Get thee to a podiatrist!

Mine successfully treated my plantar fascitis earlier this year with cortisone injections (a series of 3 or 4 smaller injections are more successful than a single large one).

He also said there are two further treatments: the next step would be true custom orthotics (or could have started there if I'd skipped the shots), followed by surgery. He said surgery was rare.

A physical therapist friend also recommended some stretches...but we got busy with his computer, & he forgot to show them to me. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Good luck--I literally have felt your pain!

David

I know the stretches. It's a matter of getting my lazy @$$ to DO them.

Craig

Yeah, sciatica freakin' HURTS. Like someone shoving a knife in your butt. Or grabbing your hindparts with a pair of pliers.

I was the World Champion Sloucher before. When I showed my wife how I sometimes sat before the sciatica struck, she said I kinda deserved it, because human beings weren't meant to sit on the back of their neck!

She was right, of course. My posture is much better now. I make bloody sure about that.

Craig

Yeah, there we go with ice again. Here is my general attitude of icing anything connected with my body:

Put the ice down, sir, and kindly step away from it.

Still, I may just give it a try. I'll have to have a brandy though, to keep from getting the chills. Grin.

Craig

Craig,

I feel your pain. Mine felt like needles sticking in my heel everytime i stepped.

Relief only came when I:

1) Used regular (daily) stretches.
Not a bad idea anyway as it prevents injury (changing tires, lifting groceries, helping someone in trouble with CPR, scrambling down stairs when some idiot runs a plane into your building, etc).

2) Switched from dress shoes to sneakers (good cross-trainers with good support) and augmented that with supportive inserts.
Not always an option in certain work environments and can be used used all the other times, just switch shoes before entering the building.

3) OTC Anti-inflamatory meds.
Insert obligitory "check with your personal physician first" to avoid any contraindications with pre-existing health problems and medication interaction.

As a nurse I'm on my feet all day so I still have minor flareups from time to time and I attribute that to not doing my morning stretches.

(There are no mistakes, just leasons and leasons are repeated until they are learned).

Wish you relief.

Thank you.

Don't wear cheaply-made shoes, and don't wear extremely worn old shoes.

Sue

I don't make a practice of it.

What killed me was a combination of my new, 120-mile daily commute and a 7-mile backup on the turnpike due to a pileup.

Gas-brake-gas-brake-gas-brake. The stop and go driving just killed my foot.

It's on the mend now. I make sure to do my little stretching exercises before I even get out of bed in the morning.

Craig