plantar fasciitis-treatment tips?

Compression socks. Ice. Stretching first thing in the am. Lots of Advil. Worst case scenario, surgery.

Ice, stretching (any calf/hamstring) stretches help, shoes full time (running shoes with a heel to toe drop), inserts (Spenco not the Dr Scholls crap), anti inflammatories as needed. Any time you're not wearing your good shoes and inserts you're gonna be taking a step back in the healing (pun intended)

The steroid shot can help, but only if you're doing those other things

I'm a podiatrist, and probably 1/4 to 1/3 of my new patients everyday are plantar fasciitis

It'll take a few weeks to a month of doing all those things to get back to normal

You really need something more stable and supportive. Those would certainly be better than barefoot, but not as good as a running shoe. On that same note, you need a good supportive running shoe (ASICS, Brooks, NB, Mizuno) not one of those minimalist things you can fold into a pretzel.

I used to have feet trouble. Would wear arch supports and what not. Feet never were fine until I started barefoot running. Barefoot running built up my foot how it was supposed to be, all the support muscles and everything.

If you use supports you will always need supports to do what you want.

Also stretch your calves. The Plantar Fascia connects to the calf muscle.

Freeze a water bottle and roll under your foot. You are treating it wrong though. The more you cushion the worse it will get. Walking around barefoot or minimal shoes/sandals are better after stretching. Also do leg/feet exercises like Hindu squats, wall squats, calf stretches, balance ball, etc. The more you have to stabilize with your feet the stronger they become. It seems counterintuitive, but the less cushion; fewer feet problems. It will take a while, but more cushion is not the answer.

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but more cushion is not the answer.

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Definitely true. Most people who try to self-treat before coming in purchase some sort of gel or memory foam shoes or insoles. They do absolutely nothing. Support, not cushion, is the key.

Tried this but the best ball to use imo is a lacrosse ball bc it is stiffer and you can apply more pressure like a deep tissue massage. Every morning when I wake up, I roll it under both my feet for about 15 seconds each before I even get out of bed. Pretty painful the first couple of weeks, but now I'm pain free

You really should try a toy super bounce ball (the little ones that bounce high). Best for the feet.

Question: Do you walk/run a little duck-footed? Feet turn out?

I had it for about 3-4 years until I started stretching.

Squat down without letting your heels come off the floor while letting your knees go forward. Keep your back straight. You don't have to hold it or anything just do 8-10 of those when it flares up throughout the day. You will only be able to go down about a foot or so but that's all it takes.