Sunday, October 25, 2009

Plantar Fasciitis



....is a shitty affliction for a couple of reasons.

  1. In the same vein of Turf Toe, it seems odd that such a physically small area can cause such pain and total body incapacitation.
  2. Flair ups are seemingly random; both cause and cure remain mysterious.
  3. There is no good way to rest it. I can't NOT WALK.
  4. Ultimately, it is generated by my own body's inflammation response, which while potentially usful in acute situations, is totally counter productive when chronic. I find it greatly upseting that our bodies evolved such a powerful non-specific defense mechinism that we must work very hard to shut off.
  5. People who haven't had it don't really understand.
  6. One of the main causal dispositionary factors in our society is our reliance on ultra supportive running shoes. Once taughted as critically important for running, those super expensive, mega padded tech boots are now shown to be responsible for the epidemic of weak and thus inguried feet in the developed world.
  7. And lastly, Plantar Fasciitis is a shitty disease because I can take just enough anti-inflamitory drugs and caffine such that I can play on it all day (when I should rest it) and not feel a thing until the regrets start poring on at 5am the next day when I can't sleep because I reagrivated it.

1 comment:

LittleUniGirl said...

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I've been playing ultimate for over a year, and the reason I started playing a new sport was based mostly around the doctor telling me to start one to build up the usage of my ankles and feet after being diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis.
I got mine after working in a kitchen for 14 hours straight with no breaks, every day, all summer. I ended up with huge feet, which wasn't the best looking thing.
At tournaments I tend to dose myself up on ibprofen IF it flares up.
You could try stretching them before splaying... stand with your back against a wall aswell as your heels, then point your toes up, taking the rest of the feet with them, so you're balancing on the heels. Try it the other way round too, so you're balancing on the balls.
In the mornings try not to walk around barefoot, as the mornings the worst time for it. Especially the first few steps on a cold floor.
Hope some of that helps,
Lorrie