I've had plantar fasciitis for two years now. When I first developed the condition, I switched to gym shoes, got a cortisone shot (didn't work), and needed to take 8 months off of any activity, especially dance. I later got shockwave therapy (ouch) which eventually helped. I now sleep with a night boot, and while it's slowly healing, I've been told it will never go away. However, the real issue is taping. My podiatrist showed me two ways to tape, using 1.5 inch tape around the arch of my foot, which I've done since I've been back to dancing. My teacher told me though that it's cutting off my circulation and making me put more weight on either the balls of my feet, or my heel. I've googled other ways to tape which involve the criss-cross on the bottom of the foot (and lots of other tape). Is anyone else dealing with plantar fasciitis? Do you use this method, and can you still do turn/releve/pointe work effectively? Thanks!!

I had a mild case of plantar faciitis a few years ago, mostly affecting my flat left foot. I still, and will forever, do foot stretches daily: the heels-off-the-edge-of-a-step kind and the foot-up-against-the-wall kind. Occasionally when watching TV I'll put on the boot. When sitting at the computer, at this very moment for example, I have the ball of my left foot up on a box and the heel off the edge stretching the sole of the foot and the achilles tendon. So far this (plus strengthening, doing lots of tendus and releves) has kept the problem from coming back.

When I was recuperating taping worked wonders! I did the criss-cross type using a stretchy, translucent medical tape. (Looks sort of like scotch tape but isn't.) I think there's even more kinds on the market now. The pattern was sort of like this picture.
www.uptodate.com . . .
However, unlike this photo I didn't use a tape up the side of the foot. That pattern might work for some people but for me it was the criss-cross which was most effective. There were a couple of other differences. I did a several overlapping go-arounds of a narrower tape instead of just one, large, tape. I tried one tape which was about 1/2 inch wide and another about an inch wide. It's hard to say which was better. I put the tape directly on the foot and went even further up the sides to anchor it. Unlike the photo, I added some loops going around the ball of the foot to help keep the tape in place AFTER, not before, the loops were applied. I applied the tape with my foot somewhat pointed so that when I stood on it with the foot at 90 degrees to the leg, the stretchy tape was really tight and supportive.

It took several experiments to see what pattern worked best for me but it was very successful. It was like giving myself an extra set of artificial muscles on the bottom of my feet! It didn't interfere with walking or any movement but of course the more vigorously I moved the more quickly the stretchyness gave out and the more quickly it had to be replaced. With sweaty feet you have to replace it after a while, anyway, just like you have to change your socks.

Wow thank you for that taping advice, I'm going to try it tomorrow. Very helpful...greatly appreciated!!