I know there are millions of messages on her about shoes, walking, etc., but I have an on-going experience to share. We went to Europe last summer, and I took two pairs of expensive walking sandals that are very comfortable. We walked miles and miles everyday for a month with no problem, and I was very proud of myself for being able to do it. About a month after we got home I was experiencing so much pain in my heel that I almost couldn't walk when I got out of bed. It is plantar fasciitis, and is caused by not enough arch support for flat feet, and not enough cushioning in the heel. It is now January, and I still have this, although it is slowly getting better. It is a real pain in the neck, and I wish I had known about it. I just thought if the shoes were comfie and didn't smash my toes, I was good to go. I know there are lots of votes here for Mephisto shoes, but they are not perfect for everyone---especially those with flat feet. Just be sure to take shoes with lots of support and heel cushioning! I am now only wearing athletic shoes with extra heel cushions until my foot finally gets well, and this is after 6 months!

<BR>Fashion statement for all those who ask what to wear in Europe-----wear tennis shoes

I also suffer from plantar fascitis and there is nothing any shoe can do to prevent it. When I saw my foot doctor he looked at my Echo shoes and said, &quot;well, you couldn't be wearing better shoes&quot;. I must wear hard inserts in any shows for the arch support. No shoe made will do that for you. But in the three years I've been wearing those inserts, I've not had a single problem, despite walking miles and miles.

<BR>From what I know, being overweight can also be the cause.<BR><BR>http://heelspurs.com/index.html

I do not know what plantar fasciitis is, but I have flat feet. I was born that way and have always had this problem. As a 5'9&quot; male weighing 150 lbs, I do not think my problem is caused by being over weight.<BR><BR>My daily commute is a five mile round trip walk on pavement, so you would think I would be used to it.<BR><BR>My solution was to buy lightweight 'day hiking boots' in black leather.<BR>Worn with pants, the look like sturdy shoes. They have a steel shank protecting the arch from flattening over uneven ground.<BR><BR>Downside is they set off the metal detector every time. I motion to my feet and they hand wand them and are satisfied.<BR><BR>Other downside is they can be very hot.<BR>(sniff sniff)

Cathy,<BR><BR>does this bring back memories(nightmares) or what? I went to london-paris in 2001 and ended up with major foot problems for 3 or 4 days of my trip. <BR><BR>I did not pay attention to those here on the board and paid for it dearly. those heel inserts make the biggest difference. Part of my problem was that we started out in London at 90 miles an hour and after about 2 days of that, not only were my heels hurting but I had major blisters under the pads of my toes for both feet. I spent an hour each night soaking my feet in cold water. finally on the 3rd day I begged off the group and gave my feet a rest for two days (light walking only) I still had 10 more days to get thru. although I recovered enough to make it thru the rest of the trip, I still was plague with some pain and had to take it slower than others.<BR><BR>I can't stress enough for people to walk and I mean full out walk for a month before going and try out your shoes. I not talking brief 1 mile quick jaunts once a day. its the quick start and stop and standing all day that does it. because I had worn both pairs of my shoes on and off for 6 months I thought they would be okay. wrong! <BR><BR>Since then, I went to a podiatrists and had them send off casts of my feet for special walking shoes. now, I know what you are thinking....grandma's ortho's, but these look just like walking shoes (easy spirt etc) but they are made to fit my feet and support my pressure points. I also have a special inserts for my heels when walking and standing a lot.<BR><BR>I also tested them out, not by doing jogs or neighboorhood walking, but by going with a friend of mine on a weekend window shopping spree (she bought, I window shopped). we were in and out of malls for 2 days. with my older shoes, I remember that by about a half aday of that, my back would be hurting as would my heels (I should have known). with the special shoes, I was still going strong after 2 days. <BR><BR>I will be 2 pair of them on my next trip. One pair is brown and I am getting a black pair a couple of months for tryout before I go. dressy shoes for night dinners only.<BR><BR>we live and learn!

Cathy, I would go to an orthopedist if you haven't already. The information your doctor has told you about plantar fascitis is contrary to everything I've learned about the condition in the 5 years I've dealt with it.<BR><BR>For instance, you could not develop PF simply by walking around on one vacation, unless you felt an injury of some sort. For example, it took me about 6 months of running in improper shoes to develop it, and another friend ran about 8 marathons before getting hit by it.<BR><BR>Also, I've just learned to live with the pain. It won't go away completely, no matter what shoes I wear or how often I stretch or what kind of arch supports I wear.

I heard an orthopedist in SF tell about a new surgery that just requires a quick easy snip to release the pain. You might want to research that.

Patrick, I also wear the arch custom arch supports. They're not pretty but I no longer have to hop around on one foot for the first 30 minutes after I wake up. They need to be custom fit (don't buy the mass market ones) so see a podiatrist. I've been wearing mine for years and never have heal pain anymore.

Cathy,<BR>I've had plantar fascitis for 2 years now, I literally woke up one morning with a horrible pain in my heel. I've been through a small fortune in shoes trying to find the &quot;right ones&quot;, I have had cortizone shots (not a lot of fun, trust me)and now have custom made inserts (you need to see a foot doctor, these are made by prescription). The inserts are great, (should be they were $375 and my insurance would not pay) but you cannot wear them in all shoes. <BR><BR>This condition is caused by years of abuse to your feet, by that I mean improper shoes, no arch support, etc. It does not happen overnight, nor does it usually go away. With the proper inserts (orthodics) it is tolerable and you can usually get on with life. I have had to limit my walking tho because of it and only take a certain kind of shoe to Europe when we go every year (believe it or not the best shoes I've found for my inserts and feet are $39 Propet's .. I tried at least 20 different kinds of shoes and all ended up at Goodwill. <BR><BR>Good luck with your &quot;condition&quot; and please see a foot specialist.

I had pf in my marathoning days. My doctor prescribed orthodics which immediately removed the pain. They were covered by my insurance plan. Good luck.

I developed plantar fasciitis in late 1997. The recommended treatment was custom orthotics, birkenstock sandals to wear around the house and some physio (ultrasound, massage, stretching). The last was fun, but probably a waste of time, but I still use the other two. The cure was near instant. I did a walking holiday in the lake district in May 1998. Since then I have done walking holidays in south Devon, Cotswolds, Pembrokeshire Coast, Brecon Beacons, North Wales, Lake District again, Isle of Arran. And I continue to do brisk walks of 15 to 20 km per week as my major form of exercise. So yes, see a doctor that will take the condition seriously. (I was lucky, my GP had suffered it himself and it took him about 3 seconds to diagnose and recommend treatment)

I think I have this - I was diagnosed in college. Something along the lines that I step too hard on my heels. The solution is very simple - buy a Dr. Scholl's heel cup for less than $10 and put it in any pair of shoes that you use. These cups distribute the weight throughout your foot. <BR><BR>The important thing is that once you put on your heel cups, that you try to start walking normally, even if it still hurts. Eventually the pain goes away. I ususally get my pain back in the summer when I wear mule-type shoes, because then I can't wear my heel cups. And regardless of what people in this forum say, I often wear sneakers (PUMAs), because I can conceal my heel cups well.

Well, let me wade in on this and, despite the conclusion that every problem we have in America is caused by excessive personal weight, mine most certainly is not. I will give you the insight of nearly 15 years of dealing with this and other related foot problems. I have been to orthopedists and podiatrists and have spent up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for treatment and some fancy insert “appliances”. Generally it seemed to minimally help with one problem while almost instantly creating another. Last year on a trip to London I was reduced to walking with a cane, changing(very expensive) shoes 3 times a day and was still unable to walk past 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It was miserable and it really negatively impacted the entire journey. The old saying is true, that when your feet feel bad you feel bad all over.<BR><BR>Finally, out of sheer desperation and upon the advice of a friend, I went to a standard shoe store and bought an off the rack insert by Birkenstock for about $50., which I’m told is considered rather pricey for over the counter inserts but was far less than what I had paid from the “professionals. Was it the end of the problem? No. But my feet seem to be slowly healing and feel better than they ever have in my recent memory. These inserts are invisible when in the shoe, took a couple of days to get used to (as opposed to a month or more for some others) and have really turned things around for me. In addition I do a couple of short exercises daily including rocking from heel to toe while standing and rotating the feet first clockwise then counterclockwise while sitting on my desk. It may sound too simplistic for some of you and surely won’t work for everyone, but I read your posts and had to let you know what (finally) seems to be working for me.<BR>

After years of suffering from Plantar Fascitis on and off, I finally found the one thing that works really well (inserts including orthotics are of some help) but this REALLY works:<BR>an adjustable Plantar Fascitis SPLINT. You wear it at night only - it takes a little getting used to but my pain was gone after 3 nights (my Dr. had said that I might have to wear it up to 2 weeks). Whenever I feel a twinge of heel pain, I use the splint for one night - pain gone. It works because plantar fascitis is aggravated while you sleep - most people sleep with their toes pointing downward which over stretches the foot. The splint holds the foot in a &quot;neutral&quot; position - (basically flat) - thus preventing further over stretching. I got mine at a pharmacy that had a lot of sports medicine equipment.

Had similar problem. Had some physical therapy done on my foot &amp; some chiropractic work done on it. That has helped tremendously. I tried the hard heal inserts &amp; those did not help at all. I just buy the $10 - $15 Dr.Scholl's inserts &amp; arch support &amp; they have worked beautifully. I don't wear sandals or walk barefoot anymore, except at the beach. I wear Reebok walking shoes &amp; they are excellent. Don't have to wear the inserts with them. But I still need to be careful how I walk &amp; on what type of surface, so that it doesn't flair up again.

People, Ultrasound,massage,and rolling your foot over a tennis ball will do wonders. No need for an orthopedist. Drugs and surgery are a last resort for Plantar fascitis

Wow! I had no idea how common this problem is! Thanks to everyone for sharing your advice. I just hope that those who are so concerned about &quot;what to wear in Europe&quot; on this forum take heed, and wear shoes that offer good support and lots of cushioning. No matter how cute you look while walking through Europe, it will not pay if you end up with these problems. I should know---I hate not looking cute!!