When it’s not planter faciitis what is it??

[SamC078]

Hi all. For 10 years I’ve suffered pain in my planter facia muscle, it’s not planter faciitis as my feet are brand new first thing in the morning and pain comes on when I’m in my feet and get worse through out the day. The pain almost disappears when I sit down. Has anyone got anything similar that’s not planter faciitis? X

[Batty1]

Im not a doctor but I have this same issue Which is caused by Psoriatic Arthritis that attacks my tendons... plantar, achilles, knee tendons and hip. Absolutely a nightmare!

Do you have Psoriasis?

[Aloysia]

I can only relate my personal experience, and that of other people I know. Myself and several people I know were all told we had plantar fasciitis. I personally never believed the diagnosis as it didn't seem to fit. And the "solutions" I was told to try just made things worse.

What eventually worked for all of us is to wear "toe-shoes" like Vibram brand. I initially wore them around the house for an hour or two a day, every day. After 3 weeks, my pain went away. Now if I start feeling any pain again, I do the same thing. Another friend chose to wear toe-shoes all the time (his pain also went away). A third friend wears them part time (her pain also went away). I also have several acquaintances who tried the same thing with success.

My guess is that by wearing the toe-shoes we're using different muscles in our feet. And that regardless of whether we had plantar fasciitis or something else, it's all essentially caused by an imbalance in how are feet muscles and/or tendons are working together.

It's easy to try. I was able to get my pair of toe-shoes from REI during one of their garage sales which made them significantly cheaper. I was sceptical to try this at first, but I am very happy to have no pain anymore.

Obviously, this is unlikely to help if your pain is actually from arthritis, bone issues, or anything other than a muscle/tendon imbalance.

[olddogsleeper]

Hi Sam

Plantar fasciitis could easily fit the pain pattern that you describe. Whatever is causing the tightness could be alleviated overnight, and only through use throughout the day reoccur becoming more painful. Sitting also involves flexing the knee which can relieve tension on the posterior leg and offer relief.

The plantar fascia attaches to the heel and spreads throughout the plantar surface of the foot. The best solution to PF is often to stretch and lengthen the calf muscles, as they form a continuation of the fascia through the achilles tendon. This can offer some relief without dealing directly with the plantar surface of your foot if it's do painful to do so.

That being said, there are MANY other causes of foot pain as there are many bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles in the area. The pain could also be neurological in nature and be referred from somewhere else entirely (for example your lower back). Your best bet is to see a manual therapist of some kind (physio / osteopath / chiropractor). They will be able to examine your foot, help diagnose the issue and give you treatment or advice to get better. Don't keep suffering through it on your own, you'll feel much better if someone qualified talks it through with you and gets you on track to recovery.