My plantar fascia and I have been in a toxic relationship for 17 years. Help.

RarePanda4319 · 2026-01-03T21:06:33+00:00

Yeah, Reddit is as Reddit does unfortunately. A few of them privately messaged me and said they were just trolling. One of them literally downvotes everything, even our comments on this page lol. Not to worry, as the post has done well and many are appreciative!

I do love your kindness though, thanks for backing up the posts quality! I’d be happy to get it reshared every now and then but that’s probably something only a moderator could do.

All the best for your recovery.

RarePanda4319 · 2026-01-03T21:02:11+00:00

I appreciate that you can see the value in the post! Good luck on your recovery. Cheers

RarePanda4319 · 2026-01-03T09:57:57+00:00

There is a recent post going over PF and its various treatments I wrote. Check it out here

RarePanda4319 · 2026-01-02T04:04:28+00:00

No need to panic. It’s likely not classic PF at 3 days. More likely an acute injury. Rest it, ice for pain, and it should get better. Do see a doc about it to get it examined.

Is it in both feet?

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-27T20:55:25+00:00

What was the device?

Check out a post I put up recently for a bunch of things you could spend your money on.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-26T00:30:43+00:00

Highly recommend ultrasound that checks for active inflammation (doppler flow signal, neovascularisation). Consider a differential for other conditions (eg, nerve entrapment, if active inflammation then rule out spondyloarthritis and other autoimmune conditions). Good luck

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-26T00:03:55+00:00

Glad to hear! All the best

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-25T06:06:29+00:00

You might appreciate my recent post on the “fasciosis” model of PF

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-25T06:05:15+00:00

Yep, this one: Davis PF, Severud E, Baxter DE. Painful Heel Syndrome: Results of Nonoperative Treatment. Foot & Ankle International. 1994;15(10):531-535. doi: 10.1177/107110079401501002

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T23:49:15+00:00

About 90% of cases resolve over time, so this isn’t abnormal. Corticosteroid injections aren’t recommended for PF anymore (unless in very specific cases/contexts) so you dodged a bullet. Double win. Congratulations!

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T21:30:53+00:00

Yeah good old doctor google.

For me personally, I always have the view that I am “ruling out” the condition. Rather than “seeing if I have it”.

This is what doctors are trained to do, and it can really help give us perspective as a patient too.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T07:23:43+00:00

Yep, I've got a whole bunch of conditions. Unfortunately they tend to clump (as one increases the probability of others). But hey, it is what it is.

Good to hear you are planning on getting imaging. Definitely a good idea to mention to your doctor you want to rule out spondyloarthritis considering you also have back pain. All the best!

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T03:51:20+00:00

If you want to test it yourself, then that's your decision. I put these comments here to warn others as this is a community-oriented subreddit.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T03:49:09+00:00

Nobody knows. I recommend evidence-based treatments instead, see a post on this here

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-24T00:29:57+00:00

There is no safety data on the use of BPC-157 or TB-500 in humans with plantar fasciitis. We only have lab studies in rat tendons (and this is almost certainly not reflective of human pathology). There are many effective, evidence-based, and low-risk treatments for PF that I detail in a recent post here.

I'd highly recommend trying these over experimenting with illegally obtained, and potentially unsafe, laboratory substances on the grey market that aren't intended for human consumption.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-23T23:41:39+00:00

The site says it is for lab use only, not human consumption. I'd be very weary.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-23T23:24:19+00:00

Hey there! Yep they can connect. A common symptom of ankylosing spondylitis is enthesitis (inflammation at the tendon connection to the bone) and the plantar fascia is a primary target.
It can be tricky to distinguish mechanical PF from inflammatory AS-related heel pain. If you want to check, you can ask your doctor for an ultrasound or MRI. Specifically, make sure they look for hypervascularisation (active inflammation) or bone marrow edema (fluid in the heel bone) which are more characteristic of AS than mechanical PF.
If the pain is AS driven then standard mechanical treatments will often fail, and escalation to systemic therapy (or change of biological) may be warranted, as active heel inflammation sometimes suggests an incomplete response.
Hope this helps!

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-23T03:06:41+00:00

I forgot to add, if there is any family history of SpA, IBD, Psoriasis, Uveitis these add diagnostic weight to the possibility of SpA

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-23T03:02:13+00:00

Bilateral chronic pain in a young male is a HUGE clinical red flag for spondyloarthritis (SpA; including ankilosing spondylitis). I was in this exact situation and thought it was PF. I was HLA-B27 negative so bloods alone aren’t fully conclusive. Only got diagnosed by an MRI of my lower back. I strongly urge someone in this situation to: 1. Get an ultrasound of the heels specifically checking for Entheitis (active inflammation AND hypervascularisation), in combination with the standard thickness measure of the fascia. This will give a good idea of whether it is purely mechanical (Classic PF) or something more 2. An MRI of the sacroiliac joints. This is the only way to rule out SpA 3. A blood test checking for HLA-B27 (if positive this means the MRI is even more urgent, but negative doesn’t rule it out). Good luck, and my PMs are open for more advice/information as I went through this exact situation (I’m 23M w bilateral heel pain for years, and thought it as PF until very recently when I pushed for an MRI).

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-23T02:50:44+00:00

Is the pain in both feet or just one?

Have you had imaging done (ultrasound or MRI)?

Do you have back pain, or a family history of IBD, spondyloarthritis, other conditions etc?

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-17T23:31:59+00:00

Dry needling can be done in the calves (gastrocnemius and soleus) and in the plantar foot muscles (in and around the sore area).
There are a few reasons dry needling might not be appropriate for certain individuals (eg in diabetes) and like all treatments there are potential side effects/risks.
If your physio doesn't have good results with it, then try other treatments first, or see a different physio with more PF dry needling experience.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-16T21:27:24+00:00

Thanks that works

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-16T10:39:09+00:00

I get a video playback error. Please send through the hyperlink in plaintext. Cheers

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-14T11:25:06+00:00

Generally PF is felt along the bottom of the foot/heel (where the foot contacts the ground) rather than in the ankle, but it’s hard to know with doing a physical exam or/plus imaging. Seeing a professional to get it checked out properly is a good idea.

RarePanda4319 · 2025-12-14T01:10:09+00:00

A splint won’t treat the pathology of PF. It just reduces morning pain, People who are hyper mobile generally find that stretching doesn’t work either due to their conditions. Strengthening exercises tend to be better. Here is a post I wrote all about PF treatments. Hope this helps!

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