Tuesday, December 4, 2012

On the mend

So, I told that podiatrist to go pound sand.

I did get used to wearing the splint, but that didn't help.  I went out and got a new pair of shoes--new brand and everything.  That seemed to help, some.  I even went out for a run--barefoot.  That didn't hurt a lot, just a little.

Then after about 2 weeks and 4 runs of about 2.5 miles each, I went to a new podiatrist and filled him in on the whole story going all the way back to July.  The new diagnosis:  plantar fasciosis.  It's the chronic version of the fascitis and basically is what happens when that goes untreated for too long.

Treatment:  platelet rich plasma therapy.  In 2 weeks.

So, I have 2 weeks to play.  I go get a pair of Vibrams and started using them around the house and office.  I could actually feel the difference in the way they made my feet work when I was wearing them.  Parts of my legs were sore in ways they hadn't been sore in ages.  I took that as a good sign.

I even started running again.  Because I figured if it hurt when I didn't run, and it hurt when I did run, then I might as well run.

Interestingly enough, the pain wasn't that bad.  At first.  After a couple of days, though...  YOWZA!  Yea, I definitely still needed the treatment.

So, 2 weeks later (just last Friday), I went in for the treatment.  And what can I say?  It hurt like a mother.  I couldn't put any pressure on my foot for a full day and the thing throbbed relentlessly for another day.  But I'm several days on the other side of it and I dare say that I'm mostly pain free.  Not entirely, mind you.  But this morning I woke up with zero pain.  The proof in this particular pudding will be when I string together several days with no pain.  I'm not allowed to run before Friday, and I may take the weekend off just to be safe, but if I can get through a run that's pain free, that'll be fantastic!

3 comments:

  1. Have you been running since this post? Have you tried the Vibrams on asphalt or concrete? I wonder how much protection they would offer against those surfaces.

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  2. No, not since this post. I was given explicit instruction to avoid running for a week, and decided to extend it to 2 weeks. I'm mostly pain free at this point and should be going back out on the roads (and trails) this week.
    I've used the Vibrams for walking on just about every surface. They offer zero support that your foot doesn't already offer--which is all the support you need. I wouldn't recommend using them on broken glass or jagged rocks or loose nails. The sole is, maybe, 1/8th of an inch. But I find them to be very comfortable and I'll probably start rotating them into my runs as I go forward.

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  3. Ok, well good luck with your recovery. If you start running in your Vibrams on asphalt, would you mind mentioning how they were, please?

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