Sandi
I have been through/done everything, except the surgery. Please do not do this until you have tried wrapping an ACE bandage figure-eight style around your instep and ankle on the affected foot/feet. I've had physical therapy with no relief, painful injections in my feet with short-lived relief, spent $300 on the highest grade of custom shoe inserts a podiatrist can order and had no lasting relief at all until a receptionist told me about her relief using the ACE bandage. Of course, you MUST always wear good leather lace-up athletic shoes such as cross trainers or walking shoes. NEVER walk barefooted without good supportive shoes on. My problem was that when my arch started to fall due to rapid weight gain (40 pounds in two years), I didn't seek medical attention right away nor get the advice I needed until years later. When I did go to an orthopedic surgeon, he ordered some ski-boot like contraptions for me to wear at NIGHT, of all things. They were awkward, to say the least, and didn't help. One of the useful things I did glean from the physical therapy was the tendon scretching exercises for the back of the knee, heel and leg. You grab something waist-high like a table or a railing, stand scissorlike with one leg forward with knee slightly bent, one leg back (without shoes on). Slowly push the back of your hind heel into the floor as far as it will go without severe pain. You should feel some stretch, but not severe pain. While pushing your heel into the floor, slowly bend your front knee forward until you feel the stretch in your back heel tendon. When it is as far as you can go without tearing anything, hold the stretch to the count of ten. then switch legs and repeat. Do two sets of these 3x/day and you should get some relief. I don't even have to do these exercises that much anymore since I wear an ACE bandage constantly, except to shower. Good luck. I hope you get some relief. Oh, I also took ibuprofen for antiinflammatory while doing these exercises. And icing down the heel for 10 minutes after exercising was a little helpful, but not that much. I have been pain-free with no surgery, no more shots, no medication now for one or two years. Sometimes my heel is SLIGHTLY tender, but never gets to the point where I need ibuprofen even. My pain, in case you are wondering, felt like the bottom of my foot was being torn loose where the plantar fascia connects to the middle of the heel. I couldn't even put my foot down on the floor in the a.m. or step on it. I had to walk sideways down the stairs in the a.m., until it got loosened up a little. It looks a little strange to wear nothing but athletic shoes, even when I have to dress up, but it's doctor's orders and anything else causes immediate relapse. Good luck. Hope this helps and I hope to hear from you.