i have hard to fit feet and have developed tendonitis in my right foot that is very painful. shoes that i had been wearing for years (the same style, not the same pair) all of a sudden no longer fit as well. the slipping of my heel in the shoe caused tendonitis to develop and i'm limping everywhere.

because my feet are so oddly shaped and ultra narrow, the podiatrist advised me to have custom shoes made. i've priced them and they will cost close to $2500. trouble is, i've had custom orthodics made several times and they have never worked very well. a lot of shoe sales people have also ripped me off. so, i'm not very trusting. has anyone had success treating foot pain with custom made shoes?

[Fresia]

A family member did and it helped her tendonitis However, she did not have to take on the full cost as her insurance actually covered 50% of it; it was considered to be prescribed as a required medical device. Check into that if you haven't already which might help out. A friend, who did not have insurance, checked around with different offices who use different vendors and was able to find them for less through another office. Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks, Fresia. Sadly, my health insurance will not cover new orthodics much less shoes. A friend said that I might try writing it off on my taxes. I will have to speak with a friend who knows accounting.

[Beholden]

Sorry you are having so much trouble with your feet. When your feet hurt, you hurt all over!

Here is another thought Guy, did your podiatrist ever give you steriod injection(s) for the tendonitis?

Even though this is not the end answer maybe, it will get you out of pain for now that would help. Sometimes when people have structural issues rather than functional ones injections are just the first step.

I was a medical assistant for a podiatrist and sometimes he would usescoban (don't know if I've spelled that right, but it is the beige stretchy cloth bandage that sticks to itself) to make 'temporary' orthotics while the real ones were being manufactured.

Maybe your podiatrist could teach you to make the wrap yourself. It is a way to compress the offending tendons and hold things in place. The only 'custom' made things he would ever Rx'ed were orthotics and never shoes. But that is most likely because most insurances don't cover that. And now it is worse I'm sure.

Do you have a diagnosis other than tendonitis?

For diabetics, he would Rx a certain type of shoe which was usually covered by insurance - one pair a year I think it was, but maybe that was just for Medicare (65 age and up). I know you aren't there yet.

Good luck and PM me if you like.

i think i am going to contact the podiatrist about a cortizone shot. i don't know why he didn't give me one to begin with. instead, i was given an ultrasound treatment which was useless.

[Skully]

As a runner I say save your money.....they never did a thing for me. I get tendonitis all the time along with plantars faciatis. corizone shots are helpful and a lot cheaper and will last you a lot longer! Usually about 6 months unless it heals on it's own in that time then 1 shot will work

[Beholden]

ultrasound is something that "my" podiatrist thought a "hoaxy" sort of treatment. He was really up on his stuff! Plantar f. was what he used cortizone on the most. And PF is a form of tendonitis.

Most of the time only 1 injection was needed, though some patients needed 2 or 3 within a short amount of time. But they were by far the best treatment.

I agree! Maybe you need to find a different podiatrist ???? Hope you get some relief.

I have a podiatrist appointment on Saturday and am going to have a cortizone shot. This time, I don't have plantar faciatis. Because my feet are so narrow (AA width) and are curved, my right heel has been slipping in my shoes which has caused the tendon on the outside of the heel to become inflamed. Finding shoes that fit is a nightmare. It doesn't help that my left foot is 2 sizes smaller than my right. I will keep you informed. Many thanks for everyone's support.

OK. I saw the podiatrist and got a shot but, it wasn't cortizone and I don't have tendonitis. The MD thinks it's either a ligament or nerve problem induced by my very narrow and curved feet. I also managed to find shoes today that, well, comfortably stay on my feet! I will use them for walking and will change shoes when I get to the office to something dressier. Initially, the pain was gone when I left the podiatrist's office but, after some walking, it came back so badly that I had to take a cab home. I've rested it since then and the pain has subsided. Hopefully, tomorrow morning when I get out of bed there will be no pain. My fingers are crossed!

[trixielou]

im a walker/runner & my toe next to my big to on my left foot started hurting out of the blue first the joints like on the top & sides & now its radiated all the way out its tender when i touch it & has become puffy at times i guess fluild its so weird cuz the area below my left knee gives me fits & my left hip too. when i work out its my foot but afterwards comes the ther pain. i just grin & bear it like ive done when ive had injuries be4. i get the plantar fasc. also & had cortison shots one time but didnt really help. and these products they come out with half are junk i was walkin in a pair of dr sholl shoes the other day with gel inserts & the right gel busted. i have high arches & i will say that the blue dr sholl half length arch support inserts i really like. i have narrow heels & wear new balance & the heels inside are always the first to wear out way before the soles. i have these narrow heels but need a wide toe box like i dont know about all of nike shoes but most of them have a narrow toe box. dunno may try half size bigger im a pro at tweakin shoes with extra sox or thin sox anyone who runs & walks i guess knows what im sayin

[Beholden]

Hey Guy, Happy to hear you found comfortable shoes without having to spend so much on custom made

Is the nerve/ligiment problem a neuroma? The pod. I worked for used to inject steroid into them as well. Sometimes, if or when the steroid would not work, or stopped working he would have to do surgery to remove the neuroma (an area on the nerve that gets inflamed and causes scar tissue to grow and it is the tendon area that is effected there) something like that anyway.

Hope he helps you solve the pain issue. And mostly that the pain went away!

Well, I'm sad to say that the pain is back in a big way. I called the podiatrist today and he wants me to give the foot a rest by wearing a medical walking boot. Fortunately, I have one from a prior foot problem. I was told to wear it a few days and see if it helps. So, I'll be stuck wearing it over Christmas! As we say here in NYC, oy vey!! Somehow I will manage to visit the relatives and carry the packages with this walking boot on! The problem definitely is not a neuroma - I've had one of those previously and the problem area is not swollen. The ligament is damaged because my ultra narrow, curved right foot slips inside my shoe. Somehow, I will manage to get through this! Hopefully, the pain will subside. I'll keep you informed. Thanks everyone for your concern and support!

Hi. I just returned from having an MRI taken. They said my MD should have the results in 48 hours. But, it's a holiday weekend and I may not get the results until next year.

[Skully]

Originally Posted by unhappyguy

Hi. I just returned from having an MRI taken. They said my MD should have the results in 48 hours. But, it's a holiday weekend and I may not get the results until next year.

What were the MRI results? You should have gotten them by now. I hope everything was ok!

Hi, Skully. Thanks for following up. The MRI revealed both a heel spur and plantar faciatus. The heel spur is caused by the PF. Fortunately, the tendon is not torn. If it does not heal on its own then I have to go in for a cortizone shot. I have been getting some relief by wearing soft soled boots rather than shoes as they hold my foot more securely and provide cushioning. I cannot tell if it's healing or not. It's wait and see.

[Beholden]

Hey Guy,

oy vey!! on the PF. Hope you are able to get the steroid injection(s) and that this will help you. Good luck.

Tendons, oy vey, what are you going to do, you can't live with them...etc.

[ECHOES]

Foot pain is .. a pain! When walking is limited by the pain, it's just discouraging.

I recently bought an over the counter shoe insert by Dr Scholl that I wear in athletic shoes since I wear them all the time, even at the offce where we have casual dress. It absorbs some of the impact of walking. It's for those with knee and hip artrhritis pain. It's been helpful for me, and after reading your posts, I was wondering if this is something that might help you. The inert is soft (not gel, I don't care for those) and might help a non-soft soled shoe feel better.

I'm wondering why you weren't offered a cortisone injection for the inflamation of the plantar fascitis.

Thanks. Actually, I wear either a custom or store bought arch support in all of my shoes all of the time. The problem is my feet. They are very narrow (2A), different sizes and oddly shaped. Not many shoe manufacturers sell narrow width shoes, so the selection is very limited. All slip-ons are out since my feet sizes are different by 2-3 sizes. New Balance shoes and sneakers fit me poorly and are out of the question. Rockports don't fit either. I order shoes through catalogues. Most have to be sent back because of fit problems. I have 2 boxes of shoe inserts to try to customize the insides of shoes to help them fit. I've had to give up tennis in part due to my feet. Now, walking is problematic. The tendonitis and heel spur are not going to heal until I find a pair of shoes that fit. Recently, I priced a pair of custome made shoes. With my foot issues, the minimum price quote was $2,200 and there is no guarantee. I've had custom made orthodics made three times but none is perfect. Two are totally useless. My HMO no longer covers orthodics so, if I'm to have new ones, I will have to pay in full. To obtain my recent diagnosis, I had to see 2 podiatrists. (The first didn't even do an x-ray.) The bottom line is, cortizone and orthodics will not cure anything unless I can get shoes that fit. Lately, I am only wearing hightop boots as they hold my feet in place more securely than shoes. Maybe someday a pair of shoes that I actually like will fit!

[Beholden]

Maybe someday a pair of shoes that I actually like will fit!

I'm pulling for you on that one Guy!

So, do you have to buy 2 pairs of shoes to get one pair that fit you, or can you order a left size 8 and a right size 10 in your catalogs?

When you have had custom ortho's made, do they have you step onto a tray that makes an indentation of your foot or does the Dr. actually make a cast of your foot and use a plaster cast?

The podi dr I worked for only did the plaster casts and I had custom made ortho's with a podi who used the tray method. The plaster casts are so much more accurate! Not many podiatrists use that way anymore. Nor are they covered by most insurances either.

Oy vey!

[ECHOES]

unhappyguy, sorry the arthritis inserts wouldn't be helpful.
I'm wondering, have you seen an orthopaedist?

Buying 2 pairs of shoes - one that fits the left and another that fits the right - has been suggested but I can't seem to bring myself to do it for cost reasons. Usually, I just put an extra pad in the smaller shoe to compensate for the size difference. I look for shoes with boxy toes and high toe boxes as they fit best. Since narrow feet do not absorb shock well, cushioned soles are preferred.

The podiatrists used plaster casts for my orthodics. Unfortunately, they focused only on the arch support when they should also have made sure that the orthodics were made narrow enough to fit in narrow shoes. Also, they failed to include cutouts for my bunionettes resulting in corns and callouses forming there when the orthodics are worn. I have yet to find a really good podiatrist. I will look into what an orthopedist does; seeing one has never been recommended to me before.

Another option would include foot surgery to correct crooked toes and remove the bunionettes. However, this would not address the most difficult shoe fit issues. Foot surgeries take a long time to heal and would require me to be on crutches for weeks; only one foot at a time could be operated on.

Thanks for your concern and support.