I've been a runner all these years, since before high school. Have been through PF several times, have used different orthotics & things over the years. The best thing for me was to have a massage therapist go in there...hard and break it up. It's brutally painful but after a few visits, i was cured.

Steve

I know a doctor that would treat really recalcitrant cases with a ball peen hammer and a cast for a few weeks. Turned a chronic problem into an acute one. Said it worked every time

WTF are you saying that he did?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1619108802.jpg

Something like this. I would consider this treatment if it was effective.

Had it in both feet at same time
Pain so bad there was frequent tears

The stretching didn't help and actually made it worse
Custom orthodics didn't work either

I finally gave up on the docs and bought arch straps. It finally relented. No joke but my combat boots helped too

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1619110551.jpg

Went orthotics, rest, massage with a ball, and...Voltaren - Voltaren really worked for me... Took a long time to go away fully though. Still threatens to come back now and then when I exercise with the wrong shoes.. In hindsight, I think what happened was related with my high arches collapsing a bit... I mean I stopped growing long ago, but noticed my feet are now a comfortable 10 - used to be a 9. ???

That said, at the risk of irritating medical professionals, I'm noticing a lot more litterature and therapists videos going the other way - doctors saying the orthotics are a band aid. That long term, exercising the foot muscles is a better solution, with normal shoes... So who knows..

OMG, you just reminded me about it. I had it years ago. If you know about it early and treat it, then it's better. I didn't. Because of that, I didn't eliminate walking/stand. That made it worst, to the point I literally lay there and scream the first day it hit hard. Then couldn't get on my feet for days after. I literally had to craw to get from one place to another.

Treatments, there is no 1 treatment that worked. Surgery? I decided not to do after consulting doctor on how they do it. I didn't many things over 2 years include what doctors and anyone told me and advice I read on internet. There are several things work the most. First, I had to rest them completely until I can walk a little (I couldn't walk when it was at the worst). But rest them for long until they heal completely won't work, because when you start walking again, it'll torn again. So, tart walking slightly to exercising your feet before it completely heal. Also, my wife massaged my feet every nights (lightly. It was hurt when anything touched it hard enough). Change all of my shoes and socks. Thicker socks, bigger shoes. Getting soft bottom soles shoes was the wrong choice for me. It get worse. I finally got stiffer bottom sole shoes but adding thicker foam inner sole works for me. It worked slowly little by little. There was no magic for me. Second thing is stretch my caps. This youtube clip I just found is what I did and worked. I didn't watch the whole video clip, only the part which he stretch his caps on the books to show you how I did it, at 0:50.

Good luck

I keep getting this in my left foot after taking a long walk- maybe 3-4 miles. So, Ill take a few days off, massage, stretch, etc and it goes away. If I go for a walk again its back. I hate it! Its killing my walking routine. Id love to run, but thats obviously out.

What gives? Do I need to take longer time off? New shoes? Driving me crazy.

Try taking an NSAID (non steroidal anti inflammatory drug) before walking/running. It may prevent/reduce the inflammation.

Geez I'm getting old too.

Toby, I hear you on the stretching thing. I'm having cramps (foot, ankle and below calve while swimming and it is solved by stretching the feet, ankle and calves before getting in the water.

Is this an Achilles tendon issue?

Someone have a link to a good all over stretching routine for "old men"?

But are we so set in our ways that we won't do them?

I told my wife about a month ago we should do some Yoga together. She was delighted.
Zoom thing with a bunch of old ladies. My gut got in the way for lots of the exercises and then I started getting head rushes putting my head down.
I had to bail, but I still got the brownie points.

I'm swimming a mile or mile and a half, 4-5 times a week. Weight is coming down. But I see I need to do mobility/stretching exercises.

Youth is wasted on the young