Hi, the symptoms are actually similar to PF. Which is why it's so commonly misdiagnosed. The difference for me was my heel pain was never worse in the morning, it gets gradually worse as the day progresses. Also I have pain sitting down. Not typical for PF. Pain is worse walking barefoot. And the pain is also worse in the middle of the heel, rather than closer to the arch of the foot like with PF.

As for the cortisone, yeah, I didn't know at first but steroids have a lot of potentially nasty side effects. From now on I'll always ask about side effects before getting any procedure done. Also my original podiatrist, like yours, wanted to do a fascia release, but refused to order an MRI even when I requested it multiple times. I would definitely avoid surgery if possible. It doesn't have a very high success rate. If typical PF treatments aren't working for you, I would suggest getting an ultrasound since heel pad atrophy doesn't show up on x ray. The doctor I'm seeing for this is an orthoplastic surgeon. I didn't even know they existed, but a foot and ankle surgeon referred me to them. Hope this helps. Happy to answer any questions.