heel pain - plantar fascial ligament

by Rodney
(Quincy, IL.)

I have read through the information you've provided for this pain. The pain I'm having is in my heel and some in the arch. But I am having this in both feet which I didn't read such symptoms on your site. I am walking or standing on concrete with steel toed boots all day long for six years now. I have been wearing the same brand of boots the past 5 years (new pair each year) until this past november I switched brands. A couple weeks later is when I started expierencing the pain. I continued wearing the boots for 1.5 months then got my old ones out thinking it was the boots. Well they seem to help for a couple days but the pain came back. I just bought some inserts which I havn't tried yet. I was thinking about buying a new pair of the boots I had been wearing for 5 years until this last pair. Had been wearing Wolverine Dura Shock and tried a Red Wing this time. I found your sight while researching the problem before waisting $175 on boots I may not need. This pain is extremly bad towards the end of the work week and even sticks around through the weekend while off my feet or in regular shoes. I am 6-2 and about 240 pounds.

RESPONSE

Hi Rodney,

Based on your narrative, this is one of the typical scenarios people like me see on a regular basis; a big guy who spends his work day on concrete. Although I can hardly make a definitive diagnosis without the luxury of actually examining you, it sounds like plantarfasciitis.
The fact that the feet hurt more as the week progresses also leads me to the possibility of a heel bursitis or even a heel neuroma.
There is also the remote possibility of a fractured calcaneus (heel bone) but since it is both feet that hurt the odds of a heel fracture in both feet is fairly remote.
So, where does that leave you? There is a real possibility that the new work boots created the problem, but regardless of that, changing back to the original brand may not be enough to rid you of your pain.
Obviously, the best advice I could ever give you would be to see a local foot specialist and get an accurate diagnosis, but short of that, there is a couple of things you can try.
If you can tolerate anti-inflammatory medication like Aleve or Motrin, then read the package insert for these medications and take them on the recommended doses for a period of 10-14 days to see if that helps alleviate the pain.
In addition to that you will need to stop the overstretching of the plantar fascial ligament. This is done through the use of an orthotic.
Unfortunately, most arches sold in drug stores and supermarkets attempt to cushion the foot, but do very little to support the plantar fascial ligament and without this support, the ligament will continue to overstretch and thus be painful. One option is to try the Superstep orthotics sold on this site along with a pair of arch boosters (240 lbs.). You must wear them or any other pair of orthotics you may purchase from the time you wake up in the morning until bed time. The ligament needs to be supported all the time, not just when you are at work. They should fit in boots, sneakers and casual laced shoes.
You can try this for a few weeks, be careful with any medication you take as you do not want to over do it. If it works, great, if not, like I said earlier, seek medical attention in your area.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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