Best foot supports according to redditors

I struggled with knuckle pain on my right hand for a while. One of my former trainers (former pro boxer and Olympic medalist) recommended these gel pads to me. He had broken both hands and told me they sustained his career for a few more years, and he never would have been able to box without them. Basically fold it in half and double it up, then place on your knuckles and wrap your wraps over them to keep the pad in place. Has helped me a lot.

I fixed my plantar fasciitis with this in less than a week. So did my husband. So did at least 3 of my friends who borrowed it, 2 of them marathoners who were unable to run. This thing WORKS. I am sure all the other suggestions for stretching will too, but this is very reliable and fast.
Edit: formatting

Anti-Static Heel Straps might help. But only if the floor material has some conductivity.

Hubs got me one of these. Amazing.

Hey there! How YOU doin? I'm thinking you like monkeys. Monkeys are pretty cool right? I mean I know they get a bad rap for flinging their own poop, but hey, boys will be boys right?

[My linky] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025H3S0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2Y7DBLRAYXU1T&coliid=IC9DQ8VQN00MB&psc=1)

[Your linky] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083QLPY8/ref=wl_it_dp_v_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2LEKBKE1W5ETM&coliid=IMYFBX04VZKCF&psc=1)

Cuz we'd both like to be comfortable.

I've battled achilles tendinitis for the better and worse parts of my running career.

Strength training on your calf, achilles, plantar area should NOT be your focus right now. Keeping those interconnecting tendons/muscles stretched out and increasing your flexibility should be your primary area of concentration. Massage those areas morning and night. Consider the plantar fasciitis compression sock. Doing aerobic work that doesn't stress those areas as harshly as running to maintain your fitness is the main thing you could be doing, eliptical is probably your best bet. If you're dead set on strength training high reps/low weight is the way to go.

Footwear is important. Maybe barefoot is your thing but if you're haven't been in barefoot shoes switching into it now is probably a bad idea. It'll be another stress you're adding to your body to adjust to. Rather look at the shoes you use for walking around in. Are they poorly made? Flat? Lack cushioning? You may want to add insoles in them. Sole and Superfeet are both good brands. Also look at the state of your current running shoes. Are they old? Older than 3 months? Cheap? If you run regularly you need to be properly fitted. Then once this has healed up, you can switch over to barefoot if that's what you wish. I tried the barefoot thing, I saw no benefit to it except my footwear would smell more. As I'm already an efficient runner, I prefer the protection shoes give me. To each his/her own.

I have really bad plantar fasciitis and have found these to be really effective at supporting my arch: https://www.amazon.com/OrthoSleeve-Compression-Foot-Sleeve-Pair/dp/B00LX85X7I?th=1&psc=1
So far I haven't found a really good insert online. REI had some good ones but I can't remember the name. They were recommended by friend who tore the tendon in her foot and now it's completely flat. The only thing I remember is they're made of hard plastic (no gel) and I read that's really important for arch support orthotics. I know that's not super helpful but maybe it will help give you some guideline of what to look for.

It's not the cheapest thing in the world to solve, so that's the bad news. The good news is that it can be dealt with. First, you need to get rid of most of the pain symptoms, night splints are the most effective way of dealing with that. They're cumbersome, they're a bitch to sleep in, and they can get kind of hot. I also had a weird issue where the bottoms of my feet got dry from them. But they're also the best way to resolve the pain. The issue in your foot needs to heal with your foot at a near 90 degree angle, having your foot in a relaxed position while you sleep at night means the fascia heals in the position, the pain in the morning is you breaking down all of the hard work your body did while you were sleeping. Night splints prevent your feet from dropping downward allowing the tissue to heal properly. Secondly, you have to gradually build arches into your feet over time. You need a hard orthotic that pushes up on where your arch should be, if your feet are flat you probably need one that's a very mild arch. If you're in a lot of pain, maybe don't jump right into an orthotic right away, start with just sleeping at night with night splints on. 3. Physical Therapy. Chances are your feet aren't the problem, I had weak hips, weak ankles, and tight calves that cause my fascia to break down. The body is a multitude of systems working together, chances are a lot other areas of your body helped create the problem you currently have. If you don't have insurance just hop online and start googling, youtube was a big help for me as well. But if you do have insurance, talk to your doctor and go see a professional therapist. 4. Don't ever wear shoes with an elevated heel, ever. Wearing running shoes all day or anything with an elevated heel is really, really bad for your feet, and causes all kinds of weaknesses in your body. The other thing it does is it shortens the length of your calve muscles, I had to spend multiple painful nights rolling out my calves to get them to relax in certain areas, and go a full year of wearing neutral shoes before they were normal again. Using a lacross ball to relax the muscles in my feet was a big one. Also pushing down on a frozen water bottle to help create arches. Toe spreaders help if you have wide feet and your shoes don't fit width wise(also really good for women who wear heels).

This kid is a little strange, but a lot of his techniques helped out. His section on shoes is really solid. I basically only wear chuck taylor's a set of mid support new balance for running. If you need a dressier shoe clarks aren't bad.

As far as orthotics go I tried the Treadwell's he recommended and didn't find them to be all that helpful(could be different for other people). I ended up dropping 350 bucks a pair of custom fit orthotics designed for strengthening my arches. For the last 6 months or so I switched to Vibram barefoot shoes, and my arch is actually getting even more steep and my feet are much stronger. I'll likely switch back to orthotics and chucks for the fall.

http://www.pfsurvivalguide.com/
http://www.pfsurvivalguide.com/plantar-fasciitis-shoes.html



Here are the splints I used(I slept in them every night for 6 months).

https://www.amazon.com/StrictlyStability-Plantar-Fasciitis-Stretch-Massage/dp/B01HR0WRB0/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1538287262&sr=1-7&keywords=night%2Bsplints%2Bfor%2Bplantar%2Bfasciitis&th=1

My recommendation putting a lot of pillows between your legs and sleeping on your side with them on, if you sleep on you back prop up your legs with pillows(probably the best solution). Sleeping on your stomach is basically out of the question. I did it a couple of times by hanging my feet over the bed, but you end up hyper extending your knees while you sleep.

Sorry that's a lot of rambling, fasciitis sucks, but you're better off long term dealing with it now rather than suffering the rest of your life. Hope this helps, good luck.

Edit: Go see an orthopedist, see if they can recommend an orthotic and give you a course of steroids. That's a start, I went to one, the steroids helped, but didn't cure it. Also, the orthotics he gave me weren't the best, but they weren't terrible either. The custom fit ones were way better.

I use something like [this] (https://www.amazon.it/RDX-Supporto-Caviglia-Cavigliera-Pacchetto/dp/B005WJCIY0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484756238&sr=8-3&keywords=caviglia) and it does the trick really. You can get more rigid ankle supports but I found the flexibility of that one helped support my ankle but not limit my movement.

*I have had tons of issues with calf tightness in the past! I highly recommend foam rolling and stick rolling (such as this one from Amazon ) every day until you build up calf strength. If you have extra money to spend, I find calf stretchers like these to be better than other calf stretching exercises.

Ultimately, seeing a physio would be your best bet because there could be all sorts of other issues contributing, but these should help.

Maybe it’s different in my area, but I can buy them in the pharmacy section of most big box stores near me. Cheap enough I would bother to make my own. Here’s an Amazon.com link https://www.amazon.com/Futuro-Fasciitis-Stabilizing-Satisfaction-Guaranteed/dp/B0057M3TWC

Yeah, I'm currently dealing with this as well. Wearing extremely supportive athletic shoes whenever possible, I'm talking no bare feet around the house even, helps a lot. As does wearing this when I sleep.

Better late than never. I've been dealing with PF since May, but have continued to do high-ish mileage without my PF getting any worse. So, can't fix it for you, but some days it doesn't hurt at all.

Things I've noticed:

• Sleeping in a brace makes a big difference. I use one like this and I can definitely tell when I wear it and when I don't.
  
• I've isolated one pair of shoes that's worse for it than others. I still wear them some because I'm stubborn but probably shouldn't.
  
• I use a foam ball (but golf ball or lacrosse ball work just as well) to massage the bottoms of my feet at night. When I get lazy with this, it gets worse. When I'm consistent, it does better. Pretty solid correlative data!
  
• Foam rolling my calves and hammies seem to help too. Everything's attached, so any tightness creates more tightness other places. Also strengthening my Achilles with eccentric heel drops may or may not help, but it seems to be better. Plus, you know, bulletproof Achilles are always a good thing.
  
• Not drinking for a bit will definitely help. Alcohol inhibits your muscles' ability to heal and grow. But obviously that's totally up to you.
  
  Hope that helps!

I hope your favourite animal is a narwhal. They're the unicorns of the sea and they're real! I hope your day has been going better than mine (insomnia and major computer issue), and that it continues to get better :)

This is from my list, and this is from yours. It looks like something I should be getting myself!

Stretch your calfs hard a few times a day for a few weeks. It will go away.

YOFIT Foot Stretcher, Foot Rocker (Navy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M72IX86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dPk7CbD4PTG0G

Have you seen a doctor? If not, I highly recommend. They’ll probably hook you up with a boot and a stretcher like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M72IX86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PrpFDbMP7ZSBE

I personally love this calf stretcher thingy that helps get a deep stretch in my calves.


https://www.amazon.com/YOFIT-Foot-Stretcher-Rocker-Navy/dp/B01M72IX86/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=calf+stretcher&qid=1573339713&sprefix=calf+str&sr=8-4

Foam rolling too. If you have someone at home who can help you, lay on your belly on the floorand have them roll out your calves/hamstrings. You can even use a rolling pin for this too.

Start doing eccentric stretching.

https://youtu.be/3tc0lN_bW5o

When you first start your calves will get sore so start slow, like 10 reps with both feet, then after a few days 2 sets of 10 reps, eventually you want to do single foot drops like 3 sets of 15 on each foot, but take your time.

You can also do concentric stretches, like stand on your toes for 30 seconds (each foot)

Stretch your Achilles out. I have something like this that I try to wear an hour or two a day. Currently I wear it at work but you can wear it while watching tv at night. It’s actually for pf but it will still stretch the Achilles.

Alpha Medical Plantar Fascitis Night Splint Heel & Foot Pain; P.F. Brace L4398 (Medium) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WRP2Q7D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c3.ZDb4S7DF0E

It’s obvious but try to wear running shoes that don’t press in the back of your foot. For instance There are adidas shoes where the heel counter is two rigid pieces of plastic on either side of the heel with a soft fabric between then. (Solar boost, I think). Whatever, just don’t rub the heel when running.

Good luck!

I am dealing with this now. I ordered about 5 different compression/strap/sock things from amazon and this one is great. It’s immediate relief.

StrictlyStability Achilles Tendonitis Support Strap Brace

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GSPQXPD

https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Dorsal-Night-Splint-Tendinitis/dp/B00URU0QWU

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UM4XY7K/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SG0FG2S/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010X04E44/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H0JZJ0/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EYEFMVA/

I think most people do just live with it. People on here make it seem normal. I dont want it to be normal. i want it to be a temporary set back that will go away and maybe appear again in 9 months for 1 week thats it. Have you tried KT tape or any other procedure to keep your toe aligned while sleeping? I have been using this but with some help from athletic tape to keep it on my foot: https://www.amazon.com/ZenToes-Turf-Toe-T-Straps-Straighteners/dp/B07L4ZYGQF/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2Z2K29W3MZRYT&keywords=turf+toe+strap&qid=1564678430&s=gateway&sprefix=turf+toe+%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Before using this, I noticed that my turf toe wasnt getting better. I was using the Kurt O method for taping your toes to potentially help with recovery but it didnt do much. The pain went from super annoying to bearable but it still stuck around. When I started using T straps I noticed the pain started going away and now I feel nothing after two days of using them.

I dont want turf toe to be normal.

I have seen 2 podiatrists and each recommended orthotics. I finally purchased a pair through the second dr and I’ve had the least amount of pain in my feet for a long time. He also had me buy these wraps when I first started seeing him: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IK4T9UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_iH9xCbZN8HN92 (keep in mind this is a size large so you may need a smaller size, also you have to buy each foot separate)

I wore them for a while under my socks all day and they really helped, too. The dr explained that the foot spreads out and the heel bone moves as the ankle bone goes down (over-pronates) and puts strain on the fascia, that these wraps prevent the heel from moving and keeps it in place. These might help you, too. They weren’t too uncomfortable to wear every day. They did loosen up but washing them (just mild soap/water, hang dry) every day and they’d fit better again.

Tried anything like these stretch socks at night?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IBGJKW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_YzicAbZBVAT1C

You might even consider getting a short cam walking boot to wear for ~6 weeks, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Orthotronix-Short-Walker-Boot-Large/dp/B00GM9NKVY?th=1

This is one thing my doc recommended; I didn't wear it all the time or for that long but just wearing it some helped get me from the "I can't walk" stage to being able to walk for half an hour on even ground without significant issues. (Still trying to get past that stage.)

not OP, but assume you are referring to the Straussberg Sock? I have Achillies Tendonitis and the sock helped me tremendously. But I personally found that it was poorly designed and uncomfortable. I made some adjustments to it myself to make it more comfortable, and that helped a lot.

Recently I ran across this brace a few months ago, and like it much better.

ETA: also, yoga is awesome too

can you recommend something that i can wear?

this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057M3TWC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I have that on and off. I stretch 2x per day with a focus on the Achilles and calf muscles. Also, I use this at night when I feel it flairing up: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057M3TWC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just saw your post today. Plantar fasciitis is incredibly painful. I have it myself. There's a couple of stretches you can do and night splints that help significantly. The biggest piece of advice that I have for it is hard, stabilizing orthodic inserts for your shoes. My brand is Spenco (Earth Soles?) They brought me from being a hobbling mess in no time to about 80%, which I'll count as a win.

Good luck! Here's some links to the things I mentioned that have helped me. It might be worth talking to a podiatrist or sports injury specialist as well.
http://www.athletico.com/2012/05/09/plantar-fasciitis-solutions/
http://www.amazon.com/Spenco-Polysorb-Earthbound-Womens-9-10/dp/B002W9SIO2
http://www.amazon.com/Futuro-Plantar-Fasciitis-Support-Adjustable/dp/B0057M3TWC/ref=sr_1_5?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1398302056&sr=1-5&keywords=plantar+fasciitis+night+splint

I've been dealing with plantar fasciitis for a couple of months now. I'm just now feeling like I'm recovering from it. My advice is to respect the injury. The more you push it, the longer you will take to recover. Don't try to do more than you should just because you have a marathon coming up - you'll just make things worse. There's always another race you can run later.

As for what's working for me:

1. I went to the podiatrist and got some inserts for my shoes which helped. Never walk barefoot if you can help it.
   
   
2. Get a night splint. Seriously, it makes a huge difference in recovery. I've tried several different ones: 1 2 3. The first one (Strassburg Sock) is the best one in my opinion. It's the most comfortable to sleep in and it stretches the plantar fascia the most.
   
   
3. Get a few metal water bottles and fill them up and stick them in the freezer. They're very good for icing your feet, which helps.

Yeah he didn’t have a boot or anything, just a shoe like this one. He was definitely in a fair bit of pain, but I don’t think he actually knew it was broken until he went to the doctors so I would say it was severe, he seemed to just think he had jammed it.

Completely understand. Not sure I’d tackle it (at least not without a lot of regret 1/3 of the way in.)

For what little it’s worth, these really help me when my plantar fasciitis is acting up...

FootSmart ArchHuggers Arch Supports, 8.5-9.5" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O5HD9M/

That and my Teva sandals.

At least my discs are all still happy. I must say 50 feels twice as old as 40 did.

Those shoes are sweet. Plus they are pretty cheap for puma. It's a no brainer you must have them. It's like your saving money really.

If I win I would like to gift /u/fyred_up these please. I just noticed they became and add on. Plus they would help her feet so much. She has so much trouble with them. And it might keep me from having to rub them as much ;)

thanks for the contest. seriously get those shoes.
She can GET IT