Plantar Fasciitis

I have severe painful acute Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot,obvious from excessive running without arch supports for my flat feet.

I have googled the topic to death and have a good understanding of various treatment options and various stretching exercises.

Has anyone been treated effectively for this condition by a particular local doctor or a particular doctor in Thailand?

From the info gathered,I don't think I would be intested in shockwave treatments,but there is a Ultrasound guided dry needle procedure for the release of blood inside the Fascia with the platelets causing a healing,combined with steroid injection in the soft tissue for pain relief,that sounds productive and interesting.

I have contacted Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok and they have replied that they have the procedure and it might be avalable locally also.No costs were reported although I requested approximate costs.

I have emailed them again for the cost and thought I would check around locally at the same time!

Stan,
I had this condition in the UK many years ago when I did competitive running.
The only real cure is to have personal arch supports made for your running shoes which I have had done a couple of times in the UK and the problem has never returned,luckily !
From memory I think initial treatment consisted of ultrasound to break up the inflammation but the personal arch supports were the real cure.
Be careful of injections in the foot,particularily if they are cortisone as,I believe,it can cause problems later on in some cases.
I'm sure you could get ultrasound treatment in Nong Khai or Udon but the arch supports could be a problem in this area.
If not Bangkok then maybe Singapore would be the nearest place to have them made.

An osteopath should be able to help you.

Stan my 2 baht. Buy three new pairs of shoes different brands with good support and swap them around a couple times a day. Roll a golf ball under your foot roughly while watching tv or when your on the computer. Before you jump out of bed in the morning and run to the potty stop and grab your foot and pull your toes to your head to stretch your plantar out. I had this a couple of times and it is awful , this info came from beers with an orthopedic surgon and a p. therapist its nothing magic but it worked over time for me.

I'm a massage therapist and did part of the osteopath study. I don't agree with do-it-yourself home treatment, for the simple reason that you don't know the cause of the problem. The cause may not be in your foot at all, be in your knee, in your pelvis, or in your body posture. When you start some treatment yourself without knowing the cause of the problem or what you are doing, you might make things worse. I think it's best to let a specialist look at it and give you advice. An osteopath can give you a good diagnose, treat you himself or send you to an other specialist for treatment.

Frankie while I admit that your option is the most sensible one, one must not forget that as no physical injury has occurred other than possible fallem arches, going in this country to seek professional advice is a huge minefield, as too my cost I know that often the Docs think of cash rather than correct treatment.
May i respectfully suggest this that if after a couple of months taking life easier, correcting the lack of arch support, things do not imporve then possibly a mediacl solution is required but 99% of the time sensible corrective actions like good footwear and gentle massage of the offending limb can do more good than harm and in any event it is not likely to make it worse.

First of all get a professional diagnosis before you spend more time, money and effort.
I am dealing with plantar fasciitis for more than a year now and I understood that treatment efficiency is very individual. If something works for one it may not work for the other. There are many treatment techniques that you can try. Did you try Taping? I have found it very useful. Taping will keep your foot from getting injured again and will help you get through your daily routine. There are a few Taping techniques you can use.

Take care & Good luck

Khun Paul wrote:Frankie while I admit that your option is the most sensible one, one must not forget that as no physical injury has occurred other than possible fallem arches, going in this country to seek professional advice is a huge minefield, as too my cost I know that often the Docs think of cash rather than correct treatment.
May i respectfully suggest this that if after a couple of months taking life easier, correcting the lack of arch support, things do not imporve then possibly a mediacl solution is required but 99% of the time sensible corrective actions like good footwear and gentle massage of the offending limb can do more good than harm and in any event it is not likely to make it worse.

I am a retired nurse,although my focus was in psych,so I understand what Frankie is saying.In this case,I concur with KP in regards to finding good medical diagnosis and proper TX is very difficult,like rolling the dice with 10 or 4 as your point!
Many of the hospitals in Thailand advertise shockwave TX for this condition ,yet as mentioned through all my googling,it has proven to be very ineffective,painful and is given multple times.That doesn't give me much confidence.

I read about a 2002 experiment by the Italians with a dry needling procedure into the Fascia allowing the platelets to heal the Fascia within a couple to four weeks with fantastic results,2008 reports of USA doctors have great success with the same procedure.They use an Ultrasound machine for guiding the needle into the Fascia and adminster some cortisone outside the fascia as not to rupture it,It is a one off procedure that sounds appealing to me ,so I have been enquiring around to see if it is being performed in Thailand successfully.

I was hoping to fnd someone that might have had it done,so I could do more research and investigation on those that prerformed the procedure,so I would be comfortable with them.At the same time stretching of the PF and the calf muscles are important,plus I have had very flat feet all my life and have neglected getting arch supports,so at my age rigorous running was not the best idea.

I have not yet found arch supports,but If I go to Bangkok,I will be seeing my chiropractor and a Podiatrist that he
recommends which will probably get fitted with proper supports.

I am doing stretching now and if I could find some standard Arch supports locally ,I will wear them!

My pain is very intense in the morning and from most of what I have read,the healing process for aging patients,I am 71,without a procedure could take longer than a year.That is why I am interested in this particular procedure!If it is outlandishly expensive or I am not confident about the administors,I''ll just do the regular ''stuff'' and wait it out!

I limp around OK although in discomfort.I guess I could find LA and bop up a down with him for awhile!

I think this problem is more common than we realise. Walking around the house all day with bare feet after a life time of wearing shoes and slippers indoors would probably irritate any weaknesses. A friend of mine was recently given support arches and was told he must wear them indoors as well, otherwise he was still aggrevating the problem.

The Exercise you do around Knongkai might not be doing you any good either Stan, with the poor foot paths and undulating surfaces your doing more harm than good. Unless of course you exercise on the Promenade along the River which should be OK. Just a thought ?

Aardvark wrote:The Exercise you do around Knongkai might not be doing you any good either Stan, with the poor foot paths and undulating surfaces your doing more harm than good. Unless of course you exercise on the Promenade along the River which should be OK. Just a thought ?

I confined all my running to the Promenade in the early morning and the treadmills in the afternoon.Just to much running for my flat feet at my age and neglecting to use arch supports!

Now I will have to change to other exercises,swimming,weights and crosstrainers and bikes only,no more impact running.

But ,now I am focused on correcting the problem that I created!

Quick reply, many of us suffer at many times with foot problems, however having suffered pain for some months under my right foot, when even when massaged would cause pain, after some six months it is almost ( I say again almost ) completely gone, BUT should I forget to wear sensible shoes or whatever it certainly lets me know.
So after nearly 9 months the occasional pain persists but as for a medical or surgical remedy, YOU CAN STUFF THAT, I casued it and care will eradicate it, but as with so many things age is NOT on our side so any problem takes longer to rectify itself. I ain't 20 any more so I must think, slowly slowly and be thankful it ain't worse..

I understand where you are coming from KP,but a medical procedure like what I am talking about to alleviate the pain caused by my lack of proper care/technique/whatever,seems a reasonable option if I can feel the competence is there.

I say this because of my age factor and the very slow healing process and extra time it takes,because of it!2-4 weeks for a full recovery,if within reasonable financial bounds,appeals to me versus a lengthy and sometimes only partial healing!

In the mean time ,proper care and stretching/massage,supports can only help!

So,my search goes on!I am still waiting for a quote from Bumrungrad and still interested in others experiences or info about local treatments and possible solutions!

My last reply from Bumrungrad in Bangkok:[quote][/Greetings from Bumrungrad International.



Following up with your request, please see below of price estimated for your information.



For physical therapy program by ultrasound and other treatment, estimated price is approximately 1,000-1,500 Baht per session.

Dry needle, estimated price is approximately 1,000-1,500 Baht per session.

Triamcinolone injection, estimated price is approximately 1,000-2,000 Baht.



**These prices are for planning purposes only to assist the patient in understanding the possible range of costs. Actual estimates for care cannot be accurately provided until the patient has been examined by the BI physician. The cost ranges provided are based upon our best understanding of the patient's condition at the time of contact and do not represent a minimum or maximum potential cost.



Please take note that these are only basic information that serves as a guide to your treatment. All specifics (techniques and price) will be discussed upon consultation with our doctor.



Also, this estimated cost is not include doctor's fee that might occur.
quote]
The prices quoted are definitely within my financial boundaries,so it looks like a trip to Bangkok for further investigation might be in order!Hope the procedure is the one-off that I am looking for and the competency and expertise is valid!

Good luck, a few thousand Baht well spent IMO