running shoes for plantar fasciitis and high arches

November 29, 2010 3:38 PM

Please help me find running shoes and/or inserts with good arch support for someone with plantar fasciitis

I need help buying stability running shoes online - yes, it's not a great idea, but they've got good sales going on today and free return shipping.

I've got high arches and over-pronate, and for the past few months I've had plantar fasciitis. Over the weekend I got a pair of Saucony Hurricane 12 and LOVED the arch support and cushiness. (My very old pair of Asics was a bit too hard on the heel and didn't have enough arch support.) I also got some Powerstep pinnacle orthotic inserts that really helped with the arch support.

Because of the plantar fasciitis, I need to rotate between shoes. (Currently, I can only wear running shoes. Stupid plantar fasciitis!!!)

Please help me find something comparable to the above shoes and inserts.

Any tips or suggestions on plantar fasciitis are very welcome as well. (I stretch, use the water bottle with ice, and take anti-inflammatories. )
Many thanks!

posted by Neekee to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Superfeet. OMG superfeet. Nothing is firmer or more supportive - they're not cushiony, exactly, but they straighten me out and hug my arch better than anything else. My stride changed a lot after I stuck my first pair in - I use the green superstiff ones.

A quirky thing that my dad swears improved/cured his PF - he started wearing thick socks at night. He claims that the extra warmth kept his arch tendons loose and pain-free in the morning and all day.
posted by peachfuzz at 3:48 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I killed off my plantar fasciitis, apparently for good, with 1) acupuncture by a very well educated Chinese doctor and 2) transitioning via Nike Frees to "barefoot" running, i.e. wearing Vibram five fingers to run or walk.

Strangely, it seems the less support for arches etc., the happier my feet.
posted by bearwife at 3:50 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

My wife has plantar fasciitis, and has had very good luck with trigger-point therapy. Kind of expensive, but in her case, worth it.
posted by adamrice at 4:03 PM on November 29, 2010

Brooks' BEAST did it for me. Great shoe, good price, bye bye PF!
posted by KneeDeep at 4:07 PM on November 29, 2010

I found that when I had it, running or walking aggravated the PF. Riding bicycles was better, as it doesn't use the calf/foot as much. An elliptical machine at my gym was pretty good, too.

I ended up wearing almost nothing but Birkenstocks for about a year.
posted by annsunny at 5:53 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

When I had it I just bought three or four pairs of cheap as hell arch supports from the drugstore and kept them in all my shoes. My podiatrist told me that I could either spend a fortune on custom ones, which would be preferable, or just go get the cheapies since there wasn't honestly all that much difference between them. Naturally I went with cheap and I got extras, knowing that if I had to think about swapping out supports I would just not do it. They felt weird at first - they're in my cute boots, my danskos, everything - but I got used to it and I'm coming up on a year pain free.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:42 PM on November 29, 2010

I got over the plantar fasciitis by:

1) ditching my super cushy nike vomero's
2) Running Barefoot on grass for a month (I ran laps around my local high school football field)
3) Gradually adding back in running shoes with less cushion (nike pegasus)

It made a huge difference. After running barefoot for just a week I could feel a huge difference. My family has all had a similar experience with this (my brother is a triathlete, my dad a former marathon runner). It is possible that our experience is limited due to all of us having similar arches (medium), but what do you have to lose?
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:55 PM on November 29, 2010

HTP (Heal That Pain) Heel Seats fixed my plantar fasciitis after three years of trying MANY other alternative therapy. They now go in every pair of shoes I wear.
posted by eleslie at 9:18 AM on November 30, 2010