What is plantar fasciitis?

There are blogs for just about everything these days – cooking, photography, fitness, travel, and even sewing. (I’m not sure how much there is to write about sewing, but hey – I’m all for blogging, so whatever!) But one thing I haven’t found are many (if any) blogs about foot pain, particularly my old friend plantar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis, PF.)

PF can be extremely painful, and unless you’ve experienced it yourself, it can be hard to understand what it’s really like. Since you’ve found you way here, chances are you’ve either experienced PF firsthand, or at least know something about it, but for those of you who are new to it altogether, PF is, according to Dr. WebMD:

“…one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia). Plantar fasciitis commonly causes stabbing pain that usually occurs with your first steps in the morning. As you get up and move more, the pain normally decreases, but it might return after long periods of standing or after rising from sitting. Plantar fasciitis is more common in runners. In addition, people who are overweight and those who wear shoes with inadequate support have an increased risk of plantar fasciitis.”

Simply, it SUCKS. Imagine having sharp, stabbing pain in the bottom of your heel with every step you take. Considering that the average person walks between 5,000 and 7,000 steps a day, that’s a lot of pain. PF is common with runners, but even sedentary people like myself, who spend 40 hours a week sitting in an office and may only take 1,000 to 3,000 steps daily, can still have PF. Risk factors, according (again) to WebMD, include:

1.  Age. Plantar fasciitis is most common between the ages of 40 and 60.
2. Certain types of exercise. Activities that place a lot of stress on your heel and attached tissue -  such as long-distance running, ballistic jumping activities, ballet dancing and aerobic dance - can contribute to an earlier onset of plantar fasciitis.
3. Foot mechanics. Being flat-footed, having a high arch or even having an abnormal pattern of walking can affect the way weight is distributed when you're standing and put added stress on the plantar fascia.
4. Obesity. Excess pounds put extra stress on your plantar fascia.
5. Occupations that keep you on your feet. Factory workers, teachers and others who spend most of their work hours walking or standing on hard surfaces can damage their plantar fascia.

I’m 24 years old; I don’t do long-distance running, ballistic jumping activities (whatever that is), ballet, or aerobics; I’m not flat-footed, and don’t have a high arch or abnormal pattern of walking; I’m not obese, and I don’t have a job that keeps me on my feet. That eliminates me from all 5 criteria, leaving me wondering, as I have been since this all began: why me? Well, as I’ve now been told by four different podiatrists, I’m one of the lucky few who is stuck with two possible risk factors that cannot be changed: 1. genetics (my aunt and cousin have suffered from PF as well) and/or 2. I might have been born with a tighter, inflexible plantar fascia than most people.

One thing I have learned about PF – and if you have it, you already know this – is that it’s one hell of a persistent disorder. I have tried the following (some more than once) to alleviate the pain of PF in both of my feet, with little to no success:

1.       Cortisone injections

2.       Wearing night splints

3.       Wearing a walking boot

4.       Physical therapy (9 one-hour sessions)

5.       Heating, icing, and elevation

6.       Stretching

7.       Exercise

8.       Minimally invasive surgery (particularly the TENEX Procedure, in November of 2017)

9.       Custom orthotics

10.   Heel inserts (both the gel-y Dr. Scholl’s kind, and harder, cork-material kind from my doctor)

11.   Medication (in the form of Naproxen)

When I’ve told my doctors and physical therapists this, the first thing they usually do is raise their eyebrows. It’s not that they don’t believe me, it’s that they can’t believe I’ve tried so many things and gotten very little relief. Most days, I can’t believe it either.

A lot of people have never heard of PF. My response to the question, “Why do you have a boot on your foot? What happened?” is usually met with blank stares and another question: “Plantar what?” But then there are those who just know, those who have been there, done that – and these people have been a tremendous help to me. Knowledge is power, right? I’ve come to find that there’s only so much knowledge I can gain from the Internet, books, or even my doctors; learning from the experience of others is priceless.

That's the point of this blog, if nothing else. I would like to help others by sharing my experience with PF, what's worked for me and what hasn't. It's also a way for me to get the frustration of dealing with chronic foot pain out of my head, and turn it into something productive. I hope that by reading this blog, you will have gained insight into what life with PF is like, and may even have suggestions or your own story to share.

As always, I can be reached on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/plantarwhat/ or via email (wsmalls12194@gmail.com) to answer any questions.

Thanks for reading,
Becky