For anyone with foot issues, I thought this might be interesting/useful.

I went last week to a new Podiatrist as my PF has been the worst ever lately - the pain literally keeps me awake at night. She did several tests, including an ultrasound, which revealed that the fascia in my left foot was not only inflamed, but actually has tiny tears in it. We discussed various exercises and therapies to do at home and she cast me for custom orthotics, which should hopefully be here within a few days. She also asked for a list of footwear I'm currently wearing. When I mentioned my Birkenstocks she literally threw her hands up and hollered "stop wearing those Birks immediately"! She asked me how long I've been wearing Birks and I said since last summer (when I bought my black/white polka dot pair). She then asked if my PF has gotten any better or worse since. When I thought about it, it has gotten progressively worse despite stretching, ice bottle rolling, etc.

In her opinion, Birkenstock footwear is the worst thing to wear on your feet unless they are perfectly shaped like your foot - which is apparently quite rare. Because they have a fairly rigid sole, you are literally forcing your foot to conform to a hard shape that is not natural. To prove her point, she took my left Birkenstock sandal ('cause that's what I wore there) and put the fiberglass cast of my left foot in it - I could not believe how the shape of my foot didn't match the shape of the Birk.

So my Birks are now gone. I'll be keeping my Naot footwear (I have two pairs of shoes and one pair of boots) as the footbed is removable and my orthotics should (hopefully) fit in them. After that, we'll have to take an inventory of what my orthotics do and don't work in and go from there.

ETA: She was thrilled to hear I was wearing Vionic ortho heel slippers at home and I do feel tremendous foot relief when I put those on. We have a local store with limited Vionic selection but a brand worth pursuing once I get my orthotics.