I cant believe that no one seems to know this? I told my doctor about the study which I had found somewhere, and she blew me off. My condition has gone from bad to worse following the advice of my doctor and the sports medicine clinic she referred me to, as well as the footwear store I was referred to. Thank you so much.

I spent 5yrs going to doctors in Tacoma and Seattle WA, spending thousands and no results. I have just started this, only by thinking outside the box to change things up. So far the results are way better than what Ive paid for.

2 weeks in with toe spreader and zero drop shoes called minimalist shoes and stretching in opposite direction my 6 months of pain of 8 out of 10 is down to 3....foot feels lot stronger too. This is real ....thanks so much

I'm amazed! This makes SO much sense and the visual is proving this is EXACTLY what I've been painfully suffering from for TWO years. You name it, I've tried it, and nothing has worked. Incredibly - when I wear toe spacers, the pain in my inner arch is practically gone and I see tiny muscle flutters as you mention can happen in the early stages of healing. This tells me this is exactly what my foot needs. Can you tell me about how long it could take to see permanent relief? I've also purchased some Xero running shoes. The extra width in the toe box feels like heaven! At 34 with 3 kids, I just want to be active again without pain, and stop worrying what will set my pain off. Thanks so much for this video - you have no idea how helpful it is!

I have suffered with plantar "faciitis" for the past 8 months. I have done all the traditional treatments, cortizone, night splints, orthotics, stretching, anti inflamatory pills and creams, Graston technique therapy, massage. Nothing worked. I continued to have pain in my heel every day. After only one week of doing your stretches my heel is beginning to feel much better. I purchased the correct toes and proper athletic shoes and have started walking on my treadmill again. Thank you so very much!

Aaah yes stretching toes the opposite way really helps.. I had plantar fasciitis for 8 months.. I was on my feet all day it was literally painful I would be in tears by the end of the day... until I decided to stretch my feet and massage them myself every day twice a day... 5 months long it took for my feet to return to normal.. even now after a long day I still get home and restretch and massage my feet! It really does help.. even massaging my calf muscles helped!!

Thank God for Dr. Ray McClanahan, is all I can say. Two weeks ago, after a barefoot-style half marathon and an 18-mile run a few days later just out of joy, I've been experiencing what appears to be low-grade posterior tibial tendinitis in one foot. I'm 52 and undertrained so I should be more careful ... but after a week of studying online cures, what a relief to hear the clarity here! I believe I will figure out the imbalance and get even stronger because of it. How sad that the profession is mainly blind to the effect of shoes. Go Dr. Ray!

Wonderfully explained Doc , Thank you

This explanation makes so much sense! I wear pointy toe heels to work 5 days a week. But, what about when my pain is on the outer side of heel. Same thing, feel it the most when I've just gotten out of bed or when I first begin running but goes away once it's warmed up.

I followed these recommendation, using a single toe spreader between my big toe and next toe, and a 2” wide Kinesiology tape from just below my toes to my heal with about 80% pull. The pain started improving in days and in 3 weeks I was pain free. I have keep using the toe spacer, Povihome Toe Spacer. I spent about $30 on amazon, and no Dr fees...

This physician is GENIUS! I have a friend who is a physical therapist and about 10 years ago I suffered from plantar fasciitis she told me the exact same thing to move the great toe into abduction and to do isotonic stretches with my all of my toes. It was the exact same thing that he has shown! My plantar fasciitis has been resolved for some.time now but my Mom is now suffering. I tell people all the time that that's what works for me .So I think it's such an incredible solution! Congratulations! I'm forwarding this to all my plantar fasciitis sufferers. thanks Dr. Be blessed!

THANK YOU! I had plantar fasciitis from late June to October of this year. I was doing the conventional icing, stretching, etc. and was getting better, but very very gradually. THEN I saw your vid here. I stretched my toes out, used a hot foot soak, went barefoot when I could. In a FEW DAYS it virtually went away. I'm sure full recovery will take time, but i can't thank you enough! I can work on my feet for hours with no pain. God bless!

Wow! Thanks Doc. I have had bunionectomies in both feet and now PF and AT. BUT...'osis' vs 'itis' is a game-changer. Thank you. Will share your video with my physical therapist!

Thank you for correcting us about inflammation.

Great informative video. I've recently been suffering from heal pain, metatarsal pain and arch pain. I've been nothing short of disappointed by the care I received from my podiatrist. I wish I could find a doctor like yourself to help me.

Thank you so much Doc!

This is exactly what I'm experiencing and the doctor I was seeing was treating it completely wrong! This helps so much, thank you🙂.

My podiatrist laughed at me when I told him about the Dr. Harvey Lemont study. And he also was condescending and dismissive to me when I asked about PRP injection for my PF that has been going on for 9 years with no relief after every conservative, nonsurgical treatment. He told me to keep doing RICE and stretching because there “wasn’t any literature for PRP and PF”. I sought a second opinion from a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation doctor. I got my PRP injection three days ago and I already have relief from the pain I had from a TORN PF at the calcaneal insertion of the central band. I also use the Correct Toes because I stand for 12+ hours/day when at work. I switched to zero drop shoes, specifically Altra, Flux Footwear, and Topo. I am doing PT to strengthen my intrinsic foot muscles and calves. I found Dr. Ray through Dr. Angela Walk - The Plantar Fasciitis Doc. I love watching the evolution of this disorder and its pathology/treatments.

This is the most informative video I've seen...fantastic! I've been suffering from heel pain for a couple of months and have tried various treatments, including shockwave therapy.

Thank you for this seriously! I ended up not diagnosed with PF but was able to pass this on to people who were

Wish I had found this earlier. I always had a feeling that the exercise I was given was incorrect.Also had a feeling I should seperate the toes!!

Interesting vid - I am an older runner who developed planters in the last week with all the pain as described. I do the various exercises as described usually but havent seen this type of level of info before

Thank you so much . Will look into the toe spreaders now as the sock ones do not seem to be making any difference

This doc is so simple ......& he makes more sense than all the KZfaq vids I have seen......

U are 100 percent correct

Thanks for this video, you really provided insight to what may be wrong with my heals. I've been hurting for 10mths, going to my 3rd DR next week. I've been told its just plantar fasciitis, given meds and still hurting. Hopefully I will get he right treatment this time. Thanks again

Thank you so much for this. I'd been doing all the usual exercises that didn't work and in fact made the pain worse. Just the simple act of doing the toe extensor stretch is helping after just a couple of days.

basketball shoes especially ones from nike are all narrow foot configured. gone are the wide toe config of the 90s.

I developed this problem last year after a long trekking trip. As the pain was getting unbearable, I then bought a pair of Birkenstock sandals thinking that it will provide some arch support at least and ease the pain. Turned out that I forgot I had the pain and it healed quite quickly within a few weeks or months.

Thanks for the info!

Put your front half feet on a step. Push heel down 5,10,or 15 times whatever you can 1,2,or 3 times a day if possible. Cured me in a week.

I feel it in the morning, when ive been sitting for a longer time but its mostly on the outside of the foot

OMG!!!!! Thank you! Thank You soooo much. I'm an athletic trainer and massage therapist so for my right heel pain: I've done stretching in dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, golfball, reflexology shoes, heat, ice Advil , heel lifts. I' m going to try the great toe stretches and exercises and try the metatarsal pads. I'm in nursing school now so this will help on the long days I have to be on my feet for clinicals!! God Bless You all!!

Thanks a lot for your excellent videos, Dr Ray. I wish I'd live anywhere near you. Will the body ever get rid of the dead tissue? How can I speed up the process?

I have plantar fasciitis for almost 5 months on my right foot. I have tried everything. Physiotherapy, orthotics, icing, warming, stretches, dynamic stretches, running, strengthening etc. A lot of expenses to fix it, but still struggling. The pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain), has gradually decreased to almost 1.5 to 2, from 8 or 9 that used to be. But still i can't play football or run without the feeling of pain. I watched your youtube channel with much attention the last few days and i ordered the Correct Toe. I wish it'll work for me. I'll let you know asap. I have started some toe exercising you reccomend, for almost 4-5 days and i see some improvement, especially when i wake up in the morning and make the first step of the day. Thank you for all the great job you make. I couldn't believe the importance of the right walking and running. No one has ever told me the importance of selecting the right shoe. And what people mean by saying "right shoe" ? The right shoe is not the beautifull shoe, but it's the shoe that not deforming the shape of our feet. How misguided we are. But unfortunatelly we must come to a level of pain to search and find the truth. But doesn't this apply to all the aspects of life?

Thank you. I don't know what any of this means, but I'm fairly limber and my pinky toe started curling under the toe beside it ("yoga toe" or something - my routine was already moved to "light" or "no" core strengthening due to ovarian cysts; now it seems remaining routines have to be PT-modified, as well). 😢 So I'm wearing the toe separators. I stopped wearing them in my shoes (I'm not in shoes a lot because of covid, so I'm barefoot) because even in some minimalist brand, my feet hurt so bad I wasn't sure I could drive home! Last two mornings, I've woken up with "ouchie feet": like, at the ankle, but on "top" of the foot, where the foot meets the shin. I found a few exercises on YT tonight (my usual ones didn't help), focusing on hip and quads (and glutes) stretches. My arch doesn't hurt. Is it *possible I'm missing wearing heels?* I've worn them since college up until covid "furloughed". Most of my work now is stupid _sitting_ and I know that's not good. But the year before I moved from a 4" heel to a 2". 😅😥😭 And now I'm in minimalist or go bare-foot (or socked) with toe separators. The silicone gel has already done a bang-up job with my toes, but ONE "bad day" (no exercise, or forgot a pinky toe single separator) and I get that stupid blister on the inside of my pinky toe. I think I'm trying a heating pad, next. Thanks for this: I haven't heard of bunions (don't have that) and plantar fasciitis really so I appreciate the muscle explanations. But I really LIKE my feet and they're important and our podiatrists here are, um, "conventional" all the way. :/ So I'm sorta on my own.

Very well said thank you 😘😘😘

Wow I've never heard of it explained like that before. It makes so much sense. I definitely agree that it is a problem of circulation as I found that when I started sleeping on the floor it gave my body better circulation at night and it helped my PF a lot.

This video helped me so much. I watched 1 year ago and this worked immediately. THANKS SO MUCH!

I used to get toe cramps and feet was throwing up the westside. Nice to know why. Great video.

These are great videos and very informative. I recommend people go to your website and get those correcttoes

Thank you very much. This corresponds with other up and coming ideology of foot pain, however, you explained it so nice, that now I actually understand better. Kind regards to you. Kim, Australia

This makes so much sense! Great information!

Very interesting it completely reverses all the advice I've had so far! Will use this in my reflexology routines to see if any benefits! Thank you.

Thanks. Very insightful. I have had a similar problem but on the back of the heel on the other side (On the outer side of the plantar fascia - little toe side). I am doing toe spreading stretches......which actually does help. I had this nagging tug at the back of the heel toward the little toe side when walking, etc. In addition, the lump on that side of the Achilles tendon toward the little toe has been going down with stretches, etc. Katy Bowman's books (which I haven't tried) seem to go along the same lines. Thanks for taking a different tactic with this complex, irritating problem.

Dear Dr McClanahan - I love your correct toes product - it has alleviated my bunion pain completely. Thank you a million times over for saving me from that surgery. I wish you were on my side of the country! I hope you can help me better understand the plantar faciosis as a circulatory issue resulting in dead tissue and heel pain: If the abductor hallusis muscle is out of balance with the adductor hallusis and is cutting off blood supply to the medial heel, why doesn't sleep restore the blood flow? The foot is out of shoes and no longer constricting the muscle, so it would "seem" that this would be the time of least pain for the plantar fasciitis, but often morning is when the worst pain is. Will the abductor continue to constrict the medial heel during sleep until the adductor length is restored? Also, are you saying the dead tissue is what is causing the pain? Or that the circulatory issue of "trapped blood" in the medial heel is what is causing the pain? Thanks very much for your help. Meg

Wow, if only I saw this 6 years ago. This makes a lot of sense.

I was about to invest in some Tread Labs arch support but after looking at this video I will definitely get some toe spacers. Thanks for the informative video.

Great information

Excellent Discussion I had to move to NB running shoes with inserts because NB comes with widths. 11 2E is difficult to find. Also ASICS seem to run wider as well.

Do tell. Love this careful and honest person making a career truthfully exsploring the amazing human foot . Thank you.

Great video!! So I imagine you would recommend a Minimalist type of shoe!?!

Very interesting video. I am just getting started with treatment for heel pain-ice, orthotic, cortisone shot. Now I'm wondering what to do.

Thank you so much for this info. Do you know of a practice in SLC UT that is up to date with this info? I suffer from PF really bad & have been given the old info, the inserts for the shoes, stretching in the wrong direction etc. Where can i get the silicone separators?Also what kind of shoes would you recommend for a 5 yr old? Thank you for any and all information

Hands down most informative video and visuals that I've found regarding this topic. Thank you!

I had that problem with my feet I take calcium carbonate plus vit d400iu for a month no pain for 5 years

Thank you for explaining this! People have laughed at me for calling shoes foot coffins. I only ever said that to mean that shoes make feet atrophy. I didn't realize that shoes are actually causing tissue death!

I also mentioned this to my chiropractor and he said, "That's the first thing (about PF) that makes sense!

03:24 min. mark. This layman recalls the "My feet are killing me!" comment. In this case, the person's foot IS doing that very thing. Very helpful explanation. Still working on my condition, with flare ups, after 5 weeks of at-home therapy, including a "night sock!" Many thanks!

you da man ray!

Holy smokes, YES! Really great analysis, makes total sense. As far as figuring out how to gain the neuro-muscular coordination to activate the adductor hallucis, or the motor control to isolate that muscle, any recommended strategies or exercises? Usually when I'm trying to learn to isolate a muscle, I either stretch it until it says HEY I'M HERE! then learn how to flex it, or I load it in a position where it must bear weight. Neither one seems to be working for my adductor hallucis. Any tips?

Very good information. Thank you so much. Could soaking my feet help as well, and what should I put into the water?

Excellent info, I provide a massage to the ankle post the acupoints....... so helpful. I will also pass this info along. (:

Very enlighten and well done presentation... Is it reversable, or what would be the ultimate cure for this issue if your therapies didn't help symptoms associated with pain of either osis/itis diagnosis? What kind if shoes would be beneficial.

This was really well done....... but what I truly realized. My toes are JACKED!!!!

Can a person lose wheight when the have this pain

This sounds so right but so do all the other doctors that recommend rolling your foot on a tennis ball/ rolling pin and icing not heat, I saw two doctors in office. One completely contradicted the other. Both highly regarded. Both confused me even more. I will continue with the calf and tendon stretches and icing. Three months ago, I could barely walk, pail level 8. Today I walk everywhere with pain from level 1 to 2. Many helpful videos helped emensly.

I've been having pain and soreness in my feet, thought I had plantar fasciitis but now I've lost feeling in my heel, toes, and the bottom of my feet, not sure if this is the reason but gonna give this a try

So well done. Thanks!

I had purchase some toe spacers awhile ago for no reason except I knew my big toes were pointing inward from 20 years of ballet point shoes and my feet looked just like a they were in a point shoes all the time and thinking that's not good at all so I bought these toe spacers, now I'm motivated to use them. I quit bc it hurt and lots of cramps but I'll just keep at it and improve my electrolytes and VITAMIN E. It was there a LONG time so it's going to take time to change. Thanks for all your great info here. Another doctor said dont flex and stretch, POINT and stretch and that makes sense. Hopefully I can get rid of this PF, I'm a trainer and cant afford to stop too much.

Thanks great explanation

How long is this suppose to take on average to fix your toes/feet? Ive been wearing the separators and they are helping greatly, but how long to wear I don't have to wear them anymore?

Wow incredible explanation. Thank you

Toe shoes and going around barefoot more often helped me get rid of plantar. Took a while though since I have been running in big motion control footwear for years. Really like going without the big shoes. Also, never twist my ankle anymore running trails. Give toe shoes a shot. Just work slowly into them.

Informative video, makes a lot of sense, thanks. But I do have a question. Now that you have established that PF is a matter of dead tissue - how is recovery a likely outcome without removal of excessive matter by surgery? To put it differnently: can dead tissue find it´s way out once it´s there, only by the means described in the video and if so how does this transformation work. One would think that hard matter has do be broken down and transformed somehow, before it is "disposable" - in lack of better understanding?

Can you give a timeframe of how soon this might work? I'm desperate. In intense pain for 4 months - not relief doing any of the other things that you mention do not work. Thanks.

I enjoyed this video for it was very informative. The only issue I have is bunions. I like to go the alternative route myself, and hopefully have my feet set back to normal position without surgery. I'd like to inquire about the best shoe and device for bunion correction that will actually work.

This is awesome! Thank YOU!!! I'm at wits end with my PF'osis. Nothing has worked. This makes sense.

great stuff

Thank you very much Dr. Ray. I have been diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis and have had little relief in the left foot with the cortisone shots and the night splints. The right foot was not as bad, and have had good results with that. I also was told I was developing bunions. Morton's toe runs in my family and on my left foot the toe is quite a bit longer than the big toe, and the right is slightly longer. My foot doctor says this has nothing to do with my foot pain, but everything I am reading states otherwise. I am 70 years old, have always been active but this is slowing me down. Your video really has me thinking trying your method and maybe changing doctors! Appreciate your information!

Can you please post a link to the taping video I am having trouble finding it. Many thanks for this vid btw, indeed stretching my PF seems to aggravate it, I do also seem to have rigidness in the first metatarsal as well.

If taping to support the arch in the short term helps, why is it not helpful via orthotics in the long term?

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

brilliant! just developed this problem in the last month, hopefull y from your vid i have the cure.. many thanks

Why am I only learning this just now?? Great informative video!

I'm excited to see this, Dr. Eric Berg, another KZfaq sensation agrees and also recommended the stretches, but your understanding goes far beyond to mastery. please make more videos to spread this knowledge.

This is what i felt right now... So painful both feet.. 😢😢

I just wish I can send you picture of how mine looks. I’ve been in so much pain. I have back problems including 2 herniated discs and sciatica pain on the right leg. But This started happening for 2 years I work in retail so I’m standing for more than 8 to 10 hours a day and constantly moving going up and down escalator. Today was the worst I though I had a ball inside my feet. Don’t know what to do.

absolutely facinating and makes perfect sense. wow.. this is real knowledge

Could this help explain my vericose vein I got at a young age too?

hello, is it good to wear orthotics when having plantar fascitiis?and usually they don't recommand wearing flat shoes

Great ..thank you. very informative and helpful . I am also suffering from the heel pain since 2 months. -- Preethi

It's hard to tell, did I just massively overdo my excericse (after never doing any) or is it this? Its so painful in my left foot I cant stand

Quick question. I have Morton’s Toe-would you still recommend a metatarsal pad? Because I was reading that padding would be mostly beneficial on my large toe as opposed to all of them. Probably a weird question, I know. Lol.

Has there been any cases of Correct Toes curing achilles tendinopathy? I used to be an avid runner, but quit due to crippling plantar fasciosis pain, as runner's knee and sciatic pain. I've tried too many methods and seen too many "doctors" to list in this box. Everthing has healed completely over time, either with the methods used or on its own, except my achilles pain and it is debilitating. I have very wide feet and as a kid trying on shoes at the store I would cry and throw tamtrums. My parents just thought I was just difficult. And for my whole adult life, whenever shoe shopping, I would hopelessly spend a whole Saturday driving to 5 or 6 shoe stores, trying on dozens and not find a pair that fit, which would result in me wearing shoes way past worn out. The last pair of shoes that fit sort of well and I actually liked was in 2009. I currently walk around in steel toed boots (5E, the widest on the market) on my days off work, because I can't be bothered to go shopping to only find pointy shoes. I've only just heard about Altra shoes and thought "Aha!"!!!!!!! I've ordered some and will pick up CT tomorrow as well. I'm excited that maybe I can get my quality of life back.

I have p f for more than 10 y ears. After watching your video I remembered once several years ago I walked like for more than 4 hours with no problem but I Was wearing sandals ( the once you put your big toe into it) I am going to try it again. Also there is a way to separate your big toe with tape.

Wear wide toe box shoes and boots. Podiatrist said: "I can't stress the importance of stretching as well as wearing wide toe box shoes. No heels, no dress heels....unless they have a wide toe box, so not to push your big toe sideways. I did find great wide toe box hiking shoes. I hike all over the white mountains in NH with no problems.

This video was very informative for me. Thanks!

Thank you

Hello,In that area of the video (time marker 3:34, when that muscle pulls on the big toe, could that also cause numbness and a tingly feeling at the toes? Thanks!