Have you been searching for ways to ease the pain of Plantar Fasciitis?
Up until 9 weeks ago, I had never heard of Plantar Fasciitis, then one day at work I sort of bent, twisted and lifted all at the same time and within a few minutes I could hardly walk!
Imagine a screwdriver being pushed up into your heel and twisted a few times and you are on the right track.
The first few steps out of bed in the morning or getting up from the lounge after resting for a while are the worst. I feel like a 100 year old, even though I am not quite half way there. Fortunately as the tendons warm up and loosen the pain levels reduce so you are not in agony all day long.
Plantar Fasciitis is common amoung athletes and as I am not one of those, after discovering that Plantar Fasciitis was the cause of my pain, I researched extensively as I wanted a solution, fast! I was amazed to discover that a lot of Australians suffer from this condition, which is often brought on from considerably long periods of weight bearing and not wear supportive shoes.
I had been following the standard protocol’s advised by my doctor such as regularly placing my foot on an ice pack, taking anti-inflammatory medication and wearing 2 pairs of thick socks at work to provide extra cushioning.
Torn ligaments simply do not heal overnight! Bugger!
I was very excited to be invited to try a new product that has been released on to the market, specifically for those suffering from this very condition. When the parcel arrived in the mail I was really hoping for a magic cure.
The Futuro Night Plantar Fasciitis Sleep Support had arrived!
My initial reaction was one of disappointment, as I was hoping for a gadget or support that I could wear all day that would take all the pain away. Upon reading the supporting literature, I was quickly discovered that this clever brace, is specifically designed to hold your foot in the perfect position to eliminate stress on the tendons whilst you sleep. Hope returns.
Looks pretty space age, doesn’t it?
The Futuro Night Plantar Fasciitis Sleep Support is very light weight and the inside is lined with breathable fabric to make it comfortable during sleep. With the aid of two heavy duty velcro straps, you custom fit it to your leg. Compared to big and bulky foot braces of the past this one is very slim-line.
Strapped on and ready to go!
Already from night one, I noticed how my foot was comfortably kept at a 90 degree angle, whereas my other foot dropped right down. When your foot is not supported in any way the tendons contract to the shortest possible length which causes the extreme pain you feel when you first put pressure on it.
Getting up in the morning was definately easier, but for the first two weeks that was all I really noticed.
By the end of the third week, it dawned on me that I had got through an unexpected 10 hour day at work with only minor discomfort, OMG, healing was actually happening. It was the best it had felt in weeks.
It can take 6 – 12 months of continual care to heal Plantar Fasciitis, but I think nightly wear of this brace is going to speed things up considerably.
The Futuro Night Plantar Fasciitis Sleep Support is available from leading pharmacies across Australia and retails for $54.95. As it is has only just been released your pharmacy may not yet have it in stock, so ask them to get it in for you.
3M Futuro have also released another new product to provide night support for Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and if you would like to know more about that please visit their website. When you are able to sleep well at night, your body is able to do it’s best work facilitating healing.
In addition to wearing the brace, I have recently invested in a shoe insert with arch support and this has made walking all day more comfortable. There are also some exercies that my doctor recommended I do each day to gently stretch and strengthen the tendons and I am doing these faithfully, watch this video to learn how to do them at home.
Thank you to 3M Futuro and Digital Parents Collective for allowing me to receive this product for trial and consideration.
OMG! That sounds shockingly painful. I really hope the brace continues to help you.
Thanks Renee, fingers are crossed and my toes too! 🙂
Does that only occur in your heel? I’ve had a really weird (and incredibly painful) sensation under my toes after personal training lately. Or after tennis, I take my shoes off and walking when you get to the part of bending at the toes is KILLING me! I wonder if this could be it??? It doesn’t last long though, I can sort of stretch them out? I’m glad to hear the contraption is helping you! You don’t realise how much work our feet do until they are so sore! -Aroha (for #teamIBOT)
Aroha, this condition can’t be causing pain in the toes as the tendons join the heel and the ball of the foot. A trip to the doctor might be called for to check it out, and add some magnesium to your diet as this can be helpful for relaxing muscles and easing cramping. 🙂
Thank you so much. My partner has heel spur too and I’ve just flicked him a copy of this post!
Thanks for sharing Camilla, hope it can help. 🙂
I think I suffer from this now through my pregnancy because I find my heels are so sore to walk on when I get up in the morning but the pain goes the more I walk on them.
Bec, you are probably just feeling the excess fluid that tends to collect in the feet of pregnant mum’s. Hopefully it will pass when baby comes along. I did have that problem with my first born as she was a summer baby and the heat caused plenty of fluid build up in the feet. Had none of it with my winter baby though. 🙂
Sounds like a great, non-invasive way to manage the pain and facilitate healing. If only they would create one for bursitis in the shoulder (which is my particular problem)!!!
Shoulders are one of the hardest parts of the body to heal. I know a few people with issues in that area, and treatments just don’t help. Have you tried the cortisone shots? Have heard they can be helpful to some. 🙂
ohh dear… that sounds very painful. Thanks for sharing this information. I didn’t know about it 🙂
and hopefully you will never experience it. 🙂
Sounds like it is making a difference – great to hear. I suffered from plantar fasciitis for almost 2 years. Incredibly painful and difficult to treat. Good luck
OMG TWO YEARS! I hope my foot does not take that long to heal.
I’ve heard very good things about these braces and my physio swears by this as an aide.
Aroha – check with your doctor it could be something like Bursa. If it continues check for a Morton Neuroma. I recently started having issues with my toes through running and found out I had a Neuroma and severe bursa which I had surgery to fix last week. Hopefully it is something simple which you can fix now before it gets worse!
Great informative post.
Good suggestion Kira, Plantar Faciitis does not effect toes, as it is damage to the tendons that join the heel to the ball of the foot. Hope your foot is healing nicely. 🙂
Ouch, I’m touching wood that I never have to now more! Glad to hear this is giving you relief Nikki!
I hope so too, it is not much fun! 🙂
I’ve had plantar fasciitis before and I agree that it absolutely kills. For me, the problem had been living in high heels, and then suddenly switching to flat feet when getting back into exercise. After some physio, new orthotics, and a podiatrist-enforced ban on high heels (except for special occasions), it came good. I do get occasional flairs ups though, but only when I’ve been doing things that shorten the calf muscles, which causes the feet to point downwards and the tendons to shorten.
I am using this brace as well and I am suprised how comfortable it is although I tend to rip it off at some point during the night. I suffered from it really badly when I was younger and gave up running. I have much better shoes now for running but it flairs up when my km’s get high. I think the support will really help prevent damage!
For the first few nights I took it off too, it just annoyed me, but after about 3 nights, it just stayed on without issue. 🙂