(no subject)

[quasigeostrophy]

Doing some of my own research last night, I'm not sure I (just) have Achilles tendinopathy. From the specific symptoms I have (sharp pains in the bottom of my heel pad that are most significant after I haven't been on the foot in a while (getting out of bed, getting up after sitting, etc.)), I think I either have a case of Plantar Fasciitis, or some of both. Fortunately, self-treatment/care seems to be the same, so I'm not going to go bitch at the doctor for missing something. I think the ankle brace is going to help, and I've started doing some calf and foot stretching exercises each morning. I have decided on some physical goals, some immediate, others long term (2 or three years down the road).

- Fix the ankle problem.
- Comfortably hike with the photo seminar group at the Grand Canyon at the end of September.
- Bicycle 25 miles comfortably in one ride before the end of the summer/fall riding season (basically, before I'd have to break out the long bike pants, my balaclava, etc.).
- Hike Half Dome at Yosemite.
- Do the Death Valley century bike ride again.

---

Tried to cut the grass today, but the lawnmower decided against it - the choke/throttle cable wasn't working, and WD-40 didn't help, so I dropped it off at the service center. Felt bad for asking Toni to come help trim and proceed to have an asthma attack, but she let me off the hook. ;-) Now, I've got to find something else productive to do today. There should be plenty...

Comments

[firecat]

Plantar fasciitis often gets better if you just buy new, supportive shoes, and rotate among several different pairs of shoes.

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

We recently got him new shoes, which has helped some. He'd been wearing old, broken down shoes to mow in, but we got him an additional new pair for that, too.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that in this case the treatment is much the same. Dual problems with different treatments can be confouding!

Stretching gooooood.

Worth asking doctor about plantar fasciitis, because if you do have it an anti-inflammatory might make it go away.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I'd been taking OTC Ibuprofen for a while, and it was helping some. I figure Naproxen is less damaging on the ol' liver over time, though, so I've switched to that. Dreading going to the doctor again, though, if I can avoid it, because we're down to PT being the next option, and I remember the torture I went through in the early '90s for my chondromalacia patellae. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd, I had that too, both the chondromalacia patellae and the awful PT. I have since been to PT again for my neuromas, and that was much more pleasant, although ultimately no more useful.

Sometimes it's best just to go do the !@#$ PT 'cause then your doctor sees that it won't work. Then he just might come up with something else to try.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I hate to admit it, but I think the PT actually did work for my chondromalacia patellae, but it was still torturous. I did even become able to flex my fore (?) quads by themselves afterward (I'd never been able to isolate them before, even with the biking I'd done previously). If the brace, stretching, and OTC anti-imflammatories don't give me much improvement in the ankle over the next couple of weeks, I'll be calling the doc.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I think the PT actually did work for my chondromalacia patellae

Oh cool! It's good to think that all that annoyance had a positive result.

My fingers are crossed for you.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

My fingers are crossed for you.

Thanks. :-) As are mine for you.

[circumspectly.livejournal.com]

Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaan...I had me some of that plantar fasciitis when I was working at a transporter at the hospital. It was baaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Hurt like a motherfucker. I started doing some stretching and bought some very cushy socks and a new pair of shoes or two, and it went away at a pretty good clip, but that was only after I had suffered for a month or so. GODS, it hurt. I thought I had a bone spur or something, but my friendly oncology nurse that I saw every day clued me in. Nasty, ain't it?

My productive day boiled down to doing laundry and trying to help a 14 year old understand _The Tao of Pooh_. Why in the Hell do they make teenagers, who barely understand themselves, try to bend their brains around philosophy? Don't they know that it just terrorizes the parental units? *whine*

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

_The Tao of Pooh_ at 14? Wow.

I think I'm already seeing some improvement after the 2nd day in the brace. Hopefully it won't take long.

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

Well, whatever it is, I hope it gets better soon.

(I checked out plantar fasciitis, wondering if it was something that might explain the pain I've had in my feet for a while. Nope. Pretty sure it's the damn bone spurs finally causing issues. Drat.)

[catzen.livejournal.com]

Crap, plantar fasciitis sucks.

Just a few thoughts, for what they're worth (not necessarily much :-) ):

You might still consider seeing a professional about this; sometimes, unless some underlying cause is addressed, these problems can recur. The right orthotic and/or a few exercises can sometimes work wonders.

(You might also look at a few running websites, since plantar fasciitis is a remarkably -- and unfortunately -- common bane to many runners. If you're interested, I have a couple books that would likely address PF and I could look and see if they suggested anything additional or different from the treatment you're already undertaking.)

That said, I've never (yet ::knocks on wood::) had this condition, myself; and I'm certainly no expert on the matter.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! After a couple of days of the brace, some basic calf and foot stretching exercises, and Naproxen, I'm definitely seeing a lot of improvement. I'll definitely talk to the doc at my follow-up.

If your books have anything, I'd be interested to hear.

[catzen.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it's getting better. I just looked at the two books I was thinking about. One has 3 pages about PF, the other, 10 pages about PF and heel spurs.

For now, here's a treatment suggestion from one of the books:

In addition to the ibuprofen -- and icing 15-20 minutes several times a day (which you're probably also already doing) --, you can do ice-massage:

To do this, fill a paper cup with water and freeze. Peel off the paper, place the ice under your foot, and roll the foot over it, from your heel to the ball of your foot and back again. A frozen-juice can works equally as well.

-- From "Injury Prevention: The Big Five" in Runner's World Complete Book of Running

For more, it might be easiest if I do a quick read and explain it to you over the phone, or something -- there's an awful lot, here. Mail me if you're interested, and we can exchange phone #'s. The one book has pages of suggestions, including suggestions for OTC orthotics, etc.

Both treatment and prevention are covered.

The second book I'm looking at is Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes. It's basically a -- or perhaps the -- athlete's foot bible (currently in its third edition). To give you an idea of its general level of detail, there is an *entire chapter* devoted to "Taping for Blisters."

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the starting info. I'll look for both of those books, and if I strike out finding them, I'll let you know.

athlete's foot bible - that doesn't sound quite right. ;-)

[catzen.livejournal.com]

athlete's foot bible - that doesn't sound quite right. ;-)

Oh. You're right, it certainly doesn't. :-)