The info I gave in post #8, which is what lemurhouse contradicts in post #22 (frankenstein shoes), I got from an orthopedic surgeon/professor emeritus at a large university based teaching program. For the last 20 years he's specialized in treatment of the foot and ankle, developing both non-surgical and surgical approaches to chronic and acute foot ailments.
But go ahead and read up on it on the internet. You'll find there are surgical procedures that can be done for long term sufferers, but there are certain parameters you need to meet. Or stay off your feet and maybe it'll go away, until you start using your feet the same way as before, and it'll come back.
It's about treating the problem effectively, and changing your habits in how you use your feet, so it doesn't come back.
You could try the frankenstein boots--which sound as though they have no flex through the sole, thus splinting the Plantar Fascia and heel cord--and after a few months your PF will feel better, but the underlying problem will not have been resolved, and your gastros will have become even shorter. Frankenstein boots were standard treatment until the 90's, and still is with many podiatrists and orthopedists that don't have time to keep up with all the continuing ed that is available.
One of the largest populations with PF are construction workers, which wear boots with steel reinforced toes, a shank in the sole, and are laced up tight. Clog-wearers. People who walk/stand on rock-hard surfaces for long periods of time. Over-weight people.
My PF problems haven't recurred in the 12 years since.