Fibromyalgia Support Group

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That makes a lot of sense. Another doctor has a theory that certain populations have a different # of bones in this one spot at the ankle-- sorry, don't remember where. I guess it just depends on whether something is wrong with your foot. For instance, Most of my pain was in the ball of my foot, so that was where every doctor looked. The last doctor studied the whole foot and discovered that the real origin was that the "ball" of the bone on top at the ankle, sat so far forward of the "socket" created in the underlying ankle bones, that it was in no way in the socket -- about a 1/4 inch ahead of it. So anyways, it's just too much stress on the mucles and tendons.

Sselteer. There was a reason that the ball sat in a forward position. I have no doubt that if you you had a chance to rehabilitate and optimally align your feet and ankles that your problem would have been reduced. I have no way of guessing if you could of avoided surgery. Top orthopedic surgeons have stated to me that they believe that 40% of their surgery's could have been avoided if they would have worn the Barefoot Science foot strengthening insoles. I am concerned that you are on your third type of permanent brace or orthotic after surgery. Barefoot Science is only one tool that can assist you in strengthening and realigning your body. Post surgery treatment on any other part of the body would include some form of rehabilitation or exercise and yet with the complex foot they move straight to permanent bracing. Yes, the brace or orthotic may accommodate your problem in the short term but in the long run will cause addition atrophy and dysfunction. This is why most doctors ask you to come back in one year to charge you four hundred dollars for a "Bigger Orthotic".What the doctors don't tell you is that once you brace a muscle or joint you are doomed to lifetime of dysfunction because the joint or muscle will become dependent on the device and will never rehabilitate, in fact it will get worse.If you send me your e-mail I will send you a couple of presentation that help to demystify this subject.

first ... Sswelteer OUCH

next...my feet hurt after I've done alot of walking, like going shopping or the dreaded wallyworld...nothing like trekking over 3 football fields to pick up dog food and toilet paper. Sometimes I lie in bed and they just throb but I can't say it's just my heel or just the ball..it's almost like they are swollen but they aren't.

I am a big fan of barefoot..wish I could go everywhere barefoot.

spam?

Musclefoot, I do not give out my email. Your pitch is a little heavy handed for me. You are misrepresenting my experience with my podiatrist. I do not see that you have participated before in the sharing of useful information about fibromyalgia and it would seem that this is your first time on any thread, so I do not trust your posting. I call it like I see it, and hope I am wrong, but it feels so right.

Gadgetgal, Hi again. I think some of my heel pain has been tied up in the plantar fascitis. I think it does influence the nerves around the heel sometimes, making either painless type nerve tingling, or burning, or a feeling like the heel is deeply cracked. I try to do ankle turns befor getting up and walking around, and also some flexing of my foot. I was given exercises facing a wall to stretch out the back of my calves. One knee is bent, the other leg extended behind me, hands on the wall.then I add a second stretch in that pose, by bending the knee of the leg extended behind me, and I end up doing a stretch of the achilles area, by pushing gently , heel toward ground. I also find that my fibro is involved in this, because like other fibro problems, If I don't walk enough, it gets worse. Complete rest is not the answer.

For many months, several times a day I soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, did the stretches, and then put the feet on a bag of frozen peas for 15 minutes.

No problem. Just trying to help. We have helped over one million people.Everything that I wrote is backed up by science,studies,statistics and simple logic.I was only offering to supply you with materials that would let you make an informed decision on permanent bracing/surgery vs progressive rehabilitation.

Enjoy your day!

Gadgetgal, I have heel pain and sometimes when I stand up after sitting a while it really shoots up. Sometimes pain will shoot from my heel even when sitting. The Dr. said I have plantar fasciitis as well. But, like they said, you should make sure it's not something more. Welcome.

Gadgetgal,

The stretching techniques that Sswelteer suggested will certainly help with your plantar fasciitis. You need to add some foot strengthening exercises to your daily regime as well.You can go on the web to find many of these exercises. Rolling a golf ball under the arch of the foot, using a tea towel,limited barefoot walking on the beach or grass etc. will all help.

The root cause of plantar fascitiis is weak atrophied foot muscles.There are forty intrinsic/small foot muscles that are designed to manage approx.70% of the daily load. The plantar fascia which runs the length of the foot is designed to manage 30% of the load and is full of proprioceptors or nerve endings that send the signals to the foot muscles to tell them to do their job. When the forty foot muscles collapse after a lifetime of cushioning,supporting and bracing(orthotics) the foot flattens and stretches the plantar fascia. The fascia is now being asked to do 100% of the job. The fascia is made up of a material that is more like a wire and not elastic in nature so micro tears and swelling occurs. This is plantar fasciitis.

The forty foot muscles have the same needs as the rest of your muscles. It gets back to the the old use it or loose it approach to life.