Plantar Fasciitis Steroid Injection

[Owenst7]

I got PF pretty bad when I was roofing from wearing shoes without a stiff enough sole. I was fortunate enough to have already been seeing a medical massage therapist for sports since early high school. I haven't had any issues with PF since I stopped roofing about five years ago. It went away pretty much immediately after that.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

A buddy of mine had it and the injection did not help at all. Took about 8 months to heal well enough to play basketball if I remember correctly.

 

[MNScrambler]

This issue hits home with me too. One thing I found through my research is if you've had Plantar Fasciitis for more than about 6 months (which I did), the amount of scar tissue buildup in your heel starts to make things even worse. And your problem can turn into Plantar Fasciosis actually. For me I've been breaking up this scar tissue with "The Foot Log" for the past year. Feels crunchy when rolling out my feet, like there's a bunch of gravel around my heel bone. Extremely painful when you really put pressure on it! I also had some relief once I started foam rolling my calves. I had a bunch of "trigger points" and knots, which of course hurt like crazy to loosen up. One big thing for me has been understanding how much all of the muscles and tendons up the line from the bottom of your foot affect the strain on your plantar fascia. I've really had to focus on stretching everything from my back, down through my glutes, hamstring, calves, achilles, in addition to the plantar fascia. I hope anyone dealing with this painful problem has a quicker recovery than I have. I wish you guys all the best!

 

[Travis Bertrand]

I had it done once and it was merely a bandaid fix.

 

[Billinsd]

It seems like the longer you have it, the longer and harder it is to get rid of it!!

 

[Poser]

Certainty not an approach for everyone, and not going to help you for hunting this year, but some people respond really well to slowly working into barefoot style shoes. Several years ago I started to get PF pain really bad. I started a slow transition into new balance minimal shoes, Merrill trail gloves, vivobarefoots,.. after 6 months or so of working out, walking and running "barefoot", I now have zero pain. This approach is not for everyone, and is dependent on how much damage you currently have. Another side effect of going this route is that once your feet build up to support your body more naturally, you'll probably never be able to or want to wear shoes or boots with lots of support. Again though, it is something that worked for me, but I realize it's not going solve this problem for everyone.


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This is what I did. I use to do a lot of Distance running in my mid 20s and got it pretty bad. I had it on and off for 10 years before I tried just strengthening up my feet. I went barefoot a lot and wore shoes with minimal support -usually wear Chucks around town etc. I have noticed it a slight amount lately since I've been wearing steel toe boots, but nothing bad.

Most doctors will only treat the pain.
I don't see how stretching could have anything more than minimal and temporary relief. Stretching doesn't relieve inflammation, it's only going to make the muscles longer. If it feels good, do it, but it's not a solution.

 

[307]

The idea behind stretching is to elongate the posterior chain of the lower leg. The plantar fascia is mostly an extension of the Achilles tendon, which is an extension of the gastroc/soleus, functionally related to the hamstrings, glutes, erector mm of the back, etc. Additional tension of that posterior chain may find a "weak link" in the foot and if the force can be redistributed, via more elongated/flexible musculature, then we take stress off the plantar fascia and the inflammation/local damage is alleviated. Or, perhaps the hips are inactive/weak and the knee collapses inward taking the foot with it and overpronating the foot... I don't know.

I'm not of the opinion that we're really strengthening the feet that much with minimalist footwear either but that's another topic.

The problem with posts like these is that there may be a biomechanical basis for the problem, or it may be a tissue adaptation/sensitivity problem, or it may be a footwear problem, or it may be a whole host of other issues. Nobody can sort that out through the keyboard so it ends up being an assortment of "old wive's tales" type of fixes that may make the problem worse...

That's why healthcare people go to school and learn to sort this stuff out. Even then, it's complicated...

 

[307]

So I've had PF since early March and have been tackling it head on with no exercise/play since June 1st. Slight improvement but not recovered. I've got a high buck hunt Sept 13 that is approaching fast.

Has anyone tried the steroid injection? What were your experiences. I've been avoiding it because I read you are at a higher risk of a complete tear of the PF. Im doing everything else, sleeping in a boot, ice, stretching, spiky ball, insoles, etc

I know it's frustrating. Even under ideal circumstances, it tends to be a very slow and frustrating condition. The corticosteroids do have a catabolic (tissue breakdown) effect on local connective tissues. Not a huge deal for a one time thing, but chronic use of these drugs can make rupture more likely. Sometimes it can be very helpful. It depends...

I would look at trying to strengthen the lateral hip, gluteus medius, TFL, etc. The hip controls the knee, the knee controls the foot, so, the hip largely controls the foot. Improve hip strength/function, maybe you improve foot mechanics and reduce PF stress. At the worst, you end up healthier and stronger at the hip which makes you more durable to a whole lot of other potential injuries. Talk to a good rehab person (regardless of professional letters) for a good progression on this.

Also, some orthotics are better than others. Ask the good rehab person about it.

 

[klxracer92]

The injection is truly just a band aid. Not everyone responds to the anti-inflammatory. Do research on what ever they want to inject you with. I know cortisone is very popular, which has negative long term effects. My recommendation is see a Physical Therapist. What worked for me is custom insoles, soft/deep tissue to gastroc/soleus and plantar fascia and lastly stretching consistently of calves/foot and hamstrings. After a training hike I will roll the bottom of my foot with a baseball while standing until discomfort for sometimes up to 3-5 minutes each foot. Stretch immediately after training hike. 30 seconds hold have been proved to be the most effective hold time. Address any muscle imbalances. Try swimming or biking for cross training. 307 said it perfectly. These things can take along time to heal. Highly recommend looking into glute medius/max. Clam shells/ side lying hip abduction/ planks with leg raises and lateral walks with resistance bands are a few great exercises for glutes. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Odell]

It's frustrating. Amputation would have healed faster.

 

[Billinsd]

Stretch your toes and rub or better yet massage diclofenac gel on your plantar facia. That was the only thing that worked for me. I tried everything else except surgery and steroid shots. The diclofenac gel is like magic, works for all muscle aches except muscle spasms. Your physician has to write a prescription for it. It's an antinflamitory med. The facitis has come back a few times and this stops it in it's tracks.

Bill

 

[Billinsd]

It seems like the longer you have it, the longer and harder it is to get rid of it!!

Yep, I had it for a couple of years and it was a bear to get rid of. Don't ignore it like I did.

 

[Billinsd]

I had my podiatrist make custom orthodics that did not work. After using the diclofenac gel and getting rid of it, I put the green superfeet in all my shoes and it helped prevent it from coming back. But it has come back about once every 2 or 3 years and the stretching and massaging the facia with dicolfenac gets rid of it.
Bill

 

[Billinsd]

Get the "generic diclofenac", the Volterene brand is much more expensive!!!!

 

[BGbowhunters]

In my day to day shoes I put orthotics in which usually keeps PF away for the whole day. But for hunting Id recommend a high end pair of hunting boots. In my 2016 season I used Danners, and by the end of the day my feet were dead. But in the 2017 season I got Kenetreks, the price was a little painful, but I walked a lot that season and my feet were perfectly fine each day of season. Invest in a good pair of hunting boots!!

 

[cbiddle]

Don’t do the injection. It’s worthles, it hurts like hell, and it does nothing but make you want to throat punch the doctor. I got super stiff boots and that helped. It comes and it goes depends on how much overtime I work wearing my shit work boots.

 

[Agustus]

I’ve read the many resonses and here’s my take.... don’t let it get to the point that it’s debilitating. My left foot has been a constant problem brought on by summer time wearing of crocs.... they offer no support. I use custom orthodox sans wear the Strassburg sock/boot at night.

Mine was horrible going into hunting season then wearing rubber boots just caused it to go nuts. Ended up tearing my plantar fascia dragging a deer down slope. Toon the boot and sock off and stuck my foot in the icy water to numb it. I hobbled for 2 weeks like crazy. Doc wrapped it and said shoes ALWAYS.

Take care of it. It can be a bear

 

[2ski]

My chiro talks about hitting it with a laser. Don't know what that entails but he says good success.

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[fishnhunt21]

I am UPS driver. Had PF in left foot. I had 3 or 4 shots and orthotics. They helped for awhile. I ended up having surgery. A year and 4 days after I reported at work. Plantar Facial release. I was off for 12 weeks. I am over a year since surgery and I feel great. I might feel a pain every so often in my heel, but nothing like when I had PF. Braking point was deer hunting and not being able to walk up a hill/incline. I had tight calves from working before PF set in. I think that is a huge indicator. Tight and tender to the touch. I wish I would have stretched more. I only had it in my left foot. Never have had an issue in my right.

 

[Broomd]

I fought it in my left foot for over two years.. Brutal is an understatement. I literally couldn't walk.

That said, I would never get the injection. I educated myself about treatment, iced and did the required stretch exercises and it finally healed.
Best of luck with this, it is hard.