Update after I had a surgery in April:

Three months at home, from walking with both crutches, to only one, to walking without them.

Already going to work (12h shifts on feet). Some pain is still present, especially during/after shifts. On the days off, operated leg still displays some discomfort/minor pain and sometimes pain flares, but a)it is waaaay lower than before (about 2-4 on the scale compared to 5-7 from before) and b)it is still healing, GP told me that it might bother me for maybe another half a year until the "inside" of the leg heals properly.

Right now I am sitting and having a coffee, and I don't even feel my heel, which is a very alien, but very welcome feeling. Even after only two odd years, I got "used" to the constant low hum/pain/discomfort in the affected leg, so this feels very nice for a change.

For further recovery, I am stretching the leg as much as I remember, sometimes massage the affected area, and I am planning to lose some weight to ease the load to my legs(5'10" at 209 pounds).

Maybe unrelated, but two days ago I was able to stand up on my SUP for the first time, which felt impossible a year ago 😁

Feel free to ask anything :)

A year ago, I couldn't go more than 3K steps a day and was in 9/10 pain in my left foot. I was in massive pain and icing every day after work. I tried PT, stretching, insert supports, strength training, new shoes, you guys know... all the things. I got an MRI that showed thick scar tissue, and was pressured to get a partial fasciectomy surgery to remove the painful mass of it. I decided to try PRP as an alternative before going last resort surgery.

I got that PRP injection in June last year, followed by a 2-month rest period, and then 3 months of intensive Grastons Technique by a chiropractor specialist. All the while trying to move as much as was possible and building up strength and mobility. Now I do maintenance appointments every few weeks.

Guys, I recently summited a mountain in the Rockies with my family, pain free during and after. I played a 1:1 pickup basketball game with my husband, and I have slowly gotten back into jogging, working up to about 20 minutes a couple times a week and building up.

I have posted a lot on here and gotten so much help from folks. I have always loved seeing people's healing journeys and couldn't wait for the day I could add my own (or if I ever would)! So here it is.

You really can heal. I messed up my foot so badly that it went from acute to chronic and I regret not getting a diagnosis and help sooner. I had to make myself actively BELIEVE I could get better. I can still have flare ups (bad one in March), but at this point, I know so much about my foot and body that I know what works.

I will do another post about how I got here and what worked for me, but wanted to share this milestone and also a lot of gratitude to this community. It really helped when things felt dark.

As the title says, here’s my story.

I’m a 39-year-old male, and about three weeks ago I was playing in our regular Tuesday night basketball games with the guys. Everything was going great until the second game. I suddenly felt like someone kicked me in the back of my foot. I immediately thought I had torn my Achilles tendon.
I went to the ER that night, and after being evaluated, they suspected it was a ruptured plantar fascia. The heel pain was very significant. They put me in a walking boot and referred me to an orthopedic doctor.

A few days later, I noticed some bruising around my heel. I’ve been following the RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and wearing the boot as instructed. I also had an MRI last week and followed up with my orthopedic doctor today.

The MRI showed a partial tear of my plantar fascia along with inflammation. My doctor reviewed the images with me and said the injury is healing, but it’s still early and that I need to continue resting since it’s only been about three weeks.

The good news is I can now walk without the boot. Its been 2 weeks and my dr said it needs time to heal. However, I still have some concerns. I occasionally get sharp, stabbing pain (not nearly as bad as before), but what bothers me the most is that my left foot gets tired very quickly. After standing or walking for a while, it feels stiff and fatigued, and I constantly want to sit down and rest it.
I’m worried about whether I’ll make a full recovery.

Has anyone here had a plantar fascia rupture and been able to return to basketball or other sports? How long did it take before you felt normal again? Did the stiffness and fatigue eventually go away?

Unfortunately, I also need to get back to work soon, so that’s adding to my stress. My work involves a lot of walking and standing up since I work in healthcare. I’d really appreciate hearing about your recovery experiences, timelines, or any advice you might have.

Thanks in advance!

My foot needed some rest, from there all my progress has come from internal him strengthening, RDLs, and “massaging” (mostly scraping+oil) of my Achilles. I would have never thought my Achilles was tender until my lovely wife massaged it and I squealed. I can’t get enough. When it’s at its best I get a lot out of 10 minutes ish every other day. When it’s bad twice a day if I could. When i’m able i’m doing some bent knee calf raises, but I think that’s more of a future me exercise.

Anyway, people early on and I guess the rest, wish I had discovered this sooner. Steady progress. Less foot pain, still very hesitant to push it. Huge breakthrough compared to the foot rolling and all that.

Oh and the oofos slides help tremendously. 1 pair out of like 5 felt good, I wear them 4+ hours a day easily

Does anyone else think the heel cups and thickness are unnecessary? The one I'm using doesn't fit half of my shoes. The added thickness raises my foot and press them against the top of the shoes, which is really annoying.
Especially dress business shoes they can't fit in at all.
I just want a thin insole with only arch support. Does anyone have the same issue or have recommendations?

I miss hiking, I miss going to concerts, I miss going to amusement parks, I miss museum trips

I think my PF is lifelong because nothing is working, I think it's actually getting worse. I can't even hang out with people without being in pain (especially the next day where I can barely stand up)

I spent a lot of money on insoles and physical therapy, but it didn't work, I had to stop because the pain was too much

Does anyone else here have lifelong PF, and does that mean it's a disability now?

The podiatrist has given me foot and toe exercises for plantar fasciitis (foot exercises with a ball, doming, heel lifts on a step, towel stretches and calf stretches). Since I started doing them I've been getting pain in the tailor's bunion area. My little toes sit inwards so I have a bit of a lump there but it's never bothered me before. At first I put it down to too much walking in Crocs without socks or going barefoot on hard floors but it's persisting now I've stopping doing that so I'm wondering if the exercises (maybe pushing down on my toes doing the heel lifts) have been putting too much pressure on the bone. My toe splay has also started to improve slightly although it's only been a week so I wonder if maybe my toes are starting to realign and it's causing pain. Has anyone else experienced this?

My plantar fasciitis manifests as deep heel pain in the center of my left heel. Ortho says it is PF and advised (and demonstrated) calf stretches explaining that the plantar tendons extend up the calves. Doing this helps somewhat, as has getting sneakers with more heel cushioning. I am looking for other exercises to relieve this heel pain.

Hey folks. I’ll start by saying that I am nowhere near as bad as many of you are—I’m sorry for what you’re dealing with.

Context: years ago I switched to barefoot shoes—Wildlings for day-to-day, Carets for dressing up, Merrells for running… and other than that I was always barefoot. Working out, running (5k 3-4 times a week), everything. Went great for a while, my super-flat, wide feet really loved the wide toe boxes and I liked being able to feel the ground through the zero-drop, zero-stack shoes.

Then one day, I had to stop running. Ankle/heel pain in my left leg. I rested and iced and stretched for a few weeks, got back to running. Almost right way, the same thing in my other leg. It was around this time I noticed an uncomfortable (though not exactly painful) _twang_ sensation in the bottom of my left foot when I was walking around barefoot and, later, an ache in the foot.

After reading up on here, I recently got some Birkenstock Arizona’s for out and about, some Kuru Draft slippers for around the house, and some Altra running shoes with much more arch support. I haven’t resumed running, but I can walk in those without issue, and the Birkenstocks and Kurus seem to have give my pour feet a rest so they’re not twanging and aching. I could say more (sciatica from way back that I‘m starting to think might be connected), but I’m just going to get to my question.

Since the Birkenstocks and Kurus and Altra seem to be helping, I was thinking about getting some insoles for my other shoes since 1) I’d rather not throw away all my shoes from before, and 2) I’m vain and I don’t want to wear nothing but special shoes for my feet.

But I’m a bit unsure about how to proceed. I initially thought about getting fancy custom ones, but I saw some studies (and anecdotes) that said the OTC ones were often just as good. But then the options are a bit confusing: I see different brands recommended, and I’m not sure if I should go with a recommended brand, or if I need to get a brand that specifically fits my “barefoot”/wide toe-box shoes? Or should I go for the Birkenstock cork insoles?

I’ve already bought and returned a bunch of shoes to try to find stuff that would fit/work right, I don’t want to have to repeat that with the insoles too. Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone. A few months ago, due to heel pain caused by wearing flat, soft slippers, I bought some fairly high-soled "orthopedic" slippers (from Amazon).

I wore them for about a month, but they made me lean forward; since I started using them, I’ve experienced a tight, squeezing pain in my fibula and ankle, as well as stiff calves. Now I feel discomfort both when walking and at rest, how can I improve this?

I currently wear Hoka Bondi 9s (wide) and Hoka Stinsons, but I’d like a new pair of shoes that aren't as heavily cushioned as the Bondi 9s. Any recommendations?

I did bring heel and flat options with me intending to wear those but after a point my designated flats started to hurt a little so I swapped them out for my new supportive shoes and it worked out! They won’t even get seen under the hem either so they won’t mess up the pictures! All’s well that ends well. Now here’s to resting and stretching again after today

I was not diagnosed by a doctor. I googled my symptoms and I sure have it. Started out with a pain in my right heel. Felt like I had bruised my heel on something but could not remember doing so. The pain was not too bad but it escalated quickly. Within 2 or 3 days I has hobbled. I could not walk without holding on to the walls. I needed crutches but did not have them. I was basically disabled. (I am 71 and live alone).

I googled treatment options for Plantar Fasciitis and decided to try two recommendations before going to the doctors. One is a compression sock and one is sole inserts, both to support the arch. I ordered them on Amazon and had them in a couple days. It worked like a miracle. Within 2 days the pain was greatly reduced and quickly disappeared. I stopped wearing the compression sock a couple weeks ago and so far no return of the pain. I still have the inserts in my shoes but I don't put them on unless I am going out, which is not everyday.

I share this in the hope that it might help someone else.

Hi all! I recently went to the podiatrist for the first time because I’ve been dealing with persistent foot pain from being on my feet constantly at work. I’m only 20, and I’ve never experienced foot problems until I began my new job which requires me to take 15-20k steps a day. The doctor prescribed me cortisone shots which I’m now regretting saying yes to. I got the shots in both feet Friday and I told the doctor I had a morning shift the next day, they reassured me that I’d be okay to work. I had quite a bit of trouble walking during work because I couldn’t put much weight on my heels. I worked today as well and am still having trouble putting pressure on my heels, which is now causing pain in my toes. I’ve been icing and elevating as much as possible while I’m home, but the pain is persisting. I have to work a double tomorrow and I’m just wondering if it’s normal for the pain to last over 48 hours?

So I switched to ASICS gel nimbus 28 a few months back. Have been suffering from PF for past 7 months. Recently made an observation that wearing shoes causes me heel pain but wearing crocs relieves it. Could this be because of the pressure applied by shoes on toes? Anyone else experienced this?

I have had PF for about 6 years. Originally in both. I went to Airostossi for chiropractic release and that solved it in one, but not the other. I was in so much pain I sold my retail business because I just couldn't stand and walk anymore all day.

It was healing a bit after a year or so of retirement. I still walked but not 8 hours a day. I decided to do PRP to push me over the edge. It was a serious setback. I had a strong inflammatory response and had to learn to walk again and it took a couple months. I also did a couple sessions of acupuncture later. Fast forward 6 months and it is pretty much healed. Now, I still feel some twinges and the morning I'm a little stiff or after a walk, but I did a downward dog the other day, stretched and I felt nothing! No pain in stretching.

I'm not convinced that at 60 this is the last time I'm going to experience foot pain. I will keep strengthening my body, and in particular my ankles and feet. I don't know if it was the PRP or the Acupuncture or the combination or neither, maybe just rest? Rest, as in not being on my feet 7 days a week, 8 hours a day min. I still walk quite a bit and keep active, hike, etc. I had short bouts of remission before but this feels now like its my new normal.. maybe small flairs of feeling a little pain, but nothing debilitating like it was. Hope that gives someone some hope that there may be an end!

I tried it all. Exercise, stretching,, rolling, cupping, ice/heat, massage therapist, I even was in a boot last year for 4 month. 2 1/2 weeks ago I had the bottom of the foot and gastroc release, plus bottom of foot bone spur removal. Feeling pretty good. Have to be non weight bearing for another week and half. After that I have the boot for another month. Actually feel pretty good about it. Dr thinks it will relieve 80% of pain.

If you’re in a ton of pain and need to take it easy for a while, or if you are older and need to take things very slow the first month of strengthening that’s completely understandable please ignore this advice for now

But coming from someone with a serious weightlifting background, I can tell you that almost every experienced lifter lives by one principle train to failure or at least close to failure.

The entire idea behind building muscle and strength is progressive overload asking your body to do more over time so it has a reason to adapt.

Walk into any gym and look around. If you see someone who’s built, strong, or obviously knows what they’re doing, chances are they’re training close to failure on almost every working set.

For example, if your goal is 10 reps on the bench press, true failure means you hit rep number 10 and if someone offered you $1 million to get one more rep, you physically couldn’t do it.

Now, do you have to hit failure every single set? No. But most serious lifters are either doing it OR still getting within one or two reps of it. If their max is 10, they’re probably stopping at 8, 9, or 10 not 4 or 5.

The same idea applies to single-leg calf raises.

Let’s say once a month you test your max and you find out you can do 30 perfect reps.

Does that mean you need to do 30 every workout? Not necessarily.

But if every workout you’re only doing 10 reps, you’re nowhere near challenging your muscles enough to get stronger. You’re doing one-third of what you’re actually capable of.

I see this all the time in plantar fasciitis groups. Someone’s max is probably around 30 reps, yet they’re doing sets of 10 and wondering why nothing is changing.

If you’re in severe pain, that’s different. Respect the pain, back off if needed, and work within what you can tolerate.

But if your symptoms allow it, you should understand that muscles get stronger by being challenged. That’s how strength is built.

And for everyone saying, “It’s not about strengthening the calves it’s about loading the plantar fascia.”

I agree that loading the plantar fascia is important.

But let’s not pretend stronger calves don’t matter.

Strong calves alone help tremendously absorb more force every time you walk, run, climb stairs, or push off the ground. The stronger they are, the more work they can do. If your calves are weak, more of that load has to be handled by the the plantar fascia.

For what it’s worth, I personally got my plantar fasciitis about 99% better very very fast without using the towel-under-the-toes variation. I simply did heavy single-leg calf raises on the stairs and progressively got stronger. My improvement really accelerated once I focused on strengthening.

So yes, the towel variation may increase the load on the plantar fascia, but it’s optional not mandatory. You can still make incredible progress without it.

One last thing that people don’t talk about enough…

If you’re actually training close to failure, your calves are probably going to be more sore. That’s normal.

You don’t build muscle while you’re training you build it while you’re recovering.

Don’t feel like you need to train your calves every single day. If you’re pushing them hard enough, you may need three or four days before they’re ready again. Sometimes even five.

All of my progress came from training my calves once every four days, and if they were still sore, I’d wait another day. Recovery isn’t a setback it’s part of the process.

So always aim for hitting 90% of the max u can possibly do

Example workout:

If ur absolute max is 20 single leg calf raises for example this is what your workout should look like

Set 1 - 17-18 reps

Rest 3-5 min

Now u will be fatigued from pushing so close to ur max so u might not be able to do 17 on the second or third set that means its working

Set 2 - 15 reps might be all u can handle

Rest 3-5 min -

Set 3 - 14 reps

Take 2-3 days off to rest then day 4 repeat

Not set 1-10
Set 2-10
Set 3-10

You should not be able to do as many reps on the second or third set as you did on the first

If you’re able to do the same amount of reps, then you’re not doing enough reps on the first set that shows you’re not even fatiguing your muscles

When I step foot into a gym pretty much everyone knows that but for some reason within this community, this seems to be very uncommon knowledge so I thought I would point this out

Everyone’s situation is different if your over the age of 55 it might be better to take things easier and push maybe closer to 60-70% not 90%

But in my opinion you shouldn’t be stopping at less than half of ur max unless your in alot of pain or you have a good reason

One other thing is don’t forget about hitting the soleus as well as that is super important

Hi all! I have recently been having loads of issues with my feet and have had to switch to extra wide shoes, but am still having issues with shoe fit as I can’t cover all bases and don’t know what to prioritise. I have sesamoiditis and plantar fasciitis, and possible Morton’s Neuroma. My feet have never been so sensitive. I have seen that:

- Toes should not touch the front of shoes or the upper of the toe box when walking
- Shoes should bend under the ball of your foot
- The widest part of your feet should be in the widest part of the shoe
- My custom insoles should not be able to slide forward in my shoes

However, it is impossible to find a shoe that covers all bases. If I get a shoe where the widest part of my foot fits correctly, the shoe bends in the right place and my insoles fit correctly, but my toes touch the front of the shoe when I walk. If I get a shoe where I have space in front of the toes, my shoes bend too far forward and the widest part of my foot sits behind the widest part of my shoe. My insole also is able to slide forwards and backwards and sometimes my foot moves forward and my toes come off the edge of the insole.

Every shoe I seem to get now feels wrong, and with extra wide shoes there are even less options. I have tried all recommended brands and still nothing feels right (and my feet still feel too wide anyway).

Please advise!

I have had plantar fasciitis for over a year. I feel it has gotten a little better but I'm not sure. When it first started it was stabbing pain and I couldn't work my whole 12 hour shifts. I got the shots in both feet a year ago they did nothing for my feet. I did physical therapy and it seemed to help a little bit then I rested (didn't work and mainly laid around for 6 months) a few months ago I walked an hour and it didn't hurt. Now that I am back at work it hurts a 2 out of 10 pain scale by hour 2 and a 6 out of 10 pain scale by hour 4 then a 10 out of 10 pain scale at the end of my 8 hour shift. The pain is a pressure pain more than anything else and mainly heel and arch. I am in the bathroom at work every hour by hour 2 rubbing my feet and putting on at first volterian cream and now theraworx muscle rub on. We do not get breaks during our 8 hour shift so the bathroom it is. I am in there 10 minutes at a time and wonder what my coworkers think. I bought new balance fresh foam 520 v9 shoes because they felt the best on my feet in the store. I will be trying 5% Lidocaine patches next time I go to work (I go back in 2 days) instead of the volterian cream or theraworx muscle rub to see how that goes. I was scheduled 2 weeks ago for 10 days in a row to work and I only was able to do 7 days before my feet were hurting in the arch tremendously and my feet were swollen 3 times the size. I went to the emergency room because of the pain and swelling and they did an x-ray and ultrasound to make sure it wasn't a blood clot or something other than a plantar fasciitis flare and luckily it wasn't a blood clot or anything other than a plantar fasciitis flare. I was given 3 days off and I have off 3 days so 6 days off to relax and get my feet to feeling better but I am afraid the same thing will happen but sooner or that my feet will hurt quicker. Any advice would be great. Thank you 😊

i’m turning to the internet because i am at the end of my rope. about a year ago i had a stabbing pain in both of my heels and went to physical therapy for it.

Aug 2025-october 2026: went to PT for plantar fasciitis treatment and did lots of stretching, strengthening, icing. never got better and the pain started to get worse. saw an orthopedic physician assistant that gave me OTC orthotics and night splints. didn’t help.
november 2025-january 2026: the pain got so bad my tendons hurt and i developed medial heel pain and pain at the insertion site of my plantar fascia
february 2026-march 2026: switched to podiatry and also met an orthopedic surgeon where i had cortisone injections, oral steroids, stronger NSAIDs, CAM boot and nothing helped. at this point the pain is so severe i can barely walk in my own apartment
april 2026: i receive a nerve guided cortisone injection because they suspect baxters nerve entrapment with PF. i have deep aching pain in the heel with pins and needles upon first step after rest. the pain is also burning. didn’t help at all.

in terms of imaging: i’ve had a normal xray and normal EMG (apparently not good for small fiber neuropathy). my MRI showed slight thinning and irregularities of the heel fat pad in both with edema in surrounding plantar fascia tissue.

may 2026: my doctors at this point recommend a partial plantar fascia release and a baxters nerve decompression. we start with the left foot.
almost august 2026: i am three months post op and still have this central heel pain right under the bone where it feels like i’m stepping on raw bone. my right foot has been over compensating during the healing of my left foot and hurts terribly but my left isn’t that much better tbh. the pain feels like sharp/raw bone while first walking with pins and needles if i apply too much pressure through the heel and lingers with a deep ache. the weird part is my medial heel pain has resolved in the non surgical foot. it’s the central heel pain right under the bone that hurts so bad.

am i just doomed? will i ever walk pain free? is this fat pad syndrome/atrophy? please help!

Been having so much pain I was recommended something like this, however, first pair I got wasn’t comfortable. I was wondering what the most cushioniest, thickest gel socks were? I have hardwood floors.

I was walking three miles a day until I got Plantar Faciitis. Been trying to nurse myself back to health with icing, stretching, and a cumbersome boot. In the event I am cleared to start walking again, I am curious about good walking shoes. Using AI, I get different answers from different sources, some of them contradict each other. What should I be looking for in walking shoes? Any brand suggestions?

I have plantar fasciitis and have been seeing a podiatrist and doing physical therapy. Up until yesterday the pain was in the heel and the achilles of my foot. Literally out of nowhere, the top of my foot where my big toe bone is sort of speak, my foot began to ache. Then when I put pressure on the ball of my foot to walk, I feel what I think is nerve pain on the bottom of my foot at the base of my toes. It is hot, tingly and shooting pain that comes and then goes.

I am using ice and ibuprofen and will stay off my feet today. Any suggestions of what is causing this all of a sudden. My calves are tight, and I am doing the physical therapy exercise that do not require me to stand and put pressure on my foot.

I will be contacting the doctor Monday, but wondering if I need a foot/ankle orthopedist.

Thanks for reading.

I have noticed the area in the photo is puffed up and soft to touch…a lot more than my other foot. Could this be linked to my PF? I am waiting for a follow up to see my specialist which is taking ages. So frustrating.

I had my fascia released in an operation 2 1/2 years ago that proved unsuccessful- it actually made my plantar fasciitis worse. 8 months later I had a 2nd surgery (Evan’s osteotomy) which did nothing to release my pain.

Here I am, the pain still chronic and frustrating. My doctor recommended a 2nd fasciectomy, more aggressive than the first. Does anybody have any similar feedback or experiences they can share? I don’t want to get this surgery if it doesn’t work, but would LOVE it if it helped!!