Hi Chris

I currently have been fitted with the custom made orthotics which I wear every day while work. But I don’t wear them while playing golf. I have worn then on a number of occasion but round them to be no benefit while playing. I am concerned thou as my feet really hurt after about 15 holes and I stuggle to finish each round. Forgt playing 36 holes unless I’m in a buggy. The pain is so great it travels right up my legs into my calf muscles and especially in my archillies, which I have to constantly stretch. I am very disappointed with the inner soles I have been fitted with as they cost me a great deal of money and have made no difference.

Regards

Digga

Hi Chris,

I also have a problem with footwear generally and use generic orthotics all the time after discovering the benefits for sore, tired feet and legs many years ago. However, I recently purchased a pair of Adidas shoes after I my Footjoys let me down on sidehill stances. My feet would tend to come out sideways as the FJs have very little lateral support. The Adidas have much better lateral support, but are a very stiff shoe and I’ve found them quite uncomfortable after 18 holes.

How do we go about finding good comfortable supportive shoes. I’ve always found The Athlete’s Foot to be very good for fitting but unforunately, they don’t sell golf shoes.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

You could give the orthoheel ones (available at Chemists) a run. These are reasonably cheap.

I have used the standard ones for a few weeks at a time when my feet start to give me some grief. When they settle down I stop wearing them.

They also make a golf specific one.

If these don’t solve your problem then you probably need custom made ones and you a looking at hundreds of dollars for each set and these will probably need replacement from time to time.

Hi Chris

I currently have been fitted with the custom made orthotics which I wear every day while work. But I don’t wear them while playing golf. I have worn then on a number of occasion but round them to be no benefit while playing. I am concerned thou as my feet really hurt after about 15 holes and I stuggle to finish each round. Forgt playing 36 holes unless I’m in a buggy. The pain is so great it travels right up my legs into my calf muscles and especially in my archillies, which I have to constantly stretch. I am very disappointed with the inner soles I have been fitted with as they cost me a great deal of money and have made no difference.

Regards

Digga

Digga,

Go for a soft orthotic(like a formthotic) or give them the bullet. In my experience I have found that a rigid polypropylene orthotic are terrible for sports, while they may be okay activities of daily living, such as your work.

The first thing I would ask you is when did you last replace your golf shoes, but go and consult a podiatrist and if the first thing they try and sell you is an orthtotic, without a comprehensive injury assessment, walk out the door.

Maybe go back to your original podiatrist with your problem.

You could give the orthoheel ones (available at Chemists) a run. These are reasonably cheap.

I have used the standard ones for a few weeks at a time when my feet start to give me some grief. When they settle down I stop wearing them.

They also make a golf specific one.

If these don’t solve your problem then you probably need custom made ones and you a looking at hundreds of dollars for each set and these will probably need replacement from time to time.

The most important thing is to get a correct diagnosis and go from there. Many problems can be cured without orthotic intervention, if diagnosed and treated correctly.

I have small tears in the muscle that goes underneath the ankle and then through to the toes. I went to them 15 times at least trying to fix the issue and still I have had no joy. I believe they made custom orthotic in a soft srtyle as well I am just really pissed that they didn’t provide them first up.

I that 9 pair of shoes, nike, addidas and a couple of others and I end up in pain with them all. Some are almost sneakers they are so soft.

So the quest continues to fix my “F”ing feet.

If you have a foot problem I think you need to find a top Podiatrist. It is like medicos some are OK to various levels of good, a few are amazing in specialties an there are some duds.
I have been to a few dud Podiatrists over time. I am currently seeing a very good Podiatrist. I don’t have to go more than occasionally now.
There are no hard and fast Rules about flexible and “rigid” orthotics. The flexible types are much cheaper but they wear out a lot quicker and tend to loose shape a bit. I use a few pairs of these still but now concentrate on rigid types. Cost a few hundred bucks but worth it.
In the past few years I have found SoftJoy e comfort are the best shoe for me and I work with the Podiatrist to get the fit of the Orthotis just right.
Podiatry with orthotics is part science and part craft. Both parties, the patient and the Podiatrist have to experiment together to get it just right.
Without orthotics I’d be in big trouble trying to play golf. Now I have no problem and walk unless forced to take a cart.
There is another thing. If you really need orthotics and don’t wear them you will put strain somewhere else, could be hip or knee or both, for example.
Ask around and find the Podiatrist with a strong reputation in your area. Don’t give up if you don’t crack the jackpot first time.
Good Luck!

Reading your posts again Diggaboy 1 I would like to suggest you may need to see a modern Sports Medicine Doctor who is working closely with a Podiatrist.
My wife has good results with such a Practice at Crows Nest, Sydney.
I go elsewhere and haven’t needed a Doctor for my foot issues.

It’s jkust a pitty they don’t guarantee their work. I real reluctant to go and invest anthoer thousand dollars in visits and orthotics when there is no promise of a fix. I went back to the old pod and all they want you to do is try something different and of course keep paying them. This guy has been in the industry for years and years. Supposed to have been very good. I disagree.

You might be right I might need to see a doctor. Cheers.

I have small tears in the muscle that goes underneath the ankle and then through to the toes. I went to them 15 times at least trying to fix the issue and still I have had no joy. I believe they made custom orthotic in a soft srtyle as well I am just really pissed that they didn’t provide them first up.

I that 9 pair of shoes, nike, addidas and a couple of others and I end up in pain with them all. Some are almost sneakers they are so soft.

So the quest continues to fix my “F”ing feet.

Digga,

It sounds to me as thoughtthey have diagnosed you with Plantar Fascitis. Have they done any further testing after a poor outcome with the orthotics? If you have gone to them 15 times or so for no real positive outcome, I would agree with Languid and look for an alternative podiatrist, even more so if they did not try an OTC orthotic first up to see what result that would get.

Are your feet painful first thing in the morning when you get out of bed?

Digga,

Did he recommend any non-orthotic intervention like exercises, stretching etc

The worst. Sunday mornings after golf, I have incredible pain. most mornings are uncomfortable. Right on the points of my heels.
I feels like I walking right on the bones. I find that stretching and massage of my calfs and archillies help a great deal. The this is where the tension begins.

OTC?? In the end I was just to there to get a massage to break up the lumps in the muscles

Diggaboy,

One of my best mates has had awful trouble with his feet (Plantar fascitis as well). He, as you sound like have spent $1000’s on seeing multiple physicians who are keener on payment than solutions. In the end, he found a physio who simply told him to roll his foot over a rolling pin every night, because his plantar fascia was hell tight. Within a week his pain had halved and now he is playing football without much pain. He had the problem for 18 months, seeing various people who did nothing for him. They gave him angina patches for his feet and all sorts. The rolling pin is free and might be worth a try.

He then got fitted for orthotics by a company in Sydney, which I have also used. They include a physio and a Podistrist working together. The orthotics I had have helped me amazingly (I had multi-level disc bulging when I got them 3 months ago, I’m pain free now). My mate got orthotics from them as well. The physio specialises in postural alignment and the consult, orthotic and fit cost me $400. If the orthotic is wrong or hurts you, they adjust for free. They also cast using a standing machine, which is theirs and patented.

Might be worth a look. I’d try the rolling pin and see how that goes.

OC

Cheers Guys.

I have a piece of broom stick at home still I’ll go back to that as I know It brings instant relief, but I’m not sure how long it’ll last. It’s just so pain ful to do. Just have to suck it up for a while.

Digga,

Here’s what I would recommend:

Before golf:
Apply a heat bag to both your heels for 10 mins or so. If you don’t have time cheat and apply Deep Heat.

Straight after golf:
Ice the affected area for 20mins (every hour if possible). Use an icepack or for better effect a polystyrene cup of ice and massage into the affected areas. Also apply an anti-inflammatory gel and massage this in aggresively. Stay off the sauce post round (this is a tough one!)

Every morning before getting out of bed:
Massage affected area by rolling aggresively on a golf ball or foot roller. Do this for five to ten minutes each foot and multiple times during the day if possible. Heat bag can’t hurt either to get blood flow going early doors. Do some plantar fascial stretching as well as your leg stretching. Your podiatrist will be able to show you this and so will Google.

You can also try a night splint for plantar fasciits. Again a good podiatrist will be able to help you here.

Hope this helps somewhat

OTC = Over the counter.

A rolling pin is also an option but a golf ball is better as it can really offer some deeper massage if you apply pressure.

Sounds like a good idea Digga. I can’t imagine how much both releases would hurt. The bonus with fascia is that the pain of release does subside if you do it consistently. My mate found his pain almost disappeared when he used the rolling pin morning and night. He stopped and the pain came back. Suppose the thing is not to stop. If it stops you feeling like you’ve been shot in both feet, it’s probably worth it!

I’ll get my mate on the golf ball. Hopefully he’ll let me watch hahahah

OC

Digga, If you have pain in your heels when you get out of bed it could be caused by heel spurs. I had one in each heel years ago and the pain was nearly unbearable, could not put heel on the floor first thing. I was put onto a silica tablet that you buy at a health food shop. They were Natures Own brand, 200 tabs in a small oval container and cost about $6 (5 years ago). I took 6 a day for about 3 months and the pain went and has not been back. I have told numerous friends about silica, some have had relief in a couple of weeks, most a bit longer. I was told about and tried orthodics to no avail.Spurs are are mostly caused by wearing flat soled shoes (no arch) or thongs a lot, your arch flattens out and stretches tendons and ligaments in the heel which then causes the spurs and pain. Some people have cortizone injections to relieve the pain but it will eventually return when it wears off. Give it a go.

Cheers

Nice work on the Silica.

One thing that people do not quite understand is that arch-flattening (or pronation) is actually a normal or required motion to absorb shock, provide stability etc, however it can become a problem when it’s excessive. In this case it causes excessive loading at the origin of the plantar fascia, causing bone remodelling at the heel which can develop into a spur.

There is not a great deal of difference in conservative management of plantar fasciitis and heel spur.

Digga, If you do have a spur, and it sounds like it, have a look on the internet. All the remedies other people have posted, rolling pins, bottles and golf balls have all worked,for some people, I think they break the point of the spur down with the consistent rolling. Others have had operations to file the point away, to get rid of the pain.
To anyone who has not had a spur I can tell you that it is one of the most ongoing painful things you can have, particularly in the morning when you get out of bed.

Cheers,

Digga

I have high arches, am 6 ft 4 and 120kgs. That is a recipe for bad feet. hence i suffer from Planter fascitis.

I have the added benefit of a wife who is a gifted physio with extnesive knowledge of feet (mainly due to the fact that she destroyed one of her own when she tried to drive on the same piece of road as a large truck…at the same time).

She recommended me to an Orthotist. He just makes orthotics. He measures your feet, watches you stand and walk and then makes the orthotic. They cost me about $180 a pair and the last pair lasted for about 4 years. I have just renewed them. Theya re the flexible soft variety which are obviously personally tailored to my foot.

I can’t walk on hard surfaces without them. With them I have aboslutely no problems.

So whether you seek a podiatrist, a physio or an orthotist I suggest that you get them “made to measure”. Good luck

Thanks guys I appreciate all the suggestions. Podiatrist is scheduled for Thrusday. I’m going to the golf ball massages tonight. All your help and suggestions I will give a go. Thanks Again