foot won't be stable anymore,, I was told this by orthopedic surgeon.............

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Time will tell.

It’s not something I’d recommend rushing into. There’s no way I could’ve continued living the way I was either. It was hindering everyday activities such as walking.

I’ll keep updating this and we’ll see what happens. I’m sure age and fitness will play a role in recovery. I’ve known people who tore theirs naturally; it happens. They’ve stated there’s nothing done medically to fix the situation other than to rest and heal. While the act hurts, they’ve described having no more pain afterwards. One person was an Olympic and professional soccer player and he’s in his 40s now. I see him running around all of the time.

For me, it’s been very depressing to not be able to do the things I like to do. I haven’t played basketball in over a year. My tennis has been 95% doubles and even that is pushing it. My running mileage had gone from 20-25 miles per week to 10 miles/week to none. Basically, I went from very active to non-active and that really, really stinks.

My job is such that I’m on my feet 95% of the day. The pain has made me less effective there too.

In a nutshell, it was time to take whatever risk was necessary to have an opportunity to live what I consider to be a normal, healthy life.

Time will tell....not you and not your orthopedic surgeon friend. I’ll keep everyone up to date.

RogueFLIP said:

For those suffering from chronic conditions that haven't responded to treatment at your symptomatic site, you should consider looking further up the leg for unresolved soft tissue restrictions and misalignments esp by the pelvis which can be putting stress on your symptomatic regions.

Click to expand...

I don't disagree that something further up the chain could be causing the PF but who do you see exactly to figure out that part "a" is misaligned and this causing pain in part "b" and etc? Specifically, what is the title of the trained medical person who evaluate a person running or walking or posture to make that call? I haven't heard of an orthopedic doctor/surgeon saying, "get on a treadmill so I can evaluate your running."

dak95_00 said:

Scratching my head with this one. We all have imbalances. It’s perfectly normal to use one foot to do the load of landing, planting, jumping, etc. Most of us do not play with two forehands either.

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I'll put it to you another way. If you have a piece of rope and pull one end, you can feel the pull on the other end. So if you've only treated the end that you feel it on, but don't address the end that's being pulled, you may have great difficulty resolving things fully. Plus why certain treatments can just give temporary relief.

But I agree with you that sometimes surgery is the final option.

Shankadelic said:

I don't disagree that something further up the chain could be causing the PF but who do you see exactly to figure out that part "a" is misaligned and this causing pain in part "b" and etc? Specifically, what is the title of the trained medical person who evaluate a person running or walking or posture to make that call? I haven't heard of an orthopedic doctor/surgeon saying, "get on a treadmill so I can evaluate your running."

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Physical therapist. Might take a bit of research to find one that really knows what to look for AND know how to correct though.

I've meet some really knowledgeable people who work at the running shoe store, know gait analysis, but unfortunately didn't know how to correct the problem.

Conversely I know PT's with great manual skills but either don't have skill set or belief to look at the body more wholistically.

@dak95_00
Thanks for the follow-ups!
Regarding "complete cut", was it just the central cord?

• There are 3 cords that make up the plantar fascia, doc told me the release procedure would sever 2 of the 3 - the third is always left intact for stability of the foot/ankle...

Per your doc, the goal was to completely cut it, and it would or would NOT reattach during the healing process?

Have my appointment set for Jan 29th, first 2nd opinion - 40 yr old doc that was a college runner. My goal is to get back to marathon running ASAP, but at this point i'd settle for jogging a few days a week!!! Definitely looking at a surgery as a last resort; we'll see what doc suggests.

I'm 43, and got back into running in 2013 after a long absence. Was marathon training at 8 min pace, and speed training mile repeats at 7 min and under... way better than when I ran in my late 20s and 30s!! I'm really hesitant about surgery and what it might mean to the chances of getting back to where i was 12 months ago. That being said, I never had PF pain other than the injury 12 months back.

If you have surgery pics, i'm all curious. Will msg you my email. (Thanks @ByeByePoly )

Raff said:

@dak95_00
Thanks for the follow-ups!
Regarding "complete cut", was it just the central cord?

• There are 3 cords that make up the plantar fascia, doc told me the release procedure would sever 2 of the 3 - the third is always left intact for stability of the foot/ankle...

Per your doc, the goal was to completely cut it, and it would or would NOT reattach during the healing process?

Have my appointment set for Jan 29th, first 2nd opinion - 40 yr old doc that was a college runner. My goal is to get back to marathon running ASAP, but at this point i'd settle for jogging a few days a week!!! Definitely looking at a surgery as a last resort; we'll see what doc suggests.

I'm 43, and got back into running in 2013 after a long absence. Was marathon training at 8 min pace, and speed training mile repeats at 7 min and under... way better than when I ran in my late 20s and 30s!! I'm really hesitant about surgery and what it might mean to the chances of getting back to where i was 12 months ago. That being said, I never had PF pain other than the injury 12 months back.

If you have surgery pics, i'm all curious. my email is raffgarza@gmail.com

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In case you don't know, you can send a private message here. You might want to send your email to dak in a private msg to him. Just click on his name under his avatar ... then click on "start a conversation". You can edit your post to remove your email address.

Just FYI ... good luck with PF.

Nostradamus said:

Changing shoes doesn't do jack. Custom orthotic from the doctor's office is the only thing helps--cost around $600 but it is well worth it if it cures you. Everything else is a temporary measure like cortisone shot that does help tremendously but only temporarily like 2-3 month.

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That wasn't true for me when I got PF years ago. I got the expensive custom orthodics and the shot in the arch, and it didn't solve the problem. I switched from my stiffer tennis shoes to a more flexible soled tennis shoe, and PF went away in a couple of weeks. I suspect PF injuries vary ... so what works for one might not work for someone else. Mine wasn't a long term PF injury ... had just shown up. I was rolling the arch over a tennis ball in the morning so I could walk normally. That shot hurt like hell ... passed on a 2nd one.

RogueFLIP said:

I'll put it to you another way. If you have a piece of rope and pull one end, you can feel the pull on the other end. So if you've only treated the end that you feel it on, but don't address the end that's being pulled, you may have great difficulty resolving things fully. Plus why certain treatments can just give temporary relief.

But I agree with you that sometimes surgery is the final option.





Physical therapist. Might take a bit of research to find one that really knows what to look for AND know how to correct though.

I've meet some really knowledgeable people who work at the running shoe store, know gait analysis, but unfortunately didn't know how to correct the problem.

Conversely I know PT's with great manual skills but either don't have skill set or belief to look at the body more wholistically.

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I agree, this is exactly how a physical therapist thinks. I went to a semi famous PT with an office an hour from my house. He’s actually the PT you will see on the court during the semi finals and finals if Wimbledon. Anyway, I have a wrist problem. After he measured my wrist flexion, he started looking at my shoulder and said most wrist problems in tennis players are due to shoulder problems.

Turns out that wasn’t the case for me, but it is how PT’s think. And they think that way for a reason

I want to state it again. Over 15 years, I visited many experts about PF. I have custom orthotics. I’ve had many shots. I lost weight. I strengthened many muscles. I became very flexible.

January of 2017, I was playing basketball and felt a very painful burn in the bottom of my foot. It felt like I’d stepped on a hot knife. I thought for certain my foot was bleeding. From there, I finished the season and got treatment. It was better for a short time but gradually got worse and kept getting worse until there was nothing left to do.

It wasn’t an easy decision to have surgery. I just know over the years that many members on here have suffered, I needed a community to share my experiences for my mental wellbeing, and thought it could help someone else.

By all means, got to a PT. How are you going to get there? Very few doctors are going to prescribe PT.

Someone mentioned running stores and gait mechanics. I’m a neutral shoe. I only began visiting running stores after the initial pain. It’s always been amazing to me how they’ve all noticed something wrong with my right foot. I’ve seen video and I don’t see it. It’s got to be how I strike the ground. In the last year I taught myself to run on the outside of my foot to avoid the most intense pain. That just caused my outside of the foot to swell.

I even own The Foot Gym. I’m not lazy. I’ve tried so many approaches.

dak95_00 said:

I want to state it again. Over 15 years, I visited many experts about PF. I have custom orthotics. I’ve had many shots. I lost weight. I strengthened many muscles. I became very flexible.

January of 2017, I was playing basketball and felt a very painful burn in the bottom of my foot. It felt like I’d stepped on a hot knife. I thought for certain my foot was bleeding. From there, I finished the season and got treatment. It was better for a short time but gradually got worse and kept getting worse until there was nothing left to do.

It wasn’t an easy decision to have surgery. I just know over the years that many members on here have suffered, I needed a community to share my experiences for my mental wellbeing, and thought it could help someone else.

By all means, got to a PT. How are you going to get there? Very few doctors are going to prescribe PT.

Someone mentioned running stores and gait mechanics. I’m a neutral shoe. I only began visiting running stores after the initial pain. It’s always been amazing to me how they’ve all noticed something wrong with my right foot. I’ve seen video and I don’t see it. It’s got to be how I strike the ground. In the last year I taught myself to run on the outside of my foot to avoid the most intense pain. That just caused my outside of the foot to swell.

I even own The Foot Gym. I’m not lazy. I’ve tried so many approaches.

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Basketball at 46? Full court? If yes, I'm impressed with your physical ability ... not sure about the mental.

Good luck with recovery... doesn't sound easy.

dak95_00 said:

I want to state it again. Over 15 years, I visited many experts about PF. I have custom orthotics. I’ve had many shots. I lost weight. I strengthened many muscles. I became very flexible.

January of 2017, I was playing basketball and felt a very painful burn in the bottom of my foot. It felt like I’d stepped on a hot knife. I thought for certain my foot was bleeding. From there, I finished the season and got treatment. It was better for a short time but gradually got worse and kept getting worse until there was nothing left to do.

It wasn’t an easy decision to have surgery. I just know over the years that many members on here have suffered, I needed a community to share my experiences for my mental wellbeing, and thought it could help someone else.

By all means, got to a PT. How are you going to get there? Very few doctors are going to prescribe PT.

Someone mentioned running stores and gait mechanics. I’m a neutral shoe. I only began visiting running stores after the initial pain. It’s always been amazing to me how they’ve all noticed something wrong with my right foot. I’ve seen video and I don’t see it. It’s got to be how I strike the ground. In the last year I taught myself to run on the outside of my foot to avoid the most intense pain. That just caused my outside of the foot to swell.

I even own The Foot Gym. I’m not lazy. I’ve tried so many approaches.

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By all means, I'm not questioning your decision to get surgery. Like I said, sometimes it is the last option. I sincerely hope that all goes well with your recovery.

You were kind enough to share your experience, and I don't mean to derail your thread, but I just wanted to share my experiences as well. Because once you go down the surgical option, there is no going back.

Again, my point is that if you (and not you directly dak95_00) have a chronic issue (in this case PF) and everyone keeps directing treatment at the foot/arch, foot/arch, foot/arch and nothing is resolving things, then one must consider looking elsewhere on the body for potential hindrances to healing. Does that mean that surgery on the foot/arch can't solve things and is the culprit after all? Of course.

And so my final analogy is if one can understand the kinetic chain in tennis how the legs can add to a more powerful stroke at the racket from the hand, the same principle can apply to chronic injury.

As for how to get to PT, you ask your doctor for a prescription for PT. Easy peasy. Most doctors when asked should not hesistate, as it's non-invasive and non-narcotic....doesn't hurt the Doc. Remember, the patient isn't just the patient, they're the customer.

Gait analysis isn't necessarily a hard skill to obtain, but you do need some training and experience. And seeing someone walk/run in person is so much better than video analysis.....can pick out some nuances that might be missed by the video.

Some running stores video tape you on their treadmill. Others have You fun around their parking lot. They’re both in person.

dak95_00 said:

Some running stores video tape you on their treadmill. Others have You fun around their parking lot. They’re both in person.

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To clarify: analyzing gait from someone's video that they sent me or analyzing a gait from someone in front of me.....I'd rather have the person in front of me.

There's pros & cons to both, but I like to see the person. That's just me.

I began transitioning to regular shoes on this past Saturday. The day before was my four weeks mark out of surgery. The boot I’d been wearing was really uncomfortable. Walking in shoes felt weird and I was concerned that I might hurt myself. I only walked a little that day. Sunday I rested most of the day. Monday I wore shoes for a few hours and today I’ve only worn shoes.

It’s weird because my foot hurts because I’m walking normally. I’d spent so much time walking on the outside of my foot that I have to learn how to walk properly. I probably overdid it today so I’ll likely wear the boot some tomorrow. We’ll see. My PF doesn’t hurt.

So I had my latest follow up. My foot had been hurting outside of the boot but not my PF. The doctor says I have a bursa injury on the ball of my foot under my small toe. I’m fairly certain I hurt it because of the way I was running and walking over the last year if not longer.

I’ve found that if I pad my foot by wearing old sweatbands around my foot I’m absolutely pain free. I’m hoping this bursa pain will go away very soon.

I see the doctor again in two weeks (7.5 weeks out of surgery) to receive new orthotics. He had me cast for them on Monday as he felt my old were worn out. “We don’t want to cut corners.” was his statement.

It’s a relief to know I can walk absolutely pain free. I’m looking forward to running, jumping, and playing.

Good luck.
PF sucks, been with that for 7 years, still am.
Spent zillions of dollars on specialist physicians, sport physicians, custom orthotics, physios, shoes, etc
Spent zillions of hours icing, stretching, massaging, etc
Read every book on Amazon on PF.
One day I will just ask to chop my foot off.
I see the guys with artificial limb do better than I do.

Zverev said:

Good luck.
PF sucks, been with that for 7 years, still am.
Spent zillions of dollars on specialist physicians, sport physicians, custom orthotics, physios, shoes, etc
Spent zillions of hours icing, stretching, massaging, etc
Read every book on Amazon on PF.
One day I will just ask to chop my foot off.
I see the guys with artificial limb do better than I do.

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Oh I know how you feel. I hope by this summer I can write on here how this procedure was 100% worth it. I’m only six weeks out of surgery so I’m trying to remain patient. It’s getting better. I just wish I could get up and run and bounce back in forth for some basketball or tennis.

BTW, I had to substitute some activities with new ones.
I gave up running and soccer, instead I am biking and kayaking.
I did try basketball, but it just kills my feet.
Surprisingly, I have managed to retain tennis.
I have given it up for two years, but then as my condition became chronic I have returned and it does not hurt me that much.
Nothing that I can't handle with the ice bath and ibuprofen.
There are several reasons I can think of why.
- I have that odd variety of PF that is getting worse as the day goes, rather than the morning pain one.
- the courts I play on are sand filled carpet which are very easy on your joints and ligaments.

Today marks 8 weeks since surgery and I had a great day. There were many times during the day where I walked virtually pain free. I predict I’ll be running next month.

I received new orthotics this past Monday. I believe they’re also helping.

I’m considering playing tennis next Wednesday. I’ve been messing around at basketball practice but I’m not jumping or sprinting yet.

Basketball seems like the last sport you want to be playing, hard surface, lots of jumping.

I played tennis last Wednesday and again on Saturday with my normal 4.0 group. I hadn't played in 6 months. The format on Wednesday was to play a set with each person assigned to the court. I lost the first set 6-2 but then won the next two sets 7-5. I didn't play well. My foot wasn't too bad. It definitely hurt my speed but not as bad as my timing was off on my backhand.

I was really sore after playing some basketball with my 7th grade daughter's AAU team Friday (ended at 8:30pm) night but my foot loosened up enough to play Saturday at 7am. The format on this day was for winners to move up and split up partnerwise and then play another set; losers moved down. I started on the highest court due to a random draw and won all three sets. My backhand was still off but the rest of my game was good enough. My foot loosened up and I played better overall.

On Sunday I volunteered for probably the 15th year in a row at the Arnold Fitness Classic 5K Pump & Run in Columbus, OH. I could've run the 5K but there's no way my foot could've handled that. I think maybe by the end of next month I'll be very close to normal. I've been working on eating healthier for weight loss and lifting weights for strength too. I might even be better than before when it's all said and done. We'll see. I'm 46 and I plan on being competitive for a number of years still.

I hadn’t updated this in awhile because I didn’t have anything new to post. I felt as though I was getting better but my foot was still hurting. It wasn’t the plantar fascia either. It turns out I have/had a neuroma. I received a shot a week ago and this week I’ve been moving nearly completely pain free. I played basketball at a competitive level on Sunday and I’ve been playing tennis once a week for the last 5-6 weeks and improving. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when I play again because I know I’ll really be able to move my feet and run and jump.

I’m sure I’ll be back to running soon too. Until then, I’m beyond the halfway point of Power 90 which is the watered down version or greatest hits of P90X.

Life is improving!

dak95_00 said:

I hadn’t updated this in awhile because I didn’t have anything new to post. I felt as though I was getting better but my foot was still hurting. It wasn’t the plantar fascia either. It turns out I have/had a neuroma. I received a shot a week ago and this week I’ve been moving nearly completely pain free. I played basketball at a competitive level on Sunday and I’ve been playing tennis once a week for the last 5-6 weeks and improving. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when I play again because I know I’ll really be able to move my feet and run and jump.

I’m sure I’ll be back to running soon too. Until then, I’m beyond the halfway point of Power 90 which is the watered down version or greatest hits of P90X.

Life is improving!

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Surgery was a success!! Glad to hear it.

dak95_00 said:

So I’ve been suffering with plantar fasciitis most of my life and rather consistently since 2004. I wear custom orthotics and have had a handful of cortisone shots through the years. There’s been a handful of months where I’ve been pain free too.

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I never had a hint of PF in 25 years of running. Got it so bad this winter, I had to stop running. I have been doing the stretches and it's helped a lot. But I was wondering, what the heck caused it in the first place? I didn't do anything differently than I've done for 25 years.

I recently found this video. I bought some Saucony Ride 8's in November 2016. Really, tight in the toe box. Caused me to run with my toes clinched.

I’ll have to look into that. I’ve been amazed at how good my basketball shooting has become again. For the last so many years, I couldn’t really leap into my shots and I’ve suffered. The last couple of times out I’ve been shooting lights out from way outside and shooting long when I miss.

r2473 said:

I never had a hint of PF in 25 years of running. Got it so bad this winter, I had to stop running. I have been doing the stretches and it's helped a lot. But I was wondering, what the heck caused it in the first place? I didn't do anything differently than I've done for 25 years.

I recently found this video. I bought some Saucony Ride 8's in November 2016. Really, tight in the toe box. Caused me to run with my toes clinched.

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I definitely have Morton's Toe. I'd never heard of its name or knew there were potential problems until I watched this video. I've obviously suffered from PF for years and just got diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma recently. I wonder if I'd gotten one of those pads sooner if all of this could've been eliminated years ago.

I'd like to see if the video's author has another video on his exercises he does to strengthen his feet. Do you have a link?

I found his website. It looks useful.

http://www.pfsurvivalguide.com/

dak95_00 said:

I found his website. It looks useful.

http://www.pfsurvivalguide.com/

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When you see him, you are tempted to write him off ("stupid millennials").

But he has a lot of good information and presents it well. That said, I really can't verify through experience that he's right. At this point, I'm just believing what he's saying (about the narrow toe box). But it makes sense. And is something I had never heard before.

If he's right, it means I don't have to give up running (which I was going to do). I only run winters (October until I can play tennis outdoors again), so I'll have plenty of time to stretch and rehab my PF. But I'm going to use his advice come October.

Good luck with your PF @dak95_00. Hopefully his advice is helpful and you are able to live the rest of your life PF free!!!!