Best non-shoes for plantar fasciitis?

August 8, 2023 10:26 AM

I have pretty bad plantar fasciitis and I don't like wearing shoes at home. What are my best non-shoe options to help treat/deal with this?

I work from home and don't like putting on shoes but my feet hurt. I have these and they help but I'm wondering if there is something better. I would like to find something as much like socks as possible. Links to specific options (especially on Amazon) are very much appreciated. Thank you!

posted by an octopus IRL to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

I have those, that I've used under my regular socks in shoes, and sometimes wandering barefoot in the house. (We're a no-shoes-inside household.) There are closed-toe versions, but I've yet to find some that are quite as supportive. I'm usually barefoot rather than sock-foot unless I'm cold, so wearing them alone works for me and still gives my feet room to breathe.

I've also had luck with doing kinesiology taping under socks. Youtube has plenty of videos. KT tape is a much more recently discovered "magic" to me, thanks to a physical therapist a few years back.

What I don't recommend are the night splints sort of thing that is found on Amazon. I've tried multiple in the past. They don't stay put, are painful, don't fit right, or don't work, or some combination thereof. I had better luck with regular self-sticking ace bandages than those, and Amazon was probably tired of me trying then returning them. (I suppose it's it's possible there are actual medical versions that work, but I never got that far.) The KT taping worked even better for me at night, since it doesn't loosen up.

Between those toeless socks and KT tape, it pretty much kept the pain at a low ebb. What really helped it finished healing, though? Not working 40+ hours a week on my feet due to the pandemic.
posted by stormyteal at 10:43 AM on August 8, 2023

Have you tried just going barefoot and concentrating on walking on the balls of your feet (never let your heels touch the ground)?
I discovered this solution during the barefoot running craze a decade ago, and it cleared up my PF in a short time, and now when i occasionally get a flare up it resolves quickly by this method. It feels awkward at first, because we're conditioned to heel strike when we walk, but if you condition yourself to do it (like running in sand or on hot pavement, or walking up stairs), it gets easier, and it only has to be done until the PF pain resolves.
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:17 AM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

walking on the balls of your feet (never let your heels touch the ground)?

This is contrary to most advice regarding plantar fasciitis, and to my experience. I tend to walk with my heels entirely off the ground unless I make a conscious effort not to, and have both strong legs (cyclist) and tight hamstrings and calves. My physician's advice was to stretch my legs, wear supportive footwear, and avoid walking on the balls of my feet.

In fact, one of the surgical interventions for pf is gastrocnemius recession, which lengthens the calf muscle and associated tendons and reduces the tension put on the fascia--this tension, not heel strike, is the cause, though it does manifest as pain when the heel contacts the ground. Everyone is different, of course, but walking on the balls of your feet can aggravate it.
posted by pullayup at 11:32 AM on August 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'm dealing with a bout of PF myself. I have a few pairs of slip-on shoes I keep next to the bed for first thing when I wake up or if I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Right now I have some old Birkenstocks (slide on) and some Olukai flip flops that I put next to the bed when I go to sleep. I often walk around barefoot too, and prefer that, but I have found that wearing these shoes means I can actually walk semi-normally when standing up or getting out of bed, rather than hobbling around. It makes a huge difference in the middle of the night especially.

I'm not sure I'd spring for these flip flops or Birks as house shoes, but if I had to try something new, I'd try a pair of Crocs to use as house shoes only. Take off the back strap, and you might find you only need them for the first few minutes of walking around, and then you can kick them off.

I guess they are technically shoes, or slippers, but maybe give it a try? They're not too expensive and might help, especially for the first few minutes.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:04 PM on August 8, 2023

So as it turns out, there are socks specifically made for PF. My wife got me a couple pairs, and they do make my feet feel better. They're basically compression socks, though, so I don't wear them very often because they're such a bitch to put on. But if you can get them on, they work.

I also wear Crocs as house shoes a lot.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:34 PM on August 8, 2023

Wearing Glerups felted wool slippers or similar felted wool slippers (the key is that they have a fairly thick sole that forms to the bottom of your foot) in the house has made a huge difference to my plantar fasciitis, to the point where I can get away with wearing terrible no-support shoes or going barefoot now without pain. They are typically available at independent shoe stores that are on the hippy or outdoorsy side.
posted by urbanlenny at 12:56 PM on August 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

I work from home and preferred not to wear shoes inside until I realized I was aggravating an old foot injury. Haflinger clogs (like this GZH model) have fixed this for me. They are sort of like shoes, but they don't bother me.
posted by dreamyshade at 2:01 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Orthotics in slippers (with a back, not clogs) or Crocs. If you don't have custom orthotics, these are pretty great.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:46 PM on August 8, 2023

My wife has PF and has been wearing Oofos recovery slides full time inside our house for a year or so - swears by them. She has an “inside” pair that is exclusively for inside the house - she wears them 100% of the time she is not in bed and says they help a lot.
posted by Mid at 8:00 PM on August 8, 2023

Oh no, I just checked and they are actually Hoka recovery slides.
posted by Mid at 8:49 PM on August 8, 2023

I’ve been wearing lined crocs at home since I first experienced plantar fasciitis and they have worked really well for me. Obviously not very sock-like though.
posted by tomcooke at 6:04 AM on August 9, 2023

The Alleviate loft brace might be a good option for you, it reduces the load placed on the plantar fascia as you walk, which most shoes, socks and orthotics can’t do because they push up against the arch, rather than provide suspension. It's a lot easier to put on than the first generation one. (So says my significant other...)
posted by rambling wanderlust at 11:32 AM on August 9, 2023

I swear by ~$20 Funky Monkey brand Birkenstock knockoffs on Amazon. They have much better arch support than Crocs, but are equally lightweight & easy to slip on and off.
posted by knucklebones at 5:35 AM on August 10, 2023