How I Stopped Plantar Fasciitis Pain and Kept Moving

Last summer I was racing my kids down the street in flip flops when I suddenly noticed a sharp stabbing pain in the bottom of my left heel. I limped the rest of the way home to the hoops and hollers of my girls yelling, “We beat you; we beat you!!” Later that evening the pain increased and I was having trouble putting weight on my foot without wincing. I tried elevating my foot, icing it, applying heat, and massaging it – nothing worked. I took some ibuprofen and hoped it would be better in the morning. It wasn’t. Being the wise  nurse that I am, I talked myself out of going to see the doctor because nurses are always the worst patients and never follow their own advice. 

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Following nine months of chronic foot pain and my husband’s repeated requests, I finally decided to see the doctor. After taking X-rays to rule out a bone spur, she informed me that I had plantar fasciitis and that using supportive measures should help relieve some of the pain.  The first thing she recommended was buying shoes that put as little pressure on my heels as possible. That’s how I discovered Skechers Performance Womens Go Walk 3-Digitize Walking shoes. The insoles are lined with memory foam and I noticed relief immediately when I tried them on. I love them so much that I bought a second pair a couple of months later and they are the only shoes I wear now.

The Sketchers relieved most of the pain, but because I walk 2-4 miles a day and have recently started adding bursts of running to my workout,  I found that I needed some additional support for my left heel. I decided to try the Foot Angel compression sleeve  that I’d seen advertised on t.v. When I put the Foot Angel on, my heel felt the best it has felt in a year. The compression around my heel completely stopped all of the pain. Now even with the moderate amount of walking and running I do, my plantar fasciitis doesn’t bother me at all.

It is very important to keep your feet healthy and happy. As Lieutenant  Dan said in Forrest Gump:

Two standing orders in this platoon. One, take good care of your feet. Two, try not to do anything stupid, like gettin’ yourself killed.