How I got rid of long-term plantar fasciitis, or heel pain

Hi there! Please click "Show More" to see my written summary of this whole video, it may answer questions you have.

My name is Paul, and I had plantar fasciitis (heel pain) for about 2.5 years. This video describes how I got it, what I tried to heal it, and what finally did the trick.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a health professional of ANY kind. This is just what I did to get rid of PF.

The following five elements were important, and mutually-reinforcing. (See time-codes at end of each item to click directly to that part of the video. Thanks to viewer Andrew Rohn for these.)

(1) STRETCHES: More than just the simple stretches my podiatrist gave me. I used lunge stretch, modified lunge, standing on stairs from toes and letting my heels drop down. Did this 3-5 times per day, at least. Also did yoga, and poses that involve the calves, thighs and glutes were best -- like down dog, pigeon, and laying on your back and pulling knees towards you. (See video starting 11:44.)

(2) MASSAGE: I vigorously massaged my legs and feet using the heel of my hand, my knuckles, fingers, massaging my calves and around the Achilles heel twice a day for at least 10 minutes each time. Also used a foam roller to release tension in my legs. And massaged my thighs with my elbows. (See video starting 19:25.)

(3) STRENGTH: Built up strength in my legs and feet. I had laid off walking to avoid the pain, but my muscles got weak and, I think, left the plantar fascia to do the work that muscles are supposed to do—which only prolonged the pain. So, for strength I started running, worked my way up to 3 miles once or twice a week. I also used gym machines to work on my ankle, calves, glutes. (See video starting 30:00.)

(4) GAIT: A physical therapist in NYC named Rocky Bornstein told me I was walking off-kilter—ways of walking I had subconsciously adopted to avoid pain, but which were now throwing off my gait and making things worse. I practiced a nice even gait slowly and in front of the mirror, or just out on the street until things started getting better, and I could pick up the pace. (See video starting 37:12.)

(5) SHOES: I tried many kinds of shoes, and the ones that finally helped were Birkenstocks, both sandals and shoes. Birkenstocks have a cork foot-bed that conforms to your feet, and a low heel. For running, I got Vibram “barefoot” shoes and typically would only run on dirt or grass. (See video starting 45:58.)

All these elements were mutually reinforcing. The body is all one system. I found it wasn’t just a matter of stretching or massaging my feet, but about getting the whole system back in shape.

TAPING MY FEET: Also, taping my feet (using Leukotape P 3.8cm wide) provided some relief -- it didn't attack the root of the problem, but provided some relief when I needed it. In this video, I show one simple taping method -- search YouTube for more.) I describe my taping method starting at 7:30 in this video.

It took probably a few months to fully get rid of the PF -- that is, measuring from the time I started doing all 5 things above at once (not including taping, which I stopped at some point earlier, because it doesn't get at the root cause and I didn't want it to mask whatever real progress I was making). After that, I had some little lingering effects, but it was essentially gone.

Hope this video helps! May your plantar fasciitis go away!

Best wishes,
Paul

Видео How I got rid of long-term plantar fasciitis, or heel pain канала Paul VanDeCarr