My foot doesn't hurt

[redbird]

I went to the podiatrist yesterday morning.

He talked to me, felt my heel, and gave me a cortisone shot. Then he showed me a useful stretch, told me to do it twice a day, each time doing 10 30-second stretches for each heel, and icing my feet (in an ice water bath, not with an ice pack) for fifteen minutes after the evening stretches.

He also said offhandedly that some weight loss would help; I'm going to take this as encouragement to find a smaller and thus lighter day-pack, and otherwise leave the subject alone. And I'm to go back in a month (standard is three weeks, but I'm going to be in Montreal then). In the meantime, keep taking ibuprofen, and my New Balance walking/gym shoes are fine.

I'm now in Arlington with adrian_turtle. I woke up this morning, walked around the apartment a little, and realized "my foot doesn't hurt." It is characteristic of plantar fasciitis that the heel hurts on waking.

We walked around earlier, along the bikeway and then the path at Spy Pond, utterly pain-free for at least a mile, and then only a dull ache. Total distance between 1.5 and 2 miles, I think, before we got to Za, where we had a fine if unusual pizza: a white pizza topped with duck and apricots. Being moderately sensible people, we took the bus back; the foot is much better, but that doesn't mean entirely well yet, and I'm slightly out of practice for long walks.

I am much encouraged, and relieved.

Comments

[gothgeekgirl.livejournal.com]

Can you describe the stretch? I'm having a similar problem, but milder. Seems to be related to me dancing jigs at one of the local Irish pubs (they're fun, and I'm enough of a dancer to be able to fake the types of steps used well enough). It's going to be hard to make myself stop doing such dances, but I kinda like being able to walk, too.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

The stretch is a fairly standard one runners use to stretch calves. Stand in front of a supporting surface (counter, wall, park bench), half arm's length away. Put the foot of interest behind you, keeping the heel down. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, but you are facing mostly forwards, just turn one hip in a little (the hip of the leg you are stretching.) Bend the other knee as far as possible. (You're supposed to feel the stretch between the back of your knee and your achilles tendon.) Hold for about 30 seconds, without bouncing. Then change sides.

[firecat]

Thanks, I'm going to try this, I have been having an annoying case of plantar fasciitis for about six months now. Mild, but won't heal.

[gothgeekgirl.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. I'm familiar with it. I use similar ones to ease the pain.

I reminded myself earlier of a different method of icing a joint that a former coworker told me about. Freeze small styrofoam cups of water. The styrofoam acts as an insulating handle for rubbing the ice on the joint, and you just peel the cup away as the ice melts. This is obviously not for the environmentally conscious ;) but it does work quite nicely.

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation - I have knee AND foot issues and I am always looking for new exercises. I will try this.

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

I also would like to hear about the stretching exercise since I have the same problem. I'm glad the cortisone shot helped you. When I had one, I hurt even worse the next day. That was over 15 years ago, but it made me anxious not to go back for another.

I'm going to try the ice bath rather than ice pack approach, too. It does seem hard to angle the ice pack into the right position for the pain.

[heyfoureyes.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that your foot is better.

Pizza topped with duck and apricots? And it was "white?" What is a "white?"

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

White pizza means pizza with no tomato sauce.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Glad your foot is improved. Kimberly's had bouts of Plantar Fasciitis and it sucks.

As for Pizza, I strongly recommend Emma's, 40 Hampshire St., Cambridge.

While I utterly adore the 1st restaurant from the folks who run 'Za, EVOO, I find their pizza less utterly amazing.

Emma's, on the other hand, rocks my little world.

(How long are you up for?)

JB, a couple of miles away from you, at most.

[redbird]

Already back in New York, thanks. (Yes, Adrian and I have been together a year and a half, but there's still both quite a bit of new relationship energy, and the hunger for each other's time that comes from only seeing each other for a few days every month or two, so I'm not seeing many of my other Boston-area friends. Maybe in another year or two.)

Za was selected on the basis of "we started walking down the bikeway, then went over to Spy Pond, and now we're hungry, what's nearby and open?"