Best Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis???

[vja4Him]

What shoes have worked for you the best, with plantar fasciitis? I need to get new shoes and would like to know specifically the brand name, and model #. I can't afford to buy very many pairs of shoes, so I need to find out from those suffering from plantar fasciitis, and which shoes have provided the best support, comfort and relief. Thanks.

-- vja4Him
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[bobbypt]

hi
is the planter fascitis because of tight tricep surae,,,if this is the case inadequate DF at ankle might have caused improper weight distribution on foot. giving a heel lift of about 9 mm in shoes (tennis shoes are more preferrable). this has proved tobe optimizing the forces of foot and relieve stress on P fascia..

keep me updated if u got any info..regarding type of shoe....

[Laura01]

are you yourself suffering from plantar fasciitis?I tend to give my patients insoles that they can transfer between footwear rather than buying expensive footwear.
Laura

[bobbypt]

i myself not suffering from PFits...this is the thing that i usually advice my patients...and it does works well,,,along with other stretching exercises...

[physiobob]

My comment would be that PF is a problem that arises from faulty mechanics. Changing shoes, using orthotics or heal raises or heal spur pads etc are all useful treatment adjuncts but they will not stop the causes. As already mentioned above a tight calf complex, mainly soleus can lead to excessive pronation that can further lead to a bit of plantar fasciitis.

I have just had a guy in his late 70's who has presented with a bad case of PF. It turns out that he has been shopping around the shoes shops for years, gradually getting into more comfortable athough less supportive shoes to ease his pain. Now the shoes just won't cut it. He has 'walked' to the end of the line and is having some injections for pain.

So I cannot state enough that you need to carefully look at why this person has developed this condition. There may be training issues, dietary issues, systemic issues etc that need addressing. The right shoes are like finding what the most sticky bandaid that will stay on while this episode heals.

[Laura01]

The department where I work are conducting a study into the effects of acupuncture for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. So far the best results have been from dry needling the sore point with periosteal pecking- a very quick and can often be painful treatment, but patients who have had no resolution of symptoms with other conservatives treatments are often keen to try it. The other method was needling around the calcaneus which tends to take longer to have a positive effect. should be interesting to see the results.

[Yarok]

Hi Laura

im very intrested in dryneedling, can you give me more info on it regarding plantar fasciiatis, i have not done it there.
thanks

[Chala]

My comment would be that PF is a problem that arises from faulty mechanics. Changing shoes, using orthotics or heal raises or heal spur pads etc are all useful treatment adjuncts but they will not stop the causes. As already mentioned above a tight calf complex, mainly soleus can lead to excessive pronation that can further lead to a bit of plantar fasciitis.

The heel of my shoes wear on the right side, but my PF pain is on the left side of my heal. So i don't know if it's pronation, all i know is need need for this to heal.

[Chala]

Can one of you medical professionals read this testimonials from this site selling heel seats tell me what you think please? I am dubious.
HTP Heel Seat Testimonials

[physiobob]

Interesting idea on a type of in-shoe orthotics. To be honest you need to be assessed from a biomechanical viewpoint before anyone can recommend one device over another. That said orthotics are an often used way to gain some immediate relief though this is not usually addressing the root cause of the problem. Left unchecked the problem will return after the affect of an orthotics wears off and it will return worse than your original pain.

So get to the physio and/or podiatrist.

[Chala]

Interesting idea on a type of in-shoe orthotics. To be honest you need to be assessed from a biomechanical viewpoint before anyone can recommend one device over another. That said orthotics are an often used way to gain some immediate relief though this is not usually addressing the root cause of the problem. Left unchecked the problem will return after the affect of an orthotics wears off and it will return worse than your original pain.

So get to the physio and/or podiatrist.

Thank you sir, i wish folks would visit this site more often. I have been waiting for a response for days.

[HeidiMills]

I agree with what was said above about shoes being just a part of the treatment. You really need to make sure that the rest of the problem is looked at, such as tight calfs

You can find out more about treatment for plantar fasciitis here

[juliepickford]

I am a 40 something female who has suffered from PF for many years. I have had very state of the art shock wave physio into my heel (Lipthotripsy?). Painful, expensive and not much help.

Finally I had dry needling under ultrasound. Now be warned it really depends on the skill of the radiologist:the first time in my left heel it was a disaster and I lost feeling in my toes for days, had extreme swelling etc. It was repeated on the other foot by a different radiologist with good results. the left heel required three treatments in all and is now much better (the Doc said it wasn't the thickets/deepest but most extensive PF she had seen).
Custom made Orthotics help a bit but cost the earth. Can't wear them in summer either. I lost a stone in weight and that helped too.

So back to shoes!

I have tried fit flops; OK but the flapping down of the heel is not great long term but I had no pain

The best shoes by a mile with no pain at all are crocs caymans. yes they are ugly but I have found nothing better and no pain. i am going to try out some crocs sandals this summer. Hope this helps

[IceMan]

The "normal" lower limb has a slight tibial varus angle or in other words is curved slightly inwards. As a result at heel-strike the outside surface of the calcaneus strikes the ground which is followed by eversion (lateral/outside shift) of the calcaneus and pronation (flattening) of the arch of the foot. This along with other biomechanical events occurring in the foot and leg allow for shock absorption at the "contact phase" and begin the repetitive cycle of shock absorption and propulsion in the foot that occur with walking.

Overpronation (which can result in a number of different painful conditions) that occurs due to an excessive varus angle of the tibia and/or calcaneus can be corrected with posted orthotics which can be placed inside a regular shoe. Plantar Fasciitis is reduced by preventing overpronation and midtarsal dorsiflexion and thus reducing the traction force on the plantar fascia.

I've fabricated custom fit orthotics using orthotic blanks and wedge strips for posts. I usually charge $25 for the materials so they're not really expensive but they're not as durable as you might expect to get from a podiatrist for example.

As has been mentioned above other biomechanical factors at the ankle, knee, hip, pelvis and spine need to be considered. For example, an anterior innominate rotation in the right pelvis would result in an apparent leg length deformity (right lower extremity longer than the left) and the right foot would tend to overpronate in order to "shorten" the right leg as a compensatory factor.

Finally I've recently come across an orthotic system designed by a gentleman named Phillip Vasyli. He is an Australian Podiatrist and he's worked in collaboration with people like Jenny McConnell (for the non-physios she's a world renowned phsyiotherapist) and has some really interesting theories. For those of you looking for shoes and/or orthotics he has some products that may work for you (I haven't tried or dispensed these myself so I'm in no way endorsing them).

[gnfreeman]

Vibram Five Fingers shoes are a great shoe for exercise and sport that are designed to be as barefoot as possible to help strenghten the feet but offer some protection for the feet.

You can get them in the UK online at primallifestyle

Enter gfr246min5 at the google checkout and get a £5 discount

[roycar]

im a physio and i wear off the shelf vasyli orthotics. i've mild pronation r>l. they're grand.. they do the job. the've lasted for ages aswell, worth what i paid for them anyway.

i've found with a lot of people i've seen with plantar fascitis respond well to lumbar spine mobs (when indicated). i think i've actually worked on the lumbar spine in all of the last, like, ten cases i've seen. plus more locally aimed techniques obviously. i find the offloading taping technique helpful to break the pain cycle. i like treating plantar fascitis!

[cookmart]

Hello, I've had success with Birkenstocks for my case of plantar fasciitis. I've tried numerous pairs, and only Birkenstock made a type of shoe that could cater to my particular condition, as well as the shape of my foot. I've also heard that New Balance makes a shoe that can be good for plantar fasciitis, although I have never worn a pair on regular basis.

[powerwalker]

I second the above comments on Vibram FiveFingers. These shoes are the natural cure for Plantar Fasciitis and other common foot problems. FiveFingers will strengthen your feet, ankles, knees, and back. Walking or running in barefoot shoes will also promote better posture and encourage a stride with less impact.

[JTrempe]

I am a PT and frequently recommend Superfeet as an over the counter shoe insert. They have a variety of options depending on the extent of foot pronation and activity level.

Superfeet, High quality shoe inserts to help your foot joint pain

[ezrida]

Hi
Maybe you will get many answers from people who want you to buy their favorite kind of shoes or inserts but believe me good shoes for one individual are bad for the other. I agree with the approach of physiobob. I have plantar fasciitis and I have been through a long journey looking for a good shoe. A good shoe for one is not good for the other. An expensive shoe is not necessarily good for heel pain.
You should find your kind of shoe, one that feels comfortable and give you support. It depends on many factors such as wide or narrow foot, high or low arch, your favorite kind of sport etc. You should try to use good cushioning shoe which has motion control and is not flexible in the middle. There is a good website that I use to take a look at from time to time. Many good ideas that I took from there - elrofeet.
Take care & Good luck

[DavidHawkins]

A podiatrist's opinion will be the best one for you.