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Click to view 3opkuu's profile Rookie
3opkuu
2 posts since
Mar 30, 2007

Mar 30, 2007 4:02 PM

plantar fasciitis, or?

hello there

i have pain at the bottom of my three inside toes, particularly my big toe. initially i thought i'd maybe bruised a bone somehow though don't remember a particular event where i could have sustained the injury.

i went to a doctor a couple weeks ago who decided fairly quickly i had plantar fasciitis, prescribed anti-inflammatories and told me a steroid injection was the next step should it not clear up. the anti-inflammatories helped a little but they haven't solved the problem, and after finishing the medication i still have discomfort and have started massaging with volatrol (diclofenac), which isn't really helping.

can plantar fasciitis affect the area i'm describing? i thought it was a heel/arch problem. i think my new shoes - nike frees, don't provide enough support and have perhaps caused this but i can't be certain. as soon as i can run again i will be doing so in my old sauconys, however.

hopefully someone has experienced this and has some suggestions on how to treat it, because i'm not sure what i'm doing at the moment is helping.

thanks guys.

adam
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brandyk051
121 posts since
Oct 31, 2006
1. Mar 30, 2007 4:04 PM in response to: 3opkuu
I have PF and only experienced pain the arch and heel.

the frees could be the issue for sure. Did the pain start after running in them? What kind of support do your other shoes have?
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Click to view 3opkuu's profile Rookie
3opkuu
2 posts since
Mar 30, 2007
2. Mar 30, 2007 4:19 PM in response to: 3opkuu
the pain started roughly 2-3 weeks after i started wearing the frees regularly. i pronate a bit and wear saucony grids that are fairly stable - i also have profeet inserts in my daily shoes.

my doctor said it's possible that there are tears in the plantar fascia where it's attached to my big toe, instead of further toward the arch or the heel. but i'm not sure how to treat that effectively because all the advice i've found relates to heel/arch pain.
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Click to view marunr's profile Pro
marunr
162 posts since
Dec 14, 2007
3. Mar 31, 2007 8:53 PM in response to: 3opkuu
I have friends who have suffered PF in the area you describe. I think the treatment is the same as for those who suffer the more common heel pain.
I'm guessing you probably didn't gradually work your way in to the Nike Free. If I'm not mistaken, they suggest wearing them only a few times a week...isn't that right?
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rolling1977
166 posts since
May 23, 2006
4. Apr 4, 2007 6:58 PM in response to: 3opkuu
I took the cortisone shot for my PF (two shots). The pain ceased within 48 hours. I developed a small bump, at the shot location (deep inside the tissue), and now it feels like I have a stone in my shoe (yes I checked, and there's no stone there). Later, I read that cortisone shots can weaken a tendon. I loved the pain relief, but am worried about the tendon holding up. It has been okay, so far. Just something more for you to consider. Best wishes to ya.

------------------
Jimmy Legs
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augie09
70 posts since
Mar 22, 2007
5. Dec 26, 2007 3:13 PM in response to: 3opkuu
I also had/have PF. I say 'have' becuase it is something I always have to watch out for now since it can flare up if i miss a day or 2 of streching.

I had pain in my heel/arch and the area underneath my toe knuckles, whatever it's called, ithink the area you are describing.

I did anti-inflammatories for 4 weeks with zero exercise, didn't help, tried 3 weeks of physical therapy, didn't help. Then tried the cortisone shot and felt great for 2 days, then right back to pain.

What finally worked for me was sleeping in the boot every night, doing the recommended stretches (which i don't think target the toe area) and some stretches i made up for my toe area that really seemed to help and iced every day. 3-4 weeks after doing that i could run again, but i still have to do this routine sometimes when the pain starts up again, a full year later.

the toes strech i did that really helped, well actually two, was first to press my toes up against a right angle surface like a wall or stair so the foot is flat on ground (or as flat as you can get it without pain) and toes straight up in the air then with my other foot step foward past the stretched foot until i felt that area under my toes being targeted and hold for 30 seconds and repeate 100's of time throughout the day.

http://This message has been edited by augie09 (edited Apr-05-2007).
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