An inflammation of the plantar facsia (the muscle that supports the arch of your foot)
The second week we were in our house I was swiffering my floors when all the sudden I couldn't put pressure on my heel. It hurt so bad!!! I kind of blew it off for a few days thinking that maybe I just pulled a muscle or something. Three days later the pain was much worse and my left heel was double the size of my right heel! OUCH!! I went to see a podiatrist and he said I have a classic case of plantar faciitis (pronounced fah-she-itis). Apparently I have really high arches which makes me a perfect candidate for this condition plus the fact that our house has tile and hard wood floors throughout, adding to the problem. He gave me a cortizone shot in my heel (which hurt SOOOOO bad) and gave me a steroid pack. Well, a week later it was definitely worse and I had a hard time doing anything. If you are a mom - you know how difficult it would be to be out for the count for a few weeks. I went back to the doctor and he seemed really surprised that the treatments didn't help at all. So, he gave me a boot to wear for 2 weeks which I only wore for a few days. I know, I know...it's horrible non-compliance, but wearing it only made my situation worse and it was much easier to just not wear it. When I had it on it took me 10 times longer to get anywhere I needed to go, it still hurt to put pressure on my heel inside the boot therefore I was still tippy toeing with the boot on which then caused my shin to bruise and hurt - not to mention the fact that Eden was afraid of it at first and people just looked at me weird! Well it's been a month and a half since this all started and I am STILL dealing with it. It is not near as bad as it was and some days are better than others. It is more frustrating than anything. By the end of the day my feet are aching and throbbing and in the mornings I have to use the bed as support to get started! Nick has been so sweet to massage my feet every night which has helped some, but I still can't get rid of this pain!
If you have this or know anyone that does...What do you do to help it????
7 comments:
Carissa,
I haven't had the exact problem that you are having with your foot but I had something similar. I had bruised my bone and muscle in my foot right above the start of my arch. They put me in a walk shoe which didn't help AT all. They did give me some medicine which didn't really help either. My foot was very swollen like you said yours was. It was caused from wearing high heels all the time , ha!
But I bought a pair of mary jane crocks that I could wear to work and they really helped heal my foot. Sounds weird, I know.
I do recommened icing it and elevating your foot as well, I'm sure you are already doing that.
I hope it gets better soon!
Carissa-
This is Hunter Gaulke. Ashleigh was reading your blog and passed on your call for help to me... the uncertified student physical therapist! Read ahead with Caution!
Plantar Fascitis is one of those conditions that isn't super easy to just "fix". There are multiple non-surgical treatments to try, including the aforementioned boot :(
Patience is key to getting through this. The physicians who came and lectured on this topic recommend: NSAIDS (like Advil), orthotics (like your boot), and calf stretching excercises. The calf muscle and the plantar fascia both attach to the same bone, but on opposite sides. Try stretching your calf muscle out (3x 15-30 sec twice a day), to get some 'slack' in your calf muscle so that its not pulling the fascia so hard.
I know you hate that boot, but consider wearing it at night if its not too uncomfy. This will keep your foot in a neutral position and prevent your calf muscle from getting too short and pulling on that fascia (thats what happens when your toes are pointed while you sleep). You can also try ultrasound treatment at a PT clinic. Massages are good too, Nick, keep those up!
Your podiatrist should know this, but only receive ONE corticosteroid injection. More than one can cause the fascia to actually rupture. OUCH!
Only consider a surgical option if there is no relief from pain for 10-12 months.
Okay, all the information above is just a friendly recommendation, not professional advice or treatment!!!
Finally, my mom has the same problem. She went to a podiatrist for it and they did some WEIRD stuff to her that ended up getting her foot infected and was really scary. I don't like podiatrists for that reason and based off what we learned about the profession at school.
B/C of the situation with Jon Michael and then my health I REALLY recommend getting more than one opinion. Its not that the first doctor was "bad" its just that some have more info or have looked into things further than others and have special "tricks" that they each use. ALSO, look into other doctors that might be related to the condition, like a sports medicine doctor might have another take on it and another way to treat it.
I hope that makes sense...I get very frustrated that we as "normal" people have to exhaust ourselves looking for answers for our health and this is just a few ways we've gotten results in our family.
Let us know what happens.
Carrie
Sadly, you already know I suffer from this. I got it after my Boot Camp in February of 08. In addition to what I told you the other day, I would really try to do a lot of stretching.
Can I just say that I feel awkward telling you this when Rachel would have a lot more to add than me?
Anyway, stretching it out before you get out bed and before you go to bed helped me. Just flex and point like 30 times before you put your body weight on it.
Then, during the day, so sets of calf raises, achilles heal stretches, etc.
Basically, the non-compliance thing will not work girlie ;) You gotta comply for it to get better.
Thank you for all your comments! I have been walking everyday this week and it may sound crazy but it seems better since I started. I don't know if it is the conditioning and stretching that the walking provides but it is better. Thank you!
-Carissa
Thank you for all your comments! I have been walking everyday this week and it may sound crazy but it seems better since I started. I don't know if it is the conditioning and stretching that the walking provides but it is better. Thank you!
-Carissa
I've got it and my doctor told me that flip-flops are the worst thing for it. So I wore tennis shoes until it got better and it helped a lot! Every once in a while, it'll flare up and I'll just my tennis shoes for a few days and get better.
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