<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

And here, finally, are the last of the responses.....(hope it doesn't get
BOUNCED BACK FOR BEING TOO LONG)

Our doctor said if our ankle bothered us in the morning it meant we were not
getting enough sleep and we were eating too much sugar.  He was right!  This
week my ankle has bothered me every morning.  Tonight I get more sleep and
today I will start eating right!!

 My friend has recently went on the celiac diet at 59 years of age.
Although he has notbeen diagnosed, (hard to get a knowledgeable doctor
in rural Alberta) we are sure that this has been the underlying cause of
many of his health problems.  About 2 years ago he went through some
painful times with his feet. The diagnosis was plantar
fascitis(Spelling) and he started wearing Nike air shoes with better
arch support and the problem went away. Nearly all of this year so far
he has been plagued by this pain in his feet which he assumed was the
same problem again. He bought new shoes, then bought orthotic arch
supports and neither of them solved the problem. This time, in addition
to the pain they also burn painfully. Now, in retrospect he is not sure
why the pain went away, because obviously the orthotics in the shoe
aren't the answer.  This is where I come in (in the long, long story). I
have done a fair amount of research on the internet regarding the
burning feet and my theory, from what I've learned is this: because of
malabsorption, he is low in the B-Vitamins and in particular B-12.  Now
you can't (shouldn't) take b-12 on its own as you can throw out the
balance of the B's which can create other problems.

Plantar fasciitis does not have to be realted to celiac.  I think it is more
likely related to age and wear and tear.  My dr. said I have it because of
high arches and the nature of my work (nursing). He said if it goes
untreated, it will the turn into bone spurs, but he gave me lots to do.
First, antiinflammatories, Advil, Naprosyn, whatever you can take.  And stick
with it.  This is very important, he said.  Second, warm and cold soaks to
the feet.  Fill two foot basins, one with cold water and a handful of ice
cubes, the other tub with warm/hot water.  Soak feet 2 minutes in cold, then
4 minutes in hot, alternate for total of 15 minutes or so.  Do this twice a
day.  Also, stretching exercises for the muscles on the bottom of your foot.
One is to stand on a step with just the toes of one foot on the step, stretch
the rest of your foot downward.  Do 3 times.  Another is to sit on the floor
with legs straight out in front of you.  Take a long piece of cloth or soft
belt, wrap around top of foot and hold the ends in each hand.  Pull back
towards you so the foot is stretched.  do this twice a day also.  It sounds
like a lot of bother, but it really works, it helps the pain so much, you
will want to keep doing it.  My dr. also said, this comes in cycles, so after
you get rid of it, it may come back.  Go back to the meds, soaks and
stretching if it does.


It is called Peripheral neuropathy. Some mornings I can hardly walk. There
is some research going on about it's connection to celiac. The magazine
Living Without had an article about it this month. My doctor has been
treating me with B12 shots, but I don't think it does any good.

Anyway to heal this painful problem I used an ice cold cylinder (frozen OJ,
glass, etc.) to roll back and forth under my arch while watching the evening
news.  Everyday, or especially after a run.  Stretching is very important and
if you do something like calf stretches (extending arms in front of you and
leaning into a wall with effected foot extending out behind you) but with the
heel kept in contact with the floor, ground, whatever, it will help relieve
the pain.  Do the stretching as often as you can think about it.

a good foot exercise, from my Dr., squeeze you foot and toes as if you were
trying to pick up a cloth from the floor, curling you foot inward. we walk
all day pressing the foot down and out, so use opposite muscles to curl it
up. Also he advised NOT ever to walk around without a shoe on. Dr. says as we
age the foot needs a lot of support and the bottom has lost the spongy
elasticity of youth.

I sleep on my tummy w/ my feet hanging over the end of the bed, instead of
laying there w/ my toes pointed all night.  It was much worse for a while and
riding my husbands car w/ my toes pointed again (my feet as squared to the
floor in my van) made it much worse.

It's probably just a sprain that will heal.  Shoes that don't fit quite right
can also cause the problem, expecially if the don't have arch support in the
right place or compress a high arch.  Have you gotten new shoes lately that
could be have started the problem?

I had the same thing several years ago, but only in one foot. It is extremely
painful. I saw a podiatrist who gave me a shot (? cortisone) in the foot
which fortunately worked.  He said it might or might not and might or might
not last. I was lucky because it did work. A friend had to get two shots
before she got relief. He also recommended arch supports, the ones you can
purchase in a drug store but good ones. I think mine were ?Spensers? etc. You
also need to stretch out your heel cords, they shorten overnight or when you
have been sitting for a while. You can do it before you get out of bed,
extend your leg up in the air, loop a strap over the bottom of your foot and
pull so you are bending your foot towards you.  Do it several times. During
the day you can also stretch by standing 2 or 3 feet away from a wall while
facing it, then lean forward keeping both feet on the floor, or, hanging on
to something, you can let your heels drop over the edge of a step or block.
Do this frequently and use the arch supports.

You may check out Candidia Albicans on the net.  The symptoms over lap with
Celiacs. www.bodyecology.net/candi.html Test for candidiasis when all else
fails.

SHOCK THE FOOT breaking up the [pain cycle) using the Ossatron Machine
along with FENETRATION. (they drill one or two holes - extremely small -
in your heal and drain about 2 tbls of blood causing less pressure on
the heel. The last step is to sever the muscle that goes from your toes
to your heel.  THIS PROCEDURE TERRIFIED ME.  You would have no pain, but
you have to walk on this foot the rest of your life. In retrospect.  Now
that it is over.  I wish someone had told me about this years ago. I had
the FENETRATION/EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE done and when I went in I was
in severe pain.  When I WALKED out there was no pain. The whole
procedure was PAINLESS because I was asleep.  I didn't even feel the IV
because they gave me Lidocain rubbed on my arm before inserting the
needle.  This procedure is usually done at a Pain Management Center.
They know how to make you comfortable. The doctor tells me it will be
about 3 months before we know if it worked.  But I feel FABULOUS now.
If it doesn't work this time I will definitely do it again.  It's
painless.  My foot hasn't felt this good since 1995.

Stand on the bottom step with only the ball of your foot or feet, and
let the heel hang down to stretch the muscles in the back of your legs.
Do this many times a day. When you do not want to wear your best quality
tennis shoes, put a piece of 2" wide tape from just under your toes all
along the length of your foot and up onto the heel. Put another strip
crosswise to hold this firm against your arch. I used a paper tape made
by 3M that I purchased a medical supply store in Fargo ND. It really
works! (My editing:  Yes, it does indeed work!  I did try this and I was
able to walk without pain for the first time in months, thanks!)

Interesting as my 13 yr old daughter recently diagnosed with celiac.
A few weeks ago she was complaiming of ankle pain. We have been worried about
bone disease and she takes a calcium supplement but we were also wondering if
the ankle pain was related to celiac in any way. She rested and made sure to
wear sneakers instead of flip-flops for a few days as they provide no
supprot. Now seems better.

The docs here in Savannah are VERY conservative so I went through a year's
worth of "treatment" before they finally operated the first time.  I had
cortisone injections, PT and exercise, icing it down, anti-inflammatory
medications, etc.  Nothing helped so they finally operated and cut the fachia
(sp???).  It took a long, long time for the foot to heal - I had numerous
stress fractures that I am SURE are related to the osteopenia that I have.
With the other foot, they didn't wait so long to operate - we were going to
Spain and I had to feel better.  As it turned out, I took the "big boot" to
Spain with me - if anything the recovery after my second surgery was longer
than the first.  I even went to a orthopedist in Atlanta b/c I get getting
stress fractures - he was absolutely NO help AT all.

The only one of my 5 kids who has had the same trouble is the only one
with celiac. I wonder if that means something.  warning:  It does help
to wear proper padding (EX Dr.  Scholl's) in one's shoe heel but be sure
you wear it in BOTH heels or you will have hip problems ultimately.

I had plantar fasciitis a few years before knowing I was celiac. It
went away completely after going gluten free.  I still occasionally get a
problem with another spot on my foot up closer to the toes.  I tried putting
DMSO on it and that makes the pain go away.  It does come back, but not for
a long time.  If I ever got the fasciitis again I'd try the DMSO.  It's a
very potent antioxidant that vets use on horses for arthritis, and then on
their own arthritis when they get it. It's available in health food stores.

I too developed it about a year ago.  I consulted my doctor and got a
referral to our sports clinic where the physiotherapist fitted me for
custom orthothic inserts for my shoes, gave me stretching exercises to
do and other instructions.

Please seek this kind of help because it does not go away on its own.

I have had a lot of trouble with this.  My Chiropracter says that I should
be evaluated for connective tissue disease, because muscle/tendon/ligament
stuff happens to me all the time.  Connective tissue disorders are not
uncommon as part of the Celiac spectrum of related illnesses, I am told.
For my feet, I wear customized orthotics every day, and 61/2 days a week
wear good athletic shoes as my standard footwear.  When my plantar faciatis
hurts, I ice my heels a half hour twice daily (with frozen peas or a frozen
whole chicken!)  I try NEVER to take a step upon the ground without shoes
on. I limit the amount of time I spend walking on sidewalks, in malls,
wherever there are cement surfaces.  Most of the time now, my feet feel ok
because I've been doing this for a year.

Many people get these symptoms...they will pass...make
sure you are getting enough minerales and are not
doing too much carbs to get yourself too acidic.

Hope any of this is of help.  Stay well.

Love and peace,

Libby
NYC