I've suffered off and on from Plantar Fasciitis, which causes heel pain that feels like needles are stuck in the bottom of my heel whenever I put weight on it. What really helped was having a special shoe insert made by my podiatrist that helped to provide the right support to my arch and alleviate the pressure that was straining my foot. Even though it was really helpful, the insert was pretty expensive.
I just read a study that can out of the UK that the cheap shoe inserts you can buy at a drugstore are just as effective as the special, individual pricey ones. I haven't tried the cheap ones personally, but thought I'd throw this info out there since Fasciitis is fairly common among women.
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Plantar Fasciitis is a common overuse injury among runners. Although I've been fortunate enough to not experience this particular pain, I've had other foot injuries that have been overcome by expensive custom orthotics, as well as lesser priced OTC inserts.
However, it took trying a lot of different inserts to find the ones that worked. For me, Sole Ultras work very well. They're affordable (roughly $45), heat mold to your foot and come in different thicknesses for different purposes. I have a pair for distance running, a different pair for trail running, and they have completely replaced my custom orthotics.
Treatment for plantar fasciitis varies, depending upon the severity. Mostly, though, icing the area is recommended to reduce any inflammation, followed by self massage to the area. Gentle stretches, grabbing marbles or a towel with your toes and strengthening supportive muscles also help recovery. There are also special splints designed to help stretch the bottom of the foot.
Coincidentally, my mom and I were just discussing shoe inserts and whether or not we liked the gel type. We concurred that the gels were fine in the beginning, but became uncomfortable too quickly, maybe because they compressed quickly.
Bottom line: I'm sold on the heat molded inserts.
April 21, 2008 - 5:43pmThis Comment