Week Seven

I am feeling better in the morning. While it still have some pain upon getting out of bed, it is milder. On a scale of 1 to 10, it had been an 8 and now it is a 6. I have been using the athletic tape every morning and remove it at night before bed. The tape gives me a lot of support throughout the day. I've been stretching my calves three times a day, and I've noticed that in the morning, it relieves some of the pain immediately.

I received the gel heel inserts that I ordered. I have been wearing them in the evening inside of a pair of casual shoes. I always wear my athletic shoes during the day. The other item I ordered is not what I thought it would be, but it might help anyway. Its a slip on support for the heel with a gel insert. The insert can be frozen to ice the heel. I will try it tonight rather than using an ice pack. I need to give it some time before I can see if these devices are helping.

I continue to limit the amount of time I spend on my feet, but it's difficult. There is so much to do, but I can't.

The Beginning

It's been six weeks since I first noticed the heel pain associated with Plantar Fasciitis. I had no idea what the pain was from and continued with my normal daily activities which included walking three miles a day. I thought that my foot might have been strained from a city trip where I had spent a whole day walking. I had hoped that my foot would heal on its own without any type of treatment. After two to three weeks of no changes except that the pain was slightly worse, I decided that my shoes were shot and that could be the source of my problem. I bought new athletic shoes, but I didn't research enough to find a pair with enough support. I also bought a pair of over the counter shoe inserts. Another week went by and still no relief.

I started to research the causes of heel pain on the Internet. I was not surprised to find that I had all of the symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis, most notably the sharp pain after stepping out of bed in the morning. My next step was to try stretching my calves, something I had never done before and after walking everyday. I ordered a pair of heel cushions and an arch support to wear at night, which I still haven't received yet.

Week five, I bought new athletic shoes again. Even though they were very expensive, I chose a well constructed pair with enough support. I will never go back to cheap shoes again. I continued my stretching twice a day using the runner's stretch and put ice on my foot in the evening. Through all of this I continued to re-injure my foot when I stepped out of bed in the morning.

Week six, I found out about a procedure that athletes use for foot injuries, which involves taping of the foot. I just started this last week and already, I am feeling some relief from the pain. I also never go without shoes except for sleeping and showering. I even put my shoes on for late night trips to the bathroom.

I am far from being over this. I know that until it heals, I can risk a new injury and have to start from square one. I feel like I am walking on eggshells sometimes. I've read that it can sometimes take two years for the Plantar Fascia to heal. It's been difficult since I have had to severely curb my daily activities. I work at home which helps and I can only do a minimal amount of housework everyday. I had to stop my daily walks and am gaining weight.

For now I am continuing with my self help treatment and I will keep you updated.