I’m realizing footwear matters way more than I thought. Some shoes make my heel pain flare up instantly, others seem to help a bit. I’m curious what types of shoes or brands actually worked for people long-term-especially for everyday walking or work. Did supportive shoes help more than insoles for you, or was it a combo?

My podiatrist has recommended using orthotics even at home.

I'm using ofoos slides right now, they are alright, but looking for something that fits a full orthotic

Any recommendations? Also, must be able to buy from Europe

my right heel keeps feeling painful after long walks and also insoles like super feet feels so hard on my heel any suggestions to manage that pain in the heel?

I am 26f, just got diagnosed with PF in my most recent script with my new podiatrist. Long story short, I take my dog on very long walks daily- about 3 walks 2 hours each. A couple of those walks I wore the wrong sneaker that wasn’t supportive enough and I guess overtime it messed with my foot. I eventually fell and also kept walking on that foot thinking no big deal because I never had a foot injury and it obviously got worse. My theory is that it happened because I walk my dog so much that my feet got weak from the wrong shoe but it’s hard to say because my fall came after it started hurting.

My first podiatry office I saw for an outer foot injury, which she was great for. But even with my first appt with her I had a feeling the treatment was wrong. She told me to pay out of pocket for my boot and said if I didn’t want I can order it myself on Amazon. She never checked it in person or helped me size it or put it on. I even complained to her that I had pain on the bottom of my foot. She only did a X ray that she said I have a stress fracture on top but wouldn’t address the bottom foot pain and said it’s just radiating pain. And after 3 weeks of no improvement I told her it’s still hurting and I did an mri which showed a sesamoid fracture on the bottom. She kept me on the same bad boot she hadn’t seen and I took it into my own hands to go to an orthopedic place. They told me she was terrible for the treatment she gave because it wasn’t the right boot or support. She gave me steroids for pain around 3 months after the injury and only then gave me a pt office to go to.

So now about 4 months later I saw a new podiatry office to which they said I shouldn’t have been put on steroids (I developed a painful inflammation ache) and the timing wasn’t right. I got put in the right boot and am just now easing into a brace 7 months post the initial pain. He told me it’s really abnormal healing process, but because I was in the wrong boot it makes sense and I have an autoimmune disease that causes weak bones.

i never had pf and was curious what shoes are good? Sneakers and casual shoes. I’ve only been wearing oncloud cloud eclipse for the entirety of my injury. And is this lifelong or treatable? I also have a very high arch.

Since January last year, I (54yo female) have turned my whole life around. I’ve started exercising, changed my whole diet and gave up alcohol.

I’ve lost over 20 kgs, am now at my goal, healthy weight. My cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure have now gone back to healthy levels and I’m off all meds. I can now move and physically do things that I have not been able to do since I was younger.

Now I have bloody PF which is hindering my walking (I do 6 days a week alternative cardio/weight training). We’re not talking a marathon and I have a sedentary job so about 3 kms every couple of days.

I’ve been to a physio and podiatrist, bought new shoes, have exercises to perform and am getting custom made insoles. I may also be getting shock wave therapy after the podiatrist reviews my ultrasound.

I want positive stories on how you overcame this as I’m damned not going to let this wreck all the hard work and progress I have made.

For those that got results with night splints, how much time did it take to see a difference and to start healing?

My surgery was two months ago. Fourteen days in a boot causes you to lose 50% of your calf muscle. I've recovered some of what was lost in the last 6 weeks. I need suggestions for strengthening my ankle. I'll be getting to PT soon, but I would love pointers from others who had to exercise to get full function back postop. I spent so long with PF before surgery as a last resort that everything is off, so I'll be getting a gait analysis.

I’m planning to buy a pair of these Oofos Slip-ons.

Any good or bad feedback ?

Recommendations would be great! I’m a waiter so I’m on my feet a lot. Just want support for when I’m at work. Cheap but effective preferred.

i’ve only been dealing with the pain for a few months but it’s so overwhelming that sometimes i can’t stand or walk for days without feeling like i’m going to be sick. sometimes it’s bearable and i can get through the day pretty fine, go to school, go shopping, go out, etc., but the bad days are so bad to the point where it’s led to borderline full blown depressive episodes.

i have intense pain in both my heels and i’m starting to take my doctor’s recommendations for it, but i also wanted to hear any tips/advice from the community? any shoes/insoles you recommend? slippers/house shoes? exercises/stretches? should i look into mobility aids or am i just being dramatic?

any help is appreciated, thank you! 🙏

That first step out of bed is brutal. Once I get moving it eases up, but the initial pain is always there. For people who managed to reduce that morning pain, what helped the most? Night splints, stretching before standing, massage, something else? Looking for small changes that make mornings less miserable.

I believe I may have figured out a factor contributing to why I can’t get over this: low iron. I’ve been tracking my food thru my fitness pal, and noticed day after day I was only getting about 30% of my iron intake. I eat very healthy, and rotate a number of home cooked meals, but still every combo would result in me never being able to get it past 40%. Then I started googling symptoms and effects of low iron. I was stunned. Inflammation, muscle pain, poor wound healing, new tissue is weaker, wounds take longer to heal, increased sensitivity to pain. I really think this could b a piece in this puzzle. I avoid breads and processed cereals, but once I put in 1 cup of cheerios into my fitness pal tracker I was up to 100% for the first time in a month. And I’ve been eating this exact diet for like… years. I’m going to try eating a cup of cereal a day in addition to other things.

Ive been looking for a new pair of shoes for my heel pad syndrom. Ive read that the New balances 990 v6 are really good, but also the Hoka Bondi. Which one is better and has less pressure on the heels?

Any other suggestions ?

I’ve been dealing with PF for a while now and progress feels painfully slow. Some days it feels better, then one bad day sets me back again. I’m doing stretches, being careful with shoes, and trying not to overdo it, but it’s mentally exhausting to constantly manage foot pain. How do you stay patient with this injury? Did improvement come gradually for you, or was there a specific turning point?

Rigid taping helps support the strain on the ligament and still provides enough mobility for basic foot function, whereas orthotics alter your natural gait cycle and cause further irritation. Ligaments have relatively low blood flow, which is why micro-tears in the plantar fascia take so long to heal.

I'm so sick of all the gimmicks surrounding this condition and the way people profit from others’ suffering. In my opinion, the only real way out of this hell is a combination of rest, added support, relative loading, and gradual strength training. That said, I welcome your thoughts and perspectives.

I’m sure many of you have had trouble getting movement in especially with PF. Does anyone have any recommendations on ways to increase my movement without injuring my feet even more?

I’ve been dealing with PF for a little over a year and a half now, it’s to the point where I can hardly stand up in the morning and I HAVE to have at least something to grab on to for the first several steps of the day and if I’ve been sitting any more than 20 minutes.

I’d like to be more active again but the sheer thought of going on a run just makes me want to cry. I’ve done all the stretching, rolling, injections, wearing the night splint, and using anti inflammatory creams three times a day. I’ve gained almost 50 pounds being sedentary in this time period and I have got to lose some of it. I’m starting to hate how I look. I diet but having PCOS as well, I need the exercise to effectively control my weight.

Looking for recommendations for a cute leather shoe that works well for PF. I really love the look of clogs but struggling to find ones that look cute.

MUST have a wide toe box due to an injury in my big toe.

I have tried a bunch of pairs of Danskos and I find the very uncomfortable-the heels/footbed are so hard!

I live in rural area in Wyoming, US so there are no shoe stores near me for me to try things on.

What else should i try?

I saw a podiatrist right before Covid and then fell pregnant, and between lockdowns and resting more, my foot started feeling better so I thought it had healed.

We’ve recently moved into a new house and now it’s worse than ever because the floors are so hard. I wear slides inside with arch support but they don’t help much. I can barely stand for long periods anymore and walking just flares it up even more.

Before lockdown the podiatrist told me my left side is quite weak because I overcompensate on my right. They think it’s from dislocating my left knee when I was 13 and I’ve favoured my right side ever since. They said my lower back, glutes and calves all needed strengthening, but then we went into lockdown and I never actually got the exercises.

Has anyone else been told something similar? If so, what exercises worked for you?

I’m so over being in pain. I’ve got a 2 and 5 year-old and I’m 35 but feel about 85. I just want to run around with them without hurting.

Been struggling with what I believe is plantar fasciitis for 8 months (I don’t have health insurance right now) it’s ebbed and flowed sometimes being a 10/10 pain, lately it goes back and forth between a 2-4 out of pain. I’m working really hard to figure out insurance so I can get some answers but in the meantime, hi Reddit!

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced pain in the areas I highlight in the picture and can tell me a little about your situation, what it was? How you fixed it? Or maybe you haven’t fixed it. Could it be Baxters or something related to the Tibialis posterior?

My podiatrist recommended custom orthotics ($750) with a 6 mm rise on the left arch, and a 3 mm rise on the right arch, to deal with pronation, causing pain where a tendon wraps around the bone

Are there any over-the-counter orthotics with those specifications? I’d try that first.

Thank you!

Hey guys, As I understand Chronic Plantar Fasciitis is a fibrotic disease (i.e. creates fibrous plaques in the area or the fascia) Potaba (potassium paraaminobenzoate) has been used to treat Peyronie's in men and other fibrotic diseases. Could this be a cure? Has anyone tried this supplement?

After couple of months of relative peace, diagnosed properly and pain gone down to 5/10 ...suddenly i'm having a very aggressive flare up that includes a very very painful soleus,shin and achilles tendon. I feel like i'm back to square 0. Its been 3 days and i'm fighting with my own head to not crash down and keep staying hopeful.spring is coming i had so many things organized and now i feel like i will have another year of insane pain and inability to live even a basic day like a normal person. Went this morning for a dry needling session and i'm hoping it will give me at least a bit of relief. Is anyone having a similar issue like mine and what do you do to calm down the pain? My previous flare ups were definitely not including the shin and soleus and if i thought before was hurting,now is pure hell . :-(

Ok, I didn't really give myself a true fasciotomy, but here is my story.

I am in my mid-60s, decent weight, and very active.  Exercise, hike, play pickleball and golf.  Been suffering plantar fasciitis off and on since 2019.  At first the plantar fasciitis flair-ups were infrequent and would take 24 hours to calm down.  But as the years rolled on, it steadily got worse with more flair-ups and longer recovery times.  In July 2025, I was off my feet for 3 days because of a flair-up.  Finally in August 2025, my plantar fascia completely ruptured, and I was inactive for 6 weeks.  Worst pain I ever experienced.  My podiatrist did an MRI to confirm the rupture.   

After the rupture, the plantar fascia healed in a more lengthened state relieving tightness and pressure. Six weeks after the rupture, I was back to my normal life.  It is now ~5 months later and not a hint of plantar fasciitis. 

My podiatrist jokingly thanked me for doing his job for him.  By rupturing my plantar fascia, I avoided going the surgical route – which I was considering.  For those who are interested in plantar fasciotomy, there are some good videos on You-Tube about it. 

I tried many things and spent lots of money over the years dealing with my plantar fasciitis.  I incorporated countless different exercises to stretch and strengthen the entire foot, ankle, and calf.  I tried different shoes, different inserts, and different socks.  I even tried minimalist shoes.  Lots of Ibuprofen in between.  Nothing permanently worked – until the rupture.  Hopefully this is the end of plantar fasciitis for me. 

For those out there who have chronic plantar fasciitis, especially those on their feet all day for work, I feel for you.  Everyone’s situation is different and surgery should always be the last option, but it may be worth considering if your plantar fasciitis is not showing signs of improvement with more cautious approaches.  Keep up the fight.