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Poor Feet

I’ve been having so much trouble with plantar fasciitis. My general practitioner wants me to see a podiatrist and I have that appointment week after next. GP says podiatrist can order custom fit shoe inserts that will help a lot so . . we’ll see. On my left foot, it’s the outside edge of my heel where it hurts and I think I was walking more on the inside of my foot to try to avoid the pain and that was causing more and different foot pain, as well as ankle pain. When I would first get up after sitting, I would have to stand, flex my foot a little, hold onto something when I took the first couple of steps and then it would get a little better. I told Vince I needed a cane and he didn’t believe me.

Now that the podiatrist appointment is made . . the foot has stopped hurting but I know standing and canning and spending hours in the kitchen was aggravating it and with Addie here from Thursday to Monday, I didn’t cook a lot. I had already cooked some meals ahead and we went to Cane’s for fried chicken one day. Yesterday we had leftovers. Today I’m grilling steak and making baked potatoes and salad so that’s not much time on my feet.

But, all is not well with my poor feet. Yesterday morning, I went into the garage barefooted. There are two concrete steps from the house to the garage floor. Walking back, not paying attention, I ran into the steps but thankfully all I did was kinda rough up the toenail and the big toe is just a bit sore.

That middle toe! It hurts! It hurts to walk. It hurts when the sheet touches it. It really hurts going up and down the stairs.

Yesterday I was putting Oscar back into his little area and was trying to hurry with the fence before he got out and hit my foot really hard with a piece of that fence. It actually didn’t hurt as bad as you would think considering how bad it hurts now.

The weird thing is that I ran into the stair post last week and did almost the same damage to the toe next to the little toe on my left foot. It’s still bruised but it wasn’t nearly as sore as the one on the right foot.

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I’m not even sure I can wear shoes. I guess I can wear wool socks and flip flop type shoes or, maybe the toe will be better tomorrow.

Is this what happens to old folks or do I need to slow down and pay more attention to where my feet are going?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. it happens to anybody
    i had to have those insoles in my shoes it didn’t help me at all
    even special shoes was order no help

    • For planter fasciitis roll your foot over a frozen bottle of water. They gave me a boot to wear at night and also rolling on BioFreeze helps

    • Really? They said Medicare doesn’t pay for the insoles because I’m not diabetic so, depending on how expensive they are, I may or may not get them. As someone mentioned above, the rolling over a frozen bottle of water helped my right foot a lot. The pain was closer to the arch. It didn’t do a lot for my left foot where the pain is on the very edge of the heel. If you haven’t tried the frozen water bottle, I would try that.

      • Both my parents and my sister suffer from this (luckily stretching and different shoes resolved my issues – all those years of wearing pretty pumps were not kind to my feet) but all three of them have inserts and greatly helped them.

        • That’s probably the biggest problem with my feet but I did love my pretty high heels.

  2. It sounds like you might be walking barefoot, which my doc told me was one of the worst things for plantar fasciitis. I didn’t need custom insoles but I did get shoes and slippers with good arch support. Also stretched my calves daily. It’s worse after you’ve been sitting because it tightens up again—try flexing at the ankle occasionally. It took a few months but eventually cleared up completely. It’s been 10 or more years and no problems since. Hope you find something that works for you!

    • Yes, barefoot is bad but I kick my outside shoes off in the garage when I go out with Oscar, bring him in and get him settled, then mean to slip my shoes back on and forget. Every foot injury has happened when I’ve had my shoes off for just a second.

      I still wear the shoes the podiatrist in Abilene recommended (not the same shoes but the same brand/fit) – Vionic but I do have to make sure I don’t go barefooted (as I sit here now barefooted).

  3. Yes, slow down and pay attention. The Podiatrist will evaluate your feet, how you stand and determine what you need.

    I’m rarely barefoot. We shed shoes at the door. I have indoor Birkenstocks and I have good-sole leather/fleece lined slippers for when it’s cooler (we only heat to 67 in winter). I do spend $ on quality shoes and have for 40 years. Nothing more important than our feet!

    • We also leave our shoes in the garage but I have Crocs that I wear inside with socks. I find those to be the most cushiony and make my feet feel the best. Also, they’re easy to slip on and off when I have to go out with the dogs. In fact, when my heel was hurting the worst, I hid my shame and wore the Crocs to the grocery store.

  4. I have planter faciitis as well. I had an injection in the bottom of my foot about a year ago into the area of it and I haven’t had pain unless I wear shoes that I don’t have an insert in. My dr recommended superfeet insoles. The berry colored one is best for planter faciitis. They are available from Amazon. It also looks like you have hammer toe on the toe next to the big toe.

    • No, I don’t have hammer toe. My toes are straight and flat. Must have been the photo.

    • I used an acupuncturist for my knee issues in Texas and it really helped. I should try it with my feet. Thanks!

  6. My plantar fasciitis was cured with the podiatrist insoles. It was instant relief when I got them. I wore them religiously for about a year but now can wear well fitted tennis shoes without them. I even can wear just about any shoe from Orthofeet without the insert, but I still have them just in case. Good luck on figuring out how you want to deal with them.

  7. I feel for you. It’s been 15 years since I had surgery for mine. Cortisone shots in the foot helped for a while. Also, flexing my feet and pointing my toes toward my nose several times before getting up helped a lot. One weekend, I did a lot of digging in my yard with my foot on a shovel and after that, nothing would help and I had to have surgery. Dumb me agreed to do both feet at one time. I don’t recommend that if it comes to surgery. There’s a lot they can do before then – just don’t be shoveling in the mean time!

  8. Except to go to bathroom in the middle of the night I never go barefoot. I am diabetic well controled. But I do have bad neuropathy. Yelp I come in from outside after wiping my shoes very well and carry on. Only way.
    I also have to pay a lot of attention to where my feet go. If I do not the feet lack of feeling will make me fall.
    I have not had planter fashitis since my early 20’s. Miserable both feet. Expensive good shoes worn all the time has been my help.

  9. The inserts I suggested didn’t help–that’s awful! I wear them religiously in my sneakers/hiking shoes and have no plantar fasciitis any more. I can even wear regular shoes (cute little flats) with a good inner sole without the inserts.

    • I was having problems with the arch area of my right foot when I tried those. I even sent the first ones back and got a different size but neither helped. I should have tried them when my left foot started hurting because it’s the heel of that foot. I didn’t think about that. Thanks!

  10. The very hard insoles I paid a LOT for did nothing. The stretching of my foot and ankle resolved my foot problem. I still exercise my foot by stretching it up holding and back stretching it back and holding.
    I got the injection in my heel and it hurt like a who would have a thougt. Did nothing for the pain. Only the exercising of my feet.
    I have recently had to quit wearing my beloved flip flops and wear better enclosed shoes.
    Good luck at the podiatrist.

  11. Hope your trip to the podiatrist helps! I’ve suffered from this twice. I now never go barefoot, I do wear birkenstock shoes as houseshoes…even when I get up in the middle of the night I slip them on. Wear insoles on most of my shoes, and have purchased Vionics too which helped. I need to see what they have in winter shoes as I don’t have a good pair of winter shoes. The iced bottle helps, stretching on stairs (heels hanging off the step and raising and lowering the body while balanced….use the bottom step and hold on to the hand rail!), and changing out my shoes from time to time….those things help! I find if I wear the same shoes day in and day out and do a lot of walking it starts to act up a little. Changing footwear seems to help…or don’t walk as much! Ha!

  12. The inserts just caused other problems for me because it affected the way my shoes fit and I didn’t want to buy all new shoes. I ended up getting Vionic slippers to wear at home and they made a world of difference! I had PF in one foot and Achilles Tendonitis in the other and could barely walk. Within 24 hours I could get around a bit and over time got better. I had tried everything – shots, oral meds, the boot, ice, stretching, etc. Now I’m never without a pair and I NEVER go barefoot. I certainly don’t want that to come back.

    • Vionics are about all I wear. I have their tennis shoes, flip flops and slippers. I do have one pair of Crocs that are comfortable and seem to help my feet but other Crocs that are exactly the same cause pain. Go figure.

      I need to do much better about not going barefooted.

  13. I have achilles tendonitis issues that flare up periodically. The podiatrist that I was sent to dismissed the idea of the custom inserts. But the physical therapist recommended them. Medicare didn’t cover them, but my medicare supplement covered part of it. I think it cost me about $170 dollars. And those inserts made so much difference. Well worth it. I hope whatever you do makes a positive impact because it’s miserable to have sore feet.

  14. I had terrible plantar fasciitis for years. While going to physical therapy, getting ready for a hip replacement, my therapist recommended the Graston technique. It’s basically a massage with a metal tool. I’ll admit, the sessions were painful. My Achilles’ tendons were tight and had scar tissue. After a few sessions, those tendons released and I have been pain free for 3 years! Such a relief…and I can go barefooted in the house again.

    • Thank you. I’ll have to check into that! I’ll do anything at this point. I know you understand that feeling!

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