I haven't been walking

for the last couple of months. As you may know, walking is my preferred choice of exercise. I guess I overdid the walking or something and now I have Plantar's fasciitis.

From Wikipedia:

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia or plantar aponeurosis that supports the arches of the foot or by biomechanical faults that cause abnormal pronation.[1] The pain usually is felt on the underside of the heel, and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing or sudden changes in weight bearing or activity. Jobs that require a lot of walking on hard surfaces, shoes with little or no arch support, a sudden increase in weight and over activity are also associated with the condition.

Plantar fasciitis was formerly called "dogs heel" in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as "flip-flop disease" among US podiatrists. The condition often results in aheel spur on the calcaneus, in which case it is the underlying condition, and not the spur itself, which produces the pain.

This isn't my first time with plantar's fasciitis and knew that I needed to stay off the foot as much as possible and take Aleeve. So, instead of walking on my vacation, I did as little walking as possible and popped Aleeve twice a day. It helped some, but not as much as I would have liked. I finally went to the podiatrist two weeks ago and had x-rays, a nice foot bath in the hydrotheraphy machine, and finally the doctor taped my foot.

The first time my foot was taped, I just couldn't imagine how it could help, but oh, Baby! Did it ever help! I could walk with no pain! I nearly danced out of the podiatrist's office it felt so good. I had another inflammation and couldn't wait to get in to get the hydotheraphy and taping. This time, I kept putting it off for some dumb reason. The first taping helped some, but not as much as I would have liked and so I went back for a follow up last week.

I saw another doctor and he taped my foot differently from the way the first doctor did. I don't know it was the difference in taping or just passage of time, but my foot is better. I was offered a steroid shot, which I know can help, but I just don't want injections unless the pain just won't go away. I still have some pain, but not as much and for shorter periods of time. I also found out that I was actually scheduled for a sonogram. The first doctor forgot that the doctor who does the sonograms was scheduled at another location. Anyway, the sonogram was re-scheduled and we'll talk about my options after the sonogram. I understand this is one of the newest treatment options. Another option is shock wave therapy for those suffering from long-term plantar's fasciitis.

My current options, until I know what the sonogram will suggest, are more taping, Aleeve, and/or steroid shots for the short-term. Longer term options include orthotics, which were suggested previously. Since my insurance didn't pay for it, I opted to go with taping and Aleeve.

It's been more than three years since my last flare-up so maybe insurance now pays for orthotics. I'll find out when I have my next appointment. I'm sure it will come up as an option.

So, that's my story for now.