Policeman's Heel

S

sean1

Location
UK Northwest
Policeman\'s Heel

Anyone heard of this? It a condition of the foot that can cause considerable pain as a result of long term weight stress on the underside of the heel of the foot. The scientific name is plantar fasciitis

The reason I ask is because with the boots I am wearing it sometimes get really uncomfortable while wearing spikes on removals. The boots are £140 arborist boots but after a year they seem like average run of the mill type. There are boots with steel inserts on the sole of the foot but would this help relieve this pain as well as I imagine?

My friends dad got the above mentioned medical condition through years of stepping on spades while digging so I was wondering if there might be the risk of something similar from using spikes.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

i had a friend who got plantar fasciitis. she was a professional modern dancer and dance teacher and martial artist - lots of foot flexing. i think it was pretty painful, and vaguely remember taping her foot being part of the treatment. never heard of tree climbers particularly getting it though. bummer dude!
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

My wife had it and the doctor attributed it to pointing her toes whenever she sat in a chair. It was very painful and the cure was wearing good shoes with proper arch supports and not going barefoot. She only takes her shoes off when it's time for bed.
Phil
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

Sounds like one of those conditions that television ads would give a 3 letter name...

Got "PMH" ?

Like they way they do the restless leg syndrome "RLS".
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

I had a chronic case of this condition caused by(in my expert opinion)Years of wearing spikes and running on hard earth and neglecting to stretch. End result- my achilles tendon popped like a banjo string while skiing one day. It was a grueling recovery. So: stretch stretch stretch. Stay well hydrated. Probably wouldn't hurt to visit a physio and get some pre-emptive training to help it. Oh yes and a good pair of orthotic foot beds. I feel nekid without 'em.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

Another device that should help is from Buckingham called a "climbers footplate". It is a flat steel plate that fastenes to the stirrup giving the climber something that is close to a flat floor to stand on, regardless of the shoes he has on.

This might work. The Buckingham site is not the easiest site to navigate. No search function. But try this and scroll down to "Climber Foot Plate" item number 35033.

http://www.buckinghammfg.com/linemen/pccps.html

A stretching aide is to roll your foot over anything like a glass soda bottle( I prefer a 12 or 16oz "Coke"). Just keep rolling you foot back and forth over the bottle and it will help to stretch out the muscles of the foot.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

Never tried the buckingham footplates, but heard they are only good when standing on the stalk. If your trying to move around in the tree they sound worthless. Try a good pair of arborist boots with a steel shank. I went with danner lineman boots and so far they are working great. Have your groud and trim boots handy when your not removing because you do feel the extra weight of the arborist boot.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

My dad had this as a result of being a letter carrier-- walking several miles a day over varying surfaces. His treatment some 30 years ago involved wearing a U-shaped heel insert and taking the series of cortisone shots. I think he was fortunate that the medical treatment was all he needed. I wish you well.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

Thanks. I've convinced my bosses to buy me a pair of Haix Pro Protector arborist boots. Besides making me taller they are great so far. They have a steel shank in the sole so that should do the job. I've thought of finding a really lightweight pair of crampons and putting the spikes over them. Anyone tried that?
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

My wife and mom have it.
Try rolling your foot on a golf ball for about 1/2 hour a night while watching TV, this really helped them.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

I’m still trying to over it, I am using the ‘superfeet’ inserts and they are helping. I also have found that rolling my foot over a frozen can of beans helps also.
 
Re: Policeman\'s Heel

FWIW I had a similar problem that also turned out to be the Plantar Fasciaitis.

My heel would hurt no matter what i wore. But my work boots caused me agony. After about 2 hours in my boots my toes would cramp, feel like a 4 inch splinter were being driven through the knuckels of my toes and they would burn like I had a hot coal om top of my toes.

Every morning when I woke I could not walk because of the pain..I hobbled around and held on to door knobs, chairs anything really, until I could tolerate the pain and get some meds into me.

Anyhow, I purchased a pair of insoles from "Barefoot Science" They said it would take time for results. The first day I wore them my toes stopped thier little torture routine.

After about 2 months I was able to hop out of bed in the mornign without discomfort.

Today, over 7 months later, I am pain free,sleep better and my boots don't wear out as quickly as they used to.

I think you can check them out at QVC.com or Barefootscience.com.

Pricey yes, but given the pain, may be worth it. Be sure to get the extra heavy duty model.

When these wear out I will definitely get another pair.

(btw, the inserts I have are still in very good shape even with everyday use.)
 
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