advice please on plantar Fasciitis' sick leave

[matteo]

Hello All. Advice needed please. I am a postwoman worked 4 years almost in this job part time. Royal mail footwear. Never really bothered before but a month ago got a pair ordered and started wearing them immediately. started getting pains in my legs and cramps in my feet but plodded on. which i had picked up on this sooner but i am now in terrible pain with the heel on my right foot and can barely walk down the road
had to come out of work last week as couldnt do my walk. been on sick leave one week, doctor diagnosed severe plantar Fasciitis' has anyone suffered from this and can someone tell me the time scale i am lookng at to get better? also sick leave what am i entitled to? got a note from the doctor for work but worried about staying out of work too long due to financial commitments

[poacher]

Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is an overuse injury causing heel pain which may radiate forward into the foot. Plantar fasciitis can also be known as a heel spur although they are not strictly the same. A heel spur is a bony growth that occurs at the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone (calcaneus). A heel spur can occur (with repetitive pulling of the plantar fascia) on a foot with no symptoms at all and a painful heel can have no heel spur present.

just rest your foot in a bowl of warm water then strap it up making sure that you have good support under the foot.
you can cover yourself for the first 7 days with a self cert,then doctors notes will be ok for as long as it takes.
Hope this is ok ?.............................

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Loads of info and links here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis

[apple]

ye i got this a while ago also known as Police mans foot [don't see many of them walking now]

i had two weeks off with it, i was lucky as other people on here have had far worse experiences than me
i used to massage it with some oil, have it in warm water and massage it, and the two weeks off work whilst good, not so good when you can't do anything when you cannot walk!

saw RMs health person knew all about it as she said "have told them so many times that they are crap shoes we have a standard letter for them"

I now get money off the DOM to pay for my trainers as i cannot wear the shoes at all, the boots are not too bad, only time i wear them is when it's snowy or icy, just incase i have a trip and they come back with [you were not wearing the shoes provided] as if they would do that eh?

hope that helps, get well soon!
but don't go back before your ready! it will make it worse

[Lame duck]

Hi, IM takeing RM to a tribunal involving PF it is coverd by the DDA disability discrimination act it will be the only way to keep RM off your back. If you can convince a rumatoligist to state it is likely to be long term (over a year) sevear (not minor or trivial) and afects you day to day activities (you canot walk for 10 minuts without sevear pain) all medical devices should be discounted when ansewing these three Q's. If you get this you will be bullit proof. Pf can last for months or several years but will only get worse if you walk on it. it can take 6 months to go away. See a podiatrist asap and get insoles made they are worth thier wight in gold

[hooniebagoonie]

my wife works for london transport and got this condition through wearing there shoes
doctor told her that rest is the only cure but was also advised to take anti inflamatorys (cuprofen) ... she had a couple of weeks rest and took the tablets daily for 6 months and now she has no problems at all

[ten_mile]

Wear trainers or running shoes with a good arch support. It did the trick for me.

It takes a while to go away but it will.

The new footwear seems to be better I think they're called Magnums....sort of a boot with a trainer sole..??

Good ol Royal Mail and their cheap s**t shoes....

HEALTH AND SAFETY...

[wakkono]

the new shoes issued are really awful no one has them in our office now they do make your feet and lower legs hurt
i might be wrong but i think the cwu has allready flagged this up with royal mail not about quality but about the slippiness of them when wet

[Keano]

Hello All. Advice needed please. I am a postwoman worked 4 years almost in this job part time. Royal mail footwear. Never really bothered before but a month ago got a pair ordered and started wearing them immediately. started getting pains in my legs and cramps in my feet but plodded on. which i had picked up on this sooner but i am now in terrible pain with the heel on my right foot and can barely walk down the road
had to come out of work last week as couldnt do my walk. been on sick leave one week, doctor diagnosed severe plantar Fasciitis' has anyone suffered from this and can someone tell me the time scale i am lookng at to get better? also sick leave what am i entitled to? got a note from the doctor for work but worried about staying out of work too long due to financial commitments

get orthotics fitted as a matter of urgency.Did the trick for me.

[vigilante]

the new shoes issued are really awful no one has them in our office now they do make your feet and lower legs hurt
i might be wrong but i think the cwu has allready flagged this up with royal mail not about quality but about the slippiness of them when wet

You are right there mate!
On some surfaces they are like walking with glass soles.
We have sent in a complaint about them I've nearly gone a over t with em!

[vigilante]

Hi, IM takeing RM to a tribunal involving PF it is coverd by the DDA disability discrimination act it will be the only way to keep RM off your back. If you can convince a rumatoligist to state it is likely to be long term (over a year) sevear (not minor or trivial) and afects you day to day activities (you canot walk for 10 minuts without sevear pain) all medical devices should be discounted when ansewing these three Q's. If you get this you will be bullit proof. Pf can last for months or several years but will only get worse if you walk on it. it can take 6 months to go away. See a podiatrist asap and get insoles made they are worth thier wight in gold

Let me know when your case is due mate.TA

[stroltroll]

Hi, There's loads of us out here with this problem and Royal Mail won't accept that they are to a large extent to blame and it will get worse the more they put onto us and the hours they are trying to force onto us with longs and shorts.

GET OFF YOUR FEET - this is the only way it will recover.

I had/have this complaint which started in 2004 after 25 years service (which I was told by the doctor is unusual) and was wearing PO shoes. I was completely off work for 6 months (full pay - one would be on half pay after this for a total of 6 months) and light duties for another 6 (no delivering) and have been on a partial walk and indoor work every since. The last year to two years I've spent trying to get them to adjust my walk so I'm not doing all stairs which is believed along with the shoes to be the reason why I got it in the first place. RM are still refusing to adjust my walk by giving me a road or so which has no stairs even though a specialist report states that I am capable of doing a whole walk - they would rather pay overtime to someone else to do the bit I can't do and then pay me overtime to do a bit which I can do - work that one out!!

Though my foot is more or less there I have to monitor it all the time as it still gets achy and if I pushed it too far it could deteriorate and have been told by others that it can come back years later - so be careful.

Hows your claim going lameduck? Please let me know if you get anywhere as CWU solicitors don't fill me with confidence though they are trying to get it added to the Government list of disceases as one can't claim Injury/disability benefit through them.

[matteo]

Thanks for all the replies. really helps to know i'm not alone here. i was off work totally 4 weeks. 2-3 weeks later still cant walk more than 10-15 minutes without severe pain. have tried everything! R.M paid for private physio. but only 4 sessions which didnt really help as not long enough. i'm working in the office on light duties only..my boss is so supportive but R.M want me back on delivery. i cant see that happening for a long time. i'm wearing trainers now with a gel heel..tried strapping the foot, heat therapy. cooling the foot in cold water, resting it, walking against the pain...its a no win situation..waiting for RM to call me with a telephone interview to discuss the stage i'm at..my boss said to tell them straight, its impossible to return to work full time
hes concerned they will make an unfair decision against me..

Postwoman :)

[stroltroll]

Go sick - they cannot sack you.

You are entitled to 6 months full pay - 6 months half pay and your foot needs the rest to recover. By continuing to walk on it you are making it worse. I tried for about 3 months and it did more harm than good.
Operations are not a guaranteed success and can make it worse by making the heel numb - permenantly.
Rest will eventually make the foot improve till you can walk properly again. There are exercises you can do - contact me privately for websites with these. I have answered another post with these on if you check out my previous posts.

DON'T LET THE MANAGERS BULLY YOU INTO CONTINUING TO WORK. ASK FOR AN APPOINTMENT THROUGH RM WITH ATOS ORIGIN. THEY SHOULD ALREADY HAVE OFFERED THIS TO YOU - THEY ARE IN THE WRONG IF THEY HAVEN'T.

[leiwolf]

I have collapse with fallen arches a few years back, had 3months off sick, cut a long story short, ATOS has filed a report to my dom to tell them that unless I go to an indoor duties (due to my disabillities as well) its gonna get worse. My dom even tried to medically retire me I am only 29 (was 27). Also just been told a few weeks ago that I be better off changing jobs within five years as the job and footwear is making it worst. My advice is get ATOS to send you to a phsycio as it did wonders with me.