plantar fasciitis

I have been going to the gym for years, walking around the neighborhood for just as long, hiking up steep inclines, digging my feet into the sand, adding some texture to a slight jog, and simply standing, almost constantly in the classroom, without any thought to the pressure my feet endure on a daily basis. I was getting around, pain-free.

Until one day, months and months ago, my left foot began to feel irritated, painful, seemingly for no reason at all. I allowed the pain to dwell, assuming it'd take care of itself, and just disappear. It didn't. The pain has been hanging around, irritating me.

I googled my symptoms and was enlightened by the term Plantar Fasciitis, and learned that I had possibly overstretched some thick tissue, heel bone to toes, that creates the arch, called plantar fascia.

Today's doctor's appointment confirmed what I had already suspected.

For the past month, I have been wearing, tucked into my shoe, made just for me, for another long-ago issue, an arch support, hoping to remedy the problem. It helps, but it's not the complete solution. I still wake up in the morning with stiffness in the bottom of my heel, sometimes combined with a dull pain, or a sharp one. Occasionally, in the middle of the night my foot is so irritated I can't sleep, and I spend the time twisting and turning my foot against the bed sheets or pressed against my other foot, looking for relief.

At best, my options are Advil, stretching exercises, wearing a night splint, and resting as much as possible. And finally, if the the problem continues, I can opt for foot surgery or steroid shots, or injections, into my foot.

In the meantime, I am walking around the house, defining a new style, with one shoe on, one shoe off. One high arch needing support, while the other isn't bothered at all.