Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: PeriWhat?! on May 09, 2021, 09:46:29 PM
-
Can anyone tell me if foot/heel pain is a perimenopause symptom please? It's appeared since I started HRT patches almost three months ago and is getting worse. Once I get moving it improves a bit, but standing up and getting moving is difficult. It started as a burning feeling in my heel, now it seems to be transferring to my ankle too and I'm properly hobbling around. I'm 45.
I'm trying to work out if it's a result of not being able to move around as much because of restrictions and my anxiety, or a lack of oestrogen thing. Or both. I had peri symptoms for about four years before I started the HRT patches.
I'm reasonably healthy, eat ok, don't drink too much these days and until this started was running every other day, but it's too painful now. Anyone else had this?
-
It sounds like plantar fascitis which affects older people (40 - 60). There are exercises you can do I believe. Check it out on NHS site and others. Hope it soon eases. My ex had it for a while. Too much golf caused his. Worse when you first get up in the morning or after not moving for a while. Usually affects only one heel. Think it's caused by tiny frequent tears to a muscle band in the foot, which you don't feel at the time, during exercise especially running.
Taz x :hug:
-
That sounds very likely, thanks Taz2. It is just on one side. I'll look that up and check out the exercises. It's frustrating because I feel as though more exercise might help, mentally and physically, but I can't do it, presumably I must have been doing the wrong sort of exercise. Thanks again for the reply. :)
-
I think footwear also comes into it from what I remember. Maybe you've changed shoes recently?
Taz x
-
Footwear can help.
Plantar fasciatis [sp] is very, very painful. There is a spur deep in the heel which as we age, becomes prominent. Any pressure put on the area is like trigenimal neuralgia in suddenness and acuteness. An injection can help. Maybe get some insoles or see a podiatrist for advice?
My heels are constantly sore, even with regular 'Nivea' treatment.
-
Great ideas, thanks Taz2 and CLKD. It is painful. I made a mistake with the timings actually, as I've now remembered finding it painful to walk on the hard floors at home back in winter and although I was exercising a bit, it wasn't enough because of working full-time at home and also doing home school full-time. I bought rugs, cushioned slippers, proper trainers, but it hasn't gone away. It's clearly not linked to the HRT patches at all, I must have subconsciously been ready to blame lack of oestrogen for everything!
-
Info here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/plantar-fasciitis/
Taz x
-
:thankyou:
-
Thank you! x
-
Hi PeriWhat?!
My hubby had this a few years back, he is a runner too. Try not going barefoot on hard floors, it helps - he swore by crocs! He also had a boot to wear at night.
I'd say get it looked at and assessed and dont run until you've seen a socialist for advice. Better to not let it get too bad, as recovery will take longer.
Hopefully it's not plantar, but get it checked asap. Probably a specialist sports physio is best?
Good luck!
Xxxxx
-
you've seen a socialist for advice.. Cookie - have U been watching too many Government updates ? ;)
-
Hi PeriWhat?!
My hubby had this a few years back, he is a runner too. Try not going barefoot on hard floors, it helps - he swore by crocs! He also had a boot to wear at night.
I'd say get it looked at and assessed and dont run until you've seen a socialist for advice. Better to not let it get too bad, as recovery will take longer.
Hopefully it's not plantar, but get it checked asap. Probably a specialist sports physio is best?
Good luck!
Xxxxx
That's good to know, thank you. I've been waiting for it to go away by itself with some exercises, but that's not happening. I'll look into it.
-
you've seen a socialist for advice.. Cookie - have U been watching too many Government updates ? ;)
Haha this made me giggle CLKD! The autocorrect on my kindle mixed with my tiredness is a lethal combo! ;D
-
Socialist sports physio sounds a lot cheaper than a rampant capitalist one!
-
:lol:
Any improvement?
-
No, but I haven't looked into appointments yet as there's a lot going on all the time. I'll make time to do it and come back. It's obviously not going to get better on its own.
-
Right, you've kicked me into action, so to speak. Just spoke to a podiatrist at a high street place called Shuropody and they reckon - well, they would, wouldn't they ::) - that a properly-fitted insert for shoes/trainers will do the job. Will pop in at the weekend or before work one day next week and see how much it's going to cost me.
-
That sounds like a good idea. Have you been yet?
Taz x
-
No, I ran out of time, but will definitely go this Saturday. I'm sick of hobbling around!
-
Hello I've been experiencing pain in my arch and heel for several months now. Whilst chatting with my sister I mentioned it & she said it might be plantar fasciatis as she suffers with it & recommended shoe insoles for plantar's. I purchased a couple of pairs from Amazon and they have definitely helped me. Hope this helps. :)
-
I have it too. Takes a very long time to heal. Physical therapy helps a lot, if you have access to it. Daily stretching and new footwear too.
-
Hello I've been experiencing pain in my arch and heel for several months now. Whilst chatting with my sister I mentioned it & she said it might be plantar fasciatis as she suffers with it & recommended shoe insoles for plantar's. I purchased a couple of pairs from Amazon and they have definitely helped me. Hope this helps. :)
That's good to know, thank you. The woman in the shop sold me some gel heel pads to go in my trainers (all I can wear right now!) but said it didn't seem typical of plantar fasciitis, so sent me back to try to get a GP appt. Easier said than done, but I will try!
-
I have it too. Takes a very long time to heal. Physical therapy helps a lot, if you have access to it. Daily stretching and new footwear too.
I'm not sure, I'll see if I can get a GP appt and see what they say. I feel as though it's come about because of being stuck inside so much, on hard floors in lockdown but I might be wrong. Does exercise make it better or worse?
-
I actually managed to get a GP appointment :banana: and even more surprisingly got lucky with one who specialised in musculoskeletal stuff.
He said I do have plantar fasciitis after all, told me how to refer myself for physio and offered me steroid injections for the pain.
It was good advice as I was worried I was making a fuss over nothing, but apparently I definitely wasn't.
I'm holding back on the steroid injections for now as I'm told the injections themselves are very painful and only have a 50/50 chance of any success, whereas even if I do nothing, the plantar fasciitis will go eventually in about 18 months!
If I get to a point where I can't cope with the pain, I'll go back and ask for the steroid injections, but honestly they sound a bit crap. He said it takes the same time to heal, whether you have treatment or not, or even whether you exercise or not.
-
Yep. Typical symptoms from where I'm sitting!
Steroid injections into joints act like WD40. They can be painful. They often work so what's to lose?
Gel inserts may well ease symptoms too. As with frozen shoulder, PF will heal in about 2 years: if the body doesn't move ;). Sometimes an operation to remove the painful spur is necessary.
Good excuse to go shoe shopping?
-
That's true, thanks CKLD.
I have some new super-cushioned trainers and gel heel pads. Skechers are good for being comfy and flexible, although I do need to get something cooler for summer and something good to wear indoors too.
I asked about suitable shoes when I went to the Shuropody shop and the woman who helped me, bless her, refused to show me the shoes that would fit. She said, "I'm not even going to show you them you'll hate them." She wasn't wrong!! :o ;D
Actually she said "you'll punch me!", which horrified me! I promised her I wouldn't, but I got the gist, the shoes for this sort of stuff aren't what I would normally want to wear, put it that way! Tbh, even my grandma wouldn't have worn these sort of shoes.
Thank god for trainers. No idea what I'll wear when I have to start having face-to-face work meetings again and I'll be expected to look all professional.
-
? slippers ? ;)
-
Hi - this weekend, I asked my brother-in-law, who is a sports medicine doctor, about my plantar fascitis. He said the best exercise to do is the following: stand on the edge of a stair facing forward, lower your heals down and raise back up 5x, repeat 5x throughout the day. Will be trying this and will report back.
-
That's good to know, thanks ShannPaul!
-
Altogether now ............ :o. I would need someone behind me in case I fell ! Make sure it's the bottom step ;)
-
I had plantar fasciitis in my mid 40s and a physio said it was often triggered by hormonal shifts at that age.
She recommended wearing Fitflops (not flip flops!) and not walking on bare feet all the time which I was doing when at home.
Fitflops are a bit pricey but they really did the trick. They do have sales on their website on a regular basis.
-
Oh really, that's interesting. How long did it take to go, Jasmine20?
It may be coincidence, but I do feel as though the excessive amount of time spent in the house, working/schooling/working/everyflamingthing in the past 16 months or so can't have helped!
@CKLD - yep, deffo be careful on the stairs!
-
Hi PeriWhat?!
It took a few months as I remember. I was doing exercises I found on youtube but the Fitflops made a huge difference.
And yes I know exactly what you mean about being at home so much. I actually had a bit of heel pain again recently for the first time in years and thought it must be me padding around in bare feet in the warmer weather.
I have some Birkenstocks which I live in over the summer but the Fitflops are more supportive. I have their ankle boots but need to get some of their sandals again.
-
Thongs are amazing, I was getting pain ball of foot and heal pain.
I live in Australia and bought Footlogics Tiki thongs, they have arch in the and shape to your foot.
And because it’s winter here at low 20 degrees I wear socks with my thongs all around my house. I look real classy ;D
I haven’t had a problem with my feet since. It was my doctors recommendation, when I asked should I see a foot specialist. She told me to save my money and buy some inserts for my shoes and don’t stand on hard floors without shoes.
-
:-\ :-\. thongs :-\ :-\ with socks :whist:
-
Thongs are amazing, I was getting pain ball of foot and heal pain.
I live in Australia and bought Footlogics Tiki thongs, they have arch in the and shape to your foot.
And because it’s winter here at low 20 degrees I wear socks with my thongs all around my house. I look real classy ;D
I haven’t had a problem with my feet since. It was my doctors recommendation, when I asked should I see a foot specialist. She told me to save my money and buy some inserts for my shoes and don’t stand on hard floors without shoes.
Good to know, thanks! Yes, hard floors with no shoes is terrible for us, as it turns out. Just Googled them and they're also about half the price of FitFlops in the UK as well. :)
Funnily enough I was just thinking about Australian ( I think?) Teva sandals and wondering whether we could get them in the UK now. I remember when I went to Australia sometime in the 90s, everyone was wearing Tevas and when I got my own pair to travel in I could see why, they were so so comfy - such an improvement on the terrible flipflops/thongs I was wearing!
-
Hi PeriWhat?!
It took a few months as I remember. I was doing exercises I found on youtube but the Fitflops made a huge difference.
And yes I know exactly what you mean about being at home so much. I actually had a bit of heel pain again recently for the first time in years and thought it must be me padding around in bare feet in the warmer weather.
I have some Birkenstocks which I live in over the summer but the Fitflops are more supportive. I have their ankle boots but need to get some of their sandals again.
Fantastic!
-
My husband swore by crocs when he had PF, so thats another option.
I am giggling at Lyncola needing socks when it's low 20's, haha in Scotland I'm in a bikini in low 20's :D
-
The sad thing is I was born in England, but came over when I was two. We get used to where we live. I wouldn’t but a bikini on, unless it was 30 degrees plus. ;D
-
My late friend lived in Brisbane and would 'feel cold' when it was 20C ;D .......... it was bad humidity there though :-\
Crocs? Don't they bite :D
-
I live in Brisbane too, and yes it’s the humidity that gets to you. Today is a very cold day with 16 degrees outside. Crocs the animal do bite but not the shoes ;D
Lucky no crocs around here unless you go to Australian Zoo. But plenty of terrible snakes, spiders, bats and of course the lovely kangaroos and koalas.
Got to love Australia, where else can you walk through your sliding door and have a snake fall on your head :o
-
:o - did U C the BBC News for Norfolk when a car mechanic lifted the bonnet to find a boa curled up :o. It was sleeping fortunately, in the owners' vehicle ........
I am happiest at 20C. Doable weather. It becomes muggy here prior to a thunder storm. ⛈ 🌩
My heels, due to wearing socks year round, are dry so DH puts Nivea cream on every night.
-
FitFlops are too narrow for me, but think I have found the answer with Skechers wide fit/relaxed fit flip flops and Velcro-fastening sandals. Just in case anyone else has the same problem finding shoes that fit!