Hello, I have been having severe pain in my heels, mostly the left. Went to see the Dr. he said I have plantar facitis which is torn tendon fibers in my arch that causes the pain. He said runners often develope it but it could be caused by alot of things. Has anyone had this problem and if so do they think swimming might have caused or aggravated it ? Thanks Tim
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Former Member
Hi Tim:
I believe that Piersolfan is mistaken. My podiatrist told me when he diagnosed my plantar fasciitis that it is indeed caused by small tears in the plantar fascia, which is a tendon-like tissue supporting the arch of the foot. My doctor prescribed over-the-counter analgesics to reduce inflammation, that I eliminate unnecessary walking for the time being, that I wear running shoes at all times, that I ice the bottom of my foot for 10 minutes each evening (by resting my foot, in sock, on a bag of frozen vegetables), and that I rest my foot on a tennis ball and roll the ball around with my entire foot before getting out of bed in the a.m., or when getting up after sitting for any extended period of time. The treatment worked, although healing of the tears and inflammation is a slow process. I'm not sure you can get plantar fasciitis from swimming--my doctor said it comes from walking on concrete and other pavement-pounding activities.
Also, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND "Super Feet" which are over-the-counter orthotic inserts for your shoes that can be bought at REI and other plances. They are fantastic.
I understand that some doctors use night-braces which keep your foot and tendons stretched out (at a 90 deg. angle) while you sleep. A colleague of mine had one of those, and it damaged the nerves in his foot, so that his pain is now worse than before. I'm leery about such treatment.
Hope this helps.
Tom
I understand that some doctors
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Former Member
Hi Tim:
I believe that Piersolfan is mistaken. My podiatrist told me when he diagnosed my plantar fasciitis that it is indeed caused by small tears in the plantar fascia, which is a tendon-like tissue supporting the arch of the foot. My doctor prescribed over-the-counter analgesics to reduce inflammation, that I eliminate unnecessary walking for the time being, that I wear running shoes at all times, that I ice the bottom of my foot for 10 minutes each evening (by resting my foot, in sock, on a bag of frozen vegetables), and that I rest my foot on a tennis ball and roll the ball around with my entire foot before getting out of bed in the a.m., or when getting up after sitting for any extended period of time. The treatment worked, although healing of the tears and inflammation is a slow process. I'm not sure you can get plantar fasciitis from swimming--my doctor said it comes from walking on concrete and other pavement-pounding activities.
Also, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND "Super Feet" which are over-the-counter orthotic inserts for your shoes that can be bought at REI and other plances. They are fantastic.
I understand that some doctors use night-braces which keep your foot and tendons stretched out (at a 90 deg. angle) while you sleep. A colleague of mine had one of those, and it damaged the nerves in his foot, so that his pain is now worse than before. I'm leery about such treatment.
Hope this helps.
Tom
I understand that some doctors
