Question
No arthritis in the family or auto immune disease that I know of. I don't smoke and I don't drink, I did notice that my toes get very stiff when I walk. I can crack my toes every 5 minutes or so. My feet and legs seem very stiff like the rest of my body. No nerve or muscle disorders in the family that I know of. Like I said in my last response, I'm leaning towards my tension being a cause of some of this. I don't know how to get rid of it though.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I started to get severe heel and arch pain when I began working on concrete at Fedex. Whenever I stand or walk now, it usually takes about 20 minutes, I start to feel severe pain in my arches and heels and then hours after that it begins to run up into my calfs, my hamstrings, and then my quads. After about 3 hours of standing at work I can barely feel my legs anymore. The pain is simply unbearable. I went to two podiatrists, they both think I have plantar fasciitis. One podiatrist said that I have high arches, so I'm tried everything they've asked me to do. I got custom arch supports for my shoes (they make the pain worse), I tried physical therapy, I've stretched countless times for days and days, and it only makes the pain worse. I have no clue what I should do about this now. I'm trying a type of night splint on one foot right now, but i don't think it's working very well unless I'm using it incorrectly. I felt more pain after I used it than I did when I wasn't using it. I've heard that stretching the calf muscles is supposed to help this condition, but it hasn't helped me any. Every time I stretch, the pain will feel better in my legs and feet for about 4 minutes. Then, it returns back to it's previous state of chronic pain. This is not just shooting pain either... it's a long lasting 2 days after it happened pain that shoots through my legs and my feet. Please, any ideas on what is wrong with me. Do I even have plantar fascittis from what my symptoms are? I went to a neurologist and they said I have no problems. I'm sort of doubting that I have PF because I don't feel pain in the morning when I stand up from bed and it doesn't go away when I walk. It's completely the opposite. It gets worse the more I walk.

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Hi Alex,

It is possible that you have plantar fasciitis.  However, you have certainly had many of the recommended treatments.

A few questions.

Do you have any medical problems?  Any diabetes in the family.  Any Arthritis or autoimmune disease in the family.  Any nerve or muscle disorders in the family? Do you take medications, Cholesterol medication or other?  Do you drink alcohol and if so how much per day?  Do you smoke?  Do you have numbness in the toes?

Have you had an MRI of the spine?

Have you had any basic blood work done recently?

Let's start here and then we can hopefully pinpoint other treatment options and the cause of your foot pain.



Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
http://www.thetampapodiatrist.com
http://www.tampacryosurgery.com


Answer
Alex,

Please see my other response.  A trial of muscle relaxants may help to see if the muscle tension releases.  When on medications for ADHD, it would not be unusual to feel tense or anxious, so you may want to see the Dr. that started you on the medication and see if there are other alternatives.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
http://www.thetampapodiatrist.com
http://www.tampacryosurgery.com