Went to the doctor this afternoon to get my arch pain looked into because it hasn’t gone away since it started bothering me during Damage Control (which didn’t cause the fasciitis, just revealed it).
She diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis, with the only symptom inconsistent with plantar fasciitis being that it hurts more at the end of the day than at the beginning.
I’m supposed to wear shoes and socks all the time, even around the house. She said not to go barefoot, to exercise in shoes and socks (no yoga for a bit unless it’s at home in my shoes) and no high heels or ballet flats… we’re talking supportive sneakers. All the time. At least until the pain goes away. Unless I want it to get worse.
So the good news is that she said exercise is fine. But no barefoot yoga or barre classes for a while. (She made it sound like possibly forever but let’s ignore that and pretend this is going away because IT MIGHT.)
She gave me other things I can do (foot massage on tennis balls or a roller, icing it over a frozen water bottle, etc) and I’m hoping it’s a mild issue that will clear up so I can spend my summer barefoot with this as a distant memory. I’d rather not end up in orthotic shoes.
So if you’ve been missing my class updates, know that I’ve been missing my classes more! Hoped that some rest would make this go away.
I’ll be back at it soon. In the meantime, I always look like I’m going for a run now.
That’s sort of motivating.
Get well soon!!!
Bummer! I had a very bad case due to injury in the past. Sometimes this can be due to a shortened Achilles. Make sure you are stretching. Hope it resolves quickly!
I had it a LONG time ago, and my doctor told me that it was from running in not-very-supportive running shoes. Maybe it’s time for new shoes? (which would be a silver lining, no?)
Oh yes. Two new pairs, actually. Normally I shy away from retail therapy, but in this case… I’ve got two new pairs of cushy shoes to wear at home and running. I was wearing a lot of minimalist shoes, but am surprised that I managed four or five half marathons in minimalist shoes with no issues then ended up with plantar fasciitis when I wasn’t even running much. My doctor said it’s because I’m barefoot in my house all day on my feet as a stay at home mom.
Hi Kelly! I am sorry to hear you are in pain. Foot pain is the worst for someone so active, especially if you’re a runner! I wish you the best and am sure you will heal it soon, as much as it sucks to rest. I am curious to know if your doc explained the reason behind not going barefoot or doing yoga. I have a good friend who swears her yoga practice helped heal her plantar fasciitis a couple years ago. I’ve had heel pain lately, which I’ve had to be careful not to overdo my running because it might be an early stage of PF. It is worse in the morning after sleeping all night, and I feel it more when going barefoot, so I am curious. I hardly feel it at all when running! I got a massage and the therapist said tight calves can cause foot and heel pain, so I’ve been super diligent about stretching and foam rolling lately, even when not running. I’ve been learning so much about fascia and how important it is to stretch every limb, every day! Did you know we can develop “fuzz” (that is seriously what it looks like) between the fascia and muscles when we don’t stretch? The fuzz is made up of tiny fibers that “dissolve” when you stretch, but over time, can weave together and turn into knots and harder tissue which is more difficult to work out, and is why many older adults have poor mobility and stiff muscles and joints. That’s probably more info than you wanted, but I was utterly fascinated and have made stretching more of a priority than ever, especially when waking, before and after exercise and before bed, even if it’s only a few minutes a session.
I also had patellar tendonitis a couple of years ago, right before my first half marathon, and had to quit training about three weeks out to rest it (I may have mentioned that before). It was tough not to run, but I cross-trained, strength-trained and did lots of yoga. It all worked out and I finished within my goal time of 2:30. It was well worth resting. After the half, I took an ice bath, drank tart cherry juice and used turmeric, both which help with inflammation and recovery, and had very little knee pain afterward. Now it’s a distant memory. My point is rest works! Also good shoes, as Sara mentioned. When my knee pain recently returned after a long hiatus from running, I thought my shoes were fine because I hadn’t put very many miles on them, but upon closer inspection, the tread was completely worn in some places! I run on an asphalt road which tears up my shoes more often, and I just didn’t think of that. My knee pain significantly improved with the new shoes. Several ladies in my running group got injuries from the wrong shoes, and got relief after getting the right new shoes! It’s amazing! My heel pain is getting better, but I wonder if my stride was or is off, so I’m in the process of finding a running coach who can evaluate it and give me pointers on what and how to improve.
I wish you all the best in your healing and fitness journey! I’ve enjoyed your recent posts, and yes, your son in his PJs on the beach is adorbs! Take care! 🙂
Hi Caryn! My doctor said yoga itself wasn’t an issue (but not to do it through pain, to stop if there was any pain) but being barefoot to do the yoga wasn’t a great idea. She also said I can run or work out as long as I’m wearing supportive shoes, try to get off my feet some during the day, and don’t run through pain.
What you’re describing with feeling worse barefoot and it being painful first thing in the morning are hallmark signs of plantar fasciitis based on all the reading I’ve been doing since I got my diagnosis. (Which was based on symptom description and ruling out other potential causes of foot pain – there’s no actual test for it.) Interestingly, my feet feel fine in the morning and worse as the day goes on, and the pain is never in my heel just in my arch. But my doctor said that it really didn’t sound like anything else to her, and with the things she recommended helping a great deal, I feel as though I’m on the right track.
My pain is completely absent now when wearing shoes. I took them off briefly on the beach and felt my arches start to ache, so I’ve been careful to wear new sneakers at all waking moments and keep doing the strengthening and stretching recommended. I was also told to freeze a water bottle and roll it under my arches 20 minutes at a time, 3 times a day, but… that’s been harder to make time for.
Thanks for sharing your patellar tendonitis story – it’s always good to hear about times when rest, recovery and new shoes fixed a problem that could have interrupted your activities long-term but is now a distant memory! I’m hoping my situation will be the same, and I’m taking steps to increase the likelihood of fast recovery!