Perhaps your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory pills (or just buy Advil, Motrin, etc. if you can tolerate them). You have to take them as directed and keep taking them every so many hours and they can irritate your stomach, so check with your doctor. I didn't think they helped until I stopped taking them and realized that they "took the edge off" the pain.
Also -- and this is important -- ice. Get one of those plastic things that are made to go in the freezer and then into a cooler then when you watch TV or sit down put your foot on the cold -- and keep it there as long as possible.
The Birkenstock sandles work well for a lot of people -- my doctor said it's a combination of the footbed with arch support and the open back. They're expensive, but I got a pair at QVC and they were a bit cheaper than the stores. They're ugly and I know you're only 24, but if you get them at QVC and wear them and don't adapt you can send them back. And you can wear them to work with socks. Check our the Birkenstock web site -- they have a "celebrity watch."
Several years ago (when my feet were still very tender and I was still very nervous) I found some beach clogs at K-mart -- made of rubbery plastic and have little "bumps" all over the footbed. They cost at that time about $5 and I'm wearing them now. Keep looking at shoes and try them all on.
Get the best sneakers you can afford -- Avias work for me, Reebok and Nike do not.
About the exercises, keep at it. You can't do them for 3 or 4 days and then say they don't help. Give it twice a day for 2 months. You might not be well by that time but you'll be better. Impatience is dangerous.
This is a terribly depressing illness. It's depressing to put up with the pain and it's depressing to lose your mobility (especially at your age). But you must get physically and emotionally strong. Don't eat junk food, get as much sleep as possible, and take good care of yourself.
I wish I could give you a solution, but I hope one or two of these suggestions help you.
Best, Dorothy
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