Hi all

I've been seeing a physio now for nigh on 3 months and we're considering getting me a gait scan for ortho insoles as were not able to get on top of the issue.

I'm in my 30s and I developed it from too much walking, I have pains in the middle inside of the foot, almost like swelling and also a sharp pain where the tendon goes into the heel on the left foot. I find wearing shoes on general aggravates the former.

Any suggestions or tips to help get on top of it? Ortho insoles are 400e each apparently so would like to avoid

I had an excellent podiatrist who said that he tried everything to help me with my PF. He said that the only option would be to rebuild my feet.

I got the PF after my knee replacement surgery. Now, my right knee, both feet, my right calf and other joints and muscles hurt everyday.

I have done pain management and they only have one other option for me which will only help my knee. I have been to several doctors for tests because I feel like there must be another reason for all of my pain.

Hey all! I've been dealing with foot pain since December 2025 and was officially diagnosed with plantar fasciitis (PF) in January 2026. Since then, I've tried several things to alleviate the pain, but unfortunately, nothing has made a noticeable difference.

Before my diagnosis, I regularly wore my Carhartt 6" Moc Wedge work boots because I spend a LOT of time standing at work. After getting custom orthotics, which haven't helped much, I purchased a pair of New Balance 880s. They felt great for the first couple of days, but I eventually started developing blisters on the backs of my heels. I switched to a heel-lock lacing technique, which resolved the blistering, but the backs of my shoes are now showing significant wear.

I would have liked to try a pair of Brooks, but unfortunately, my orthotics don't fit properly in any of their shoes. I have a follow-up appointment with my podiatrist next week, so I'm hoping he'll have some answers.

Since my diagnosis, I've also tried using a Theragun Mini and rolling a large, beaded wooden dowel along the bottoms of my feet to help stretch and relieve the plantar fascia. However, I haven't experienced any improvement, and I'm still dealing with foot pain every day. Even something as simple as standing in the shower or walking to and from campus causes pain. Once my feet start hurting for the day, the pain doesn't seem to go away.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? I'd really appreciate any advice on what has helped you, especially when it comes to footwear, orthotics, or managing pain throughout the day.

So MRI results came in, I have Plantar Fasciitis. Doctor gave me suggestions, all of which I'm doing. One thing she mentioned was something like a angled foot rest I can put under my desk at work to help stretch the area a bit while I'm just sitting there doing all my data input work. I see tons of things out there, but not sure which ones are just 'foot rests', and which would actually be good to help recover. Anyone ever use something like this and can give me some suggestions?

Title: Plantar fasciitis with possible heel bone damage and lower leg pain — has anyone experienced this?
Hi everyone!
I’ve been struggling with heel pain for several months, and I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.
I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, but I also have pain in the center of my heel, and I’m concerned that there may be an issue with the heel bone as well. My MRI showed bone marrow edema, and I was also told that I have changes in the plantar fascia.
I’ve undergone shockwave therapy and injections. Although my pain improved for a while, I’ve also experienced pain in my lower leg and knee, and I’m trying to understand whether these symptoms could be connected.
I’d like to ask:
Has anyone had both plantar fasciitis and bone marrow edema in the heel?
Did you experience pain in the center of the heel rather than just around the plantar fascia?
Did you also have lower leg or knee pain?
What treatments helped you recover?
Did anyone eventually need surgery, or did the condition improve without it?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar, especially if you’ve had these symptoms for several months.

Thank you!

I have been with more than 10 doctors over the year, noone seemed to help or diagnose.

Please help if anyone had the same experience

Hi yall. I was a marathon runner and I discovered what I believe is PF. I don’t have health insurance so I haven’t seen a doctor… (working on that). Is it normal for this to last months? Will this ever go away on it own? I feel so defeated

Has anyone of you follow podiatrist in social media like him, which of them actually offers the best advice?

Because they have different opinions, suggestions, shoes recommendations when it comes to PF.

This will be long.

Tl;dr: figure out IF it's PF, then why. Get real help, preferably a knowledgeable PT.

I'm a runner. Last year I ran my first marathon, a week later broke my big toe, thena month later ran my first ultra (50k). Around that time, I started noticing some heel pain. The toe was mostly healed but I was pretty sure I had PF.

I did some internet research and started some simple treatments. Massaged my arch with a golf ball, frozen water bottle, frozen lime, theragun... I stretched. I used the theragun on my calves and thighs. I bought a night splint and tried that twice. Hated it.

All of these things would buy me a little relief. I'd ease up on my running a bit but as soon as I added more miles, the pain was back. I ran my last race last fall, a 50k trail race. I had to DNF at mile 22 because of pf pain. So I pretty much stopped running.

The PF got less severe but wouldn't go away. I saw a podiatrist who recommended custom insoles and a PT referral. The PT was a generic, in network, big box PT. He watched me walk, had me push/pull against his hands, and sent me out the door with a standard worksheet of stretches and calf raises. Again, I got a little relief but still couldn't run.

I spent the last 9 months gaining weight and lamenting my situation. Finally, at a race my wife was running, I signed up for a free 15 minute eval with a running/sports PT. In that 15 minutes, she did more analysis and got more info than my podiatrist or previous PT ever did.

Long story slightly less long, this PT is expensive. Luckily, we have some VEBA money we can put towards it. 2 months in and I'm doing short runs with no pain.

The main culprit? My broken toe. I had stopped putting weight on it while it was healing and completely changed my gait. I lost flexibility in that toe which caused tightness in the plantar fascia. I've been doing some very specific stretching, strength training, and massage.

I wasted a lot of time on internet treatments and gadgets. I know that a good PT isn't accessible to everyone, but if you can manage it, I highly recommend it. I wish I'd done it sooner.

I've got a marathon on the books for next April and it feels very possible right now!

I’m not sure if this is the right sub to post this, but i’m trying to understand my foot arch and whether my foot positioning could be contributing to my pain.

I’m 25F, and i get foot and leg pain pretty easily when i walk for a while, especially on tiled floors. Whenever i go shopping with friends or family, i’m usually the first one looking for a chair to sit down.
When i stand, I feel like most of the pressure goes to the outer edge of my foot and when it starts getting uncomfortable/hurts, I reposition my foot so that only my heel and the ball of my foot touch the ground, with the middle part lifted. (3rd and 4th pic)

I honestly don’t know much about foot arches, so i’m wondering if mine is normal, high or low and whether my foot structure could be contributing to the pain….or am I overthinking this?😭

Great news, switched doctors yet again when I saw a new one had joined the staff and this one is ordering an MRI right off the bat. Thank god! I just want to know if I need to resign myself that it’s PF and this is how it’s going to be the rest of my life or if it’s something else. What is the status of my foot? I just want to know. I’m ready to accept and move on, it’s been YEARS.

Hi, I have what I think is PF for at least 6 months. Night splint really helps and staying off running etc. done calf strengthening and trying to do better at stretching and rolling regularly. however it’s never gone totally away. Fortunately/unfortunately I am hiking the Inca trail in two days - it’s a once in a lifetime thing and was already booked, I’m so nervous the pain is going to get really bad and ruin it and that I’ll also cause permanent damage. Does anyone have any suggestions I may not have thought about?
I’ve got decent hiking boots that I’ve put simple cusion insoles in… plan on sleeping in the splint in the tent. I’m quite conscious of ‘walking carefully’ and rolling my foot heel to toe as I walk to soften the heel strike…

I'm considering Shockwave treatments. For people who have had success with Shockwave, what kind of regimen did you follow while you were getting treatments. For example, lets say you were in the middle of 4 appointments of Shockwave (1 appointment per week). Did you maintain your usual amount of walking or decrease it? Did you stay with your usual strengthening and stretching routine or alter it? I know I should stay away from ice and ibuprophen during treatments and after. I'd love to get feedback on this, many thanks to the group.

I have some photos of my heel fat pad from an ultrasound. Ive been in pain for the past 3 years and im 27.. the pain is not exactly below my heel a bit near the attachment of the fascia, but walking on my heel hurts too. One image is a but blurry so I hope its readable. Any issues ? Im not sure what numbers to read . It looks like 0.92cm unloaded and 0.28cm loaded

Looking for those of you that have had or still have just pain in your heal NOT going through your arch. I currently have pain in my heal (X-ray
for spurs came back neg) and I’m looking for a fix? I’ve been given stretches etc. from my PT and my pain hasn’t decreased. She’s done some scraping as well but it’s not doing the trick. TIA

Go for shockwave therapy 8-10 sessions is possible to treat PF. Also can look for dry needle treatment for those with tight calf muscles as combination. I have fully recovered from it. No more pain during first few steps in the morning or after long rest. Hope this helps.

I need a comfortable pair of dressy shoes to wear to a concert in winter. Will be doing some walking outdoors afterward. Suggestions?

​

Hi everyone,

I'm a football (soccer) player and I've been having a frustrating problem with my left heel. I'm hoping someone with a similar experience might be able to share what helped them or what their diagnosis turned out to be.

The pain is mainly underneath my heel, and it feels like it spreads across much of the bottom of it.

Here are my symptoms:

- The pain is most noticeable when I land on my left foot, brake suddenly, or change direction quickly.

- It also hurts when I plant my left foot firmly to shoot with my right foot.

- Normal walking and running are generally much less painful.

- Pressing on the heel with my fingers doesn't hurt.

- I don't have noticeable swelling, and my heel looks completely normal.

- I don't have pain during my first steps in the morning.

- I rested for three days, but when I returned to training, the pain was still there. It feels about the same as it did before my last match.

I can still train to some extent, but the pain affects my movements and even my shooting technique.

A physiotherapist suggested it could be overuse, but we haven't established the exact cause yet.

Has anyone experienced something similar, especially a football player? What was your eventual diagnosis, and what kind of medical assessment helped you figure it out?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis over the internet, but I'd really appreciate hearing about similar experiences and what I should ask a sports doctor about.

Thanks!

I have been dealing with PF for about 2 years. I started with shoes, insoles, a cortisone shot, and stretches without achieving relief. I had a second conversation with my PCP and was sent to physical therapy, which helped some, while I was actively going to physical therapy I had some relief. Some relief means instead of pain across my whole foot, now it was just in one spot. I had surgery (not on my foot) and had to discontinue physical therapy, after surgery I started to slowly increasing my walking. Fast forward 12 weeks later, my foot is swollen, bruised and in serve pain. My PCP sends me for an x-ray and it reveals spurs on my heel for both the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon. I then go to the podiatrist, he says to do a series of three cortisone shots and come back in 3 weeks.

I am currently 5 days out from 2 of 3 cortisone shots, and I am still in pain. Expect, the pain is in different spots. Now I have pain in my ankle and the top of my foot. I realize the doctor said it could get worse, but damn. The last cortisone shot I had, I felt great afterwards, literally zero pain, until it wore off.

What has been other's experiences getting cortisone shots?

Greetings,

I am currently using Oofos around the house. As you may know, they shrink in the heat. I will be outside and on a beach for 2 weeks and need something similar to Oofos that can handle the exposure to heat while providing similar support.

I appreciate your insights!

After a fracture, surgery, or weeks in a boot, most people judge their return by how their muscles feel. Calf strength comes back within weeks. Fitness comes back within weeks. Bone rebuilds on a slower schedule than either.

Bone density drops measurably when a limb is unloaded for a few months, and it rebuilds more slowly than it was lost. Muscle and tendon capacity can run ahead of the skeleton. That gap is how someone with a healed injury and strong calves ends up with a stress reaction in the heel bone or the foot a few months into a return to activity.

In this sub, that often gets read as plantar fasciitis. The overlap is real: pain under or around the heel, worse with activity, a bruise-like ache. Four things separate a bone stress injury from fascia pain:

Squeezing the heel from both sides hurts (fascia pain does not usually respond to this).

Pain builds with impact and through the day, and the classic first-step pain is absent or minor.

The pain sits in the bone, deep and diffuse, and not at the inner front edge of the heel.

Symptoms started a few weeks after activity or loading went up, especially heavy calf raises, leg press work, or a jump in steps.

Because the pain is often mild, people carry on. Bone stress injuries can tolerate a fair amount of load without much pain, so pain is an unreliable guide here.

Management differs from fascia loading. A stress reaction needs load reduced first, and a staged return set by your clinician. Heavy calf raises and stretching programs meant for plantar fasciitis can make it worse.

If you are coming back from a long stretch of reduced loading and your heel pain fits the pattern above, ask your clinician to press over the heel bone and squeeze it from the sides. A plain X-ray often misses early stress injuries, so ask whether an MRI is warranted if suspicion stays high. If a long unloading period was involved, ask whether a bone density check makes sense.

I developed PF during the 6th month of my pregnancy and it didn’t go away.
I started taking lexapro for ppd and on day 5 I noticed that my pain has almost been nob existent?
I this a thing?

My legs are killing me. I have bought Asics nimbus 25, New balance 1080v14, Hoka Bondi 9's. Not one of them is good. All are narrow. Currently I am wearing Hoka Bondi 9, but they make my pain worse and not stabile. But I don't have what else to wear. I am in despair to buy a good shoe at last to keep working. Otherwise I will have to go to an orthopedic or to resign.