Before I bore you to death, here are a couple cute kiddos hanging out in the horse feeders!
I’m warning you up front that unless you have plantar fasciitis you won’t find this post very interesting. Or maybe you should read it just in case–I’m amazed at the number of people who have had or currently have some degree of plantar fasciitis. It hurts, a lot!!
Discussing ones ailments makes me feel old but I guess it is what it is! I am getting older (not old 😁) and my body is not cooperating! Anyone who reads this blog knows I’ve had this knee issue for going on two years–I will need a total knee replacement in the near future. In the course of favoring the knee I did something to my hip in July of 2020. I could NOT sit in a car for any length of time, I hobbled like an old woman when I would stand from a sitting position, the pain woke me at night. It was a struggle to take Emmi for walks.
I saw an orthopedic surgeon in Sierra Vista, AZ this season and he saw nothing on x-ray, referring me for physical therapy. After the gel injections in my knee in Montana before we came south my knee was the least of my problems and it felt good–until the physical therapy for my hip. In spite of my telling the hunk of a physical therapist that my knee was bad, the first movement he did to see if he could replicate my hip pain torqued my knee past the point it should have been. So then I had knee pain AND hip pain. 😡
And that’s not all. In the course of doing the physical therapist prescribed exercises for my hip and some yoga I developed another round of plantar fasciitis–a bad round this time. I could hardly walk. Getting out of bed made me want to cry–which I did–big, ugly sobs. I was absolutely miserable. All the various pains had me limping and making other parts of my body ache. When I went to Scottsdale with Louanne I could hardly keep up with her and she walked slower to accommodate me. This was much worse than my original bout with plantar fasciitis two years ago.
We have TV in Arizona because we can access the free digital stations out of Tucson with our rooftop antenna. We started seeing advertisements for the Good Feet Store and their claims for curing plantar fasciitis. So, Louanne and I went to a Good Feet Store while in Scottsdale. The guy who helped me was a salesman in the best sense of the word–he knew his product frontward and backward. So, this guy presented me with two rather hard half inserts for shoes. He put those inserts in the heels of a pair of sneakers, I laced them up and walked around the store. I was almost cured–my heel pain was so much less, I stood up straighter, my hip didn’t hurt. I was immediately sold–until he told me the price–$1000!!! Once again I almost cried!
Back at the condo I called the Cowboy and we discussed the spending of $1000 for my feet and he suggested I try Amazon. I must admit I was highly skeptical and was ready to spend the $1000–that’s how much better my heel felt and really my whole body! But I did search Amazon and low and behold there were inserts that looked identical to the ones the young man was trying to sell me for $1000! From a company called Natural Foot Orthotics. For $99/pair. I ordered a pair. Oh my goodness!!!
They work, unequivocally, they work! You remove the inner sole from your shoe, place the insert in the heel and then place a flat, thin inner sole (I also ordered these from Amazon) over the insert. I’ve worn little else since these inserts arrived a week ago and my heel pain is gone–not there–gone! I don’t have the urge to scream when I get out of bed at night, I don’t limp, I can walk Emmi–it’s gone!! And last night was the true test, I have Vionic (a brand lots of people wear because of their excellent arch support) sandals and I wore them in the evening as we had a guest for dinner and I wanted to be a little more dressed up than sneakers. No heel pain, none!! No heel pain during the night, no heel pain Sunday morning!! Amazing.
To be up front, the $1000 from the Good Feet Store did include three pair of inserts in various arch height and several pair of thin inner soles. The store also guarantees their inserts and replaces them if they fail–for free.
So–that’s your boring post for this week–if you’ve read this far and have plantar fasciitis, try a pair of these inserts from Natural Foot Orthotics .
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Such good news!!! I am suffering from arthritis in the knees and it has really way layed me!! Aged me 10 years or more in a month!!! Like the older gentleman told some younger folks, “you all really enjoy your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, because around 60 or so your Check Engine Light will start FLASHING!!!”
LikeLike
That is the absolute truth Don–my check engine light is flashing!! So sorry to hear about your knees and yes, pain does age you. Here’s praying you get some relief soon!
LikeLike
Have you ever tried Kuru shoes (only sold online). I have found the Quantum best for heel pain. Have been wearing that style for about 3 years. Free shipping and free returns. Good luck. It is miserable when it hurts to stand up!
LikeLike
No I haven’t tried those shoes but will when it’s time to buy shoes again! These inserts fit in any shoe but it’s important to have good shoes!
LikeLike
Thank you for recommending us, Marlene!
We’d be happy to send a pair each for the Cowboy and the Belle, if you’re interested in trying us out. Feel free to reach out to me at the email address I used to leave this comment and we can get them arranged for you.
Thanks!
LikeLike
Brooks and Millie are getting so big. Soon you will be able to actually hug them.
Sorry to hear about your plantar fasciitis. I’ve never had it but our son did. I’ll have to remember this post in case Kevin’s ever returns. So very glad to read that you found something to correst it so quickly…and much cheaper than your first stop. Fingers crossed you continue to be pain free.
LikeLike
I remembered Kevin having had PF–hope his continues to stay away. It’s no fun when your feet hurt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you found a nice solution to your pain! My left hip is causing me more pain than I want! But it seems to hurt every other day! Strange that this is happening. So we go with walks every other day, sometimes it just hurts, and I have turn around and limp back, disappointing our little girl Peanut!
Glad you found a solution! Rawn Stone
LikeLike
Here’s hoping you find a solution for your hip pain soon Rawn, it’s no fun to be in pain and it ages us!
LikeLike
Great to hear about the inserts. I have 400.00 pair
and they do not work like yours at all.
I’ve had the plantar fasciitis about 4 times in
the last 10 years. If it won’t go away I go to
my wonderful foot doc and get a cortisone shot
in the heel. It’s gone in several hours. I will
now try your inserts! Thank you 🤗
LikeLike
Having my foot injected was my next step–YIKES–I have a friend who had her heel injected and like you, it worked.
LikeLike
The inserts you bought from Amazon, are they beige, number 881?
From Natural Foot Orthotics.
LikeLike
If you follow that link in the post it will take you to the inserts on Amazon. They are beige but I don’t see the number 881.
LikeLike
Yikes, growing old is not for sissies as my Dad used to say. Have had plantar’s several times and I have plantar’s right now in one foot. I’m having foam inserts made ($99), fingers crossed. Also a very good friend swears by Hoka One shoes, all her lady friends love them. Possibly more expensive then the Kuru’s. I may try the Kuru’s myself.
LikeLike
I did try Hoka shoes and sent them back–I have a narrow foot and Hoka shoes are very wide. Here’s hoping your new inserts work!
LikeLike
Don took the plunge and we spent the $1000. His feet are better but not cured. He has a type of neuropathy in his foot up toward the toes. Had shots in his foot and everything. The insoles do help, but that $1000 was a real shocker!
LikeLike
Wow! Neuropathy issues are hard to cure! My Mom has neuropathy and nothing seems to help totally.
LikeLike
I had plantar fasciitis years ago, horrible, constant pain! The inserts at Good Feet felt good to me, too, but whoa, sticker shock at $600.00+. Exercises and stretching didn’t help. The podiatrist had one more suggestion before the injections were my only option. Birkenstocks! Yep, he recommended I try wearing just Birkenstocks every day, all day. Great arch support. No flip flops, no sneakers, no other sandals at all. And no going barefoot, even in the house. It was quite an adjustment but I stuck with it knowing injections were the next step (no pun intended)! It took several months for the pain to go away for good but I still wear shoes all the time!
Good luck with your inserts, I sure hope they continue to give you relief!
Peggy
Buckeye, Arizona
LikeLike
Stretches, exercise and good shoes cured my last bout of plantar fasciitis but with this knee I cannot do the exercises that helped so much last time. I really don’t think anyone knows why or how plantar fasciitis occurs–the reason I say this–my dear friend wore Birkenstocks everywhere, even in Wyoming winters (with socks) and her podiatrist told her the Birkenstocks caused her plantar fasciitis! I do not go barefoot any longer which is hard for this Arkansas raised girl and I wear only good shoes. I was looking at Birkenstock sandals while we were shopping in Scottsdale–may have to try some!
LikeLike
Thanks for the Amazon Site. My plantar fasciitis was cause from wearing workboots on Concrete surfaces for long shifts and every once in a while acts up.
I was told I needed knee replacements over Thirty years ago but with exercise the problem went away.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It’s about time.
LikeLike
Wish exercise would make my knee pain go away! Good for you!
LikeLike
Oh my, I do remember the pain! I had it for a couple of years, but didn’t have access to something like what you found. Tried inserts and such. I was around 50 I think. Also got a serious neuroma between my toes that made it hard to walk as well. A cortisone shot did the trick on that one, and maybe had something to do with the plantar fasciitis as well. And yeah, I wore heavy work books for 7 months of the year for 30 years of field work, so maybe that had something to do with it too. Glad that is a very distant memory and I haven’t had a recurrence of either one. Knee replacement? Dang….I probably needed that too, but at this rate I will be skipping any kind of surgery requiring heavy pain meds since I can’t take them. Good luck with all this, Janna….Not fun for sure.
LikeLike
My sister has had it in both feet for at least two years–it comes and goes for her but it’s always there. Glad yours has not recurred.
LikeLike
OMG! This post certainly wasn’t boring to me!! Last Summer I went to visit Mom in AR during the Covid and stayed for 3 mos. I have been walking my dog Minko since I got him. He is now 6 yrs old. I walk on long trails and sometimes just park trails, sometimes just through the woods in a couple local parks. I am a fast paced walker and so is Minko. We walk around our neighborhood about 2 miles on the sidewalks.
I played soccer for 27 years and I was a center mid-fielder (look at the # of miles that position potentially runs in any given game). I also ran, just to keep in shape. The only reason I am walking now us because I can no longer run. I want to run again but caring for my late husband destroyed my back. I had to quit soccer and I was also very sick and in bed for 7 years. So, foot pain is not foreign to me and neither is severe pain.
So, back to my Summer trip. I started out wrong by walking Minko using 3yr old walking shoes. After 1 month of walking every day my heel became sore on my L foot, but I didn’t know what was wrong. As I continued to walk I had to stop as the pain was so excruciating I could not continue. For 2 months I iced my foot and elevated it every day. Every morning when I stepped on the floor for the morning the pain just brought me to tears. I called Mom’s Podiatrist and others but none had any openings. I had to continue to rest my food, ice & elevate and not walk the rest of my trip.
I got home back to Texas and immediately booked an appointment to see a Podiatrist. He was young and the Nurse said he was very good at his job. He walked in, talked to me, examined my foot, pushed in my heal and made me yell, then told me that I had plantar fascitis. I had no idea what that was. He told me to buy a $32.00 Spenco inserts from Amazon and to buy a sturdily constructed walking shoe such as a Brooks, New Balance and a few others. I knew how expensive Brooks were because Mom has Brooks with an insert and I think she paid $165.00 five or six years ago. I bought a New Balance shoe for $129.00 (I was familiar with New Balance and felt comfortable with their fit, as I know what brands fit my feet and others that don’t).
He also gave me a steroid injection into the inside area of my heel. I just about lost it! In 8 weeks I had to return for the 2nd injection.
Right after that I broke 2 metatarsals in my L foot and had to wear a boot for 6 weeks. It was through Christmas. I am just now back to walking again and my R heel is feeling pain again. I have missed so much if my walking and poor Minko just has to use his back yard for exercise. I don’t feel that I have recovered fully in either foot and I have been so down about it. I am thinking if getting another steroid injection very soon.
I’m so sorry for all the pain and surgery you have had to endure with your knee and your hip. I have had a hip injury pulling my muscle away from the bone playing soccer. Hip pain is a pain that will take the air out of you. It really is hell getting old. All I can do is pray 🙏🙏🙏for you, pray that your surgery is successful and you have a full recovery, and send some hugs. 🤗🤗🤗.
If you can send me any other information on your plantar fascitis I would be most interested and very thankful.
Sorry so long.
❤❤❤❤
LikeLike
Oh Deb–my heart goes out to you and I feel your pain. Any pain that goes on for that long makes you feel old! My friend had the injection in her heel but I couldn’t bring myself to do that knowing how painful it would be–but I was on the verge as my heel hurt so badly. My only suggestion is exercises, good shoes and these inserts. The best exercise, one I can no longer do because of my cranky knee is one in which you get down on your hands and knees, curl your toes under and then try to rock back and sit on those curled toes–it hurts but the stretch it gives your foot is amazing. I will try to find the video I used with other exercises too. I can’t say enough about these inserts, I have NO heel pain after wearing the inserts for less than a week–you have to slowly work up to wearing the inserts all day as it is quite the change in your arches. Wishing you all the best Deb!
LikeLike
Thank you so much, Janna. I’ve read everyone else’s comments. All are helpful.
LikeLike
❤️
LikeLike
So glad you’re finding relief from your foot pain. I love going barefoot (I just walked six miles barefoot on the beach last week) so I hope I never get plantar fasciitis. But if I do, I’m coming back to your post for good advice!
LikeLike
I too love going barefoot, I grew up in the south going barefoot but don’t dare these days!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s such a blessing when you find something that actually works, and keeps working! The older we get the more we find how interconnected all these body parts are – fixing feet definitely helps with hip pain. So glad you found what you needed. Those kiddos are sure getting big and are as adorable as always.
LikeLike
It is a blessing Jodee–I am simply amazed!
LikeLike
Thank you. I know several people this will be a godsend for.
LikeLike
You are most welcome!
LikeLike