Monday, June 28, 2010

Plantar Fasciitis: Part III


I have had no heel pain for 2 months. My podiatrist says I may never have a recurrence or the symptoms could return tomorrow. However, he says he had plantar fasciitis 15 years ago and has never had a recurrence so I can be optimistic.

What finally "cured" me?

I had exhausted all the conventional treatment options and we were at the point where we were going to start trying experimental therapies such as shock wave treatments and painful deep tissue massage. However, my podiatrist wanted to try one last more conventional option (with a twist) first. I had already had about 6 cortisone injections with no benefit but my doctor wanted to try a few more injections spaced only 3 weeks apart rather than 4-5 weeks apart. The idea was to "dissolve" the scar tissue and promote new plantar fascia growth.

After the 2nd injection my heel pain was gone. I had a third injection anyway just to finish the treatment course.

I can walk again! I still have problems with the same foot though. After 1 1/2 years of heel pain, very limited walking and walking with a limp my foot lost a lot of muscle tone and I had developed an unnatural gait. I will need to build up my tolerance for walking over time. In addition, I think I have some plantar fasciitis symptoms in the arch of the same foot that I will need to treat if they do not go away soon.

But hey! I feel so much better I really cannot complain.

I hope I never have another word to say on this subject ever again.

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