Bottom Of Foot Pain... A Girl's
Nightmare
Last
year I began to experience severe
bottom of the foot pain
on a continual basis. After a long
day at work I would notice a nagging
pain in the bottom of my foot but
during sleep at night it would tend
to subside. However, the worst part
was after a long night's sleep, as
soon as my feet hit the floor in the
morning, the pain would instantly
return and normally intensified
greatly throughout the day.
After
experiencing this pain for several
months I even began to notice after
wearing my favorite high heels... these
fabulous 4 inches stilettos,
fire-engine red and with ever so
thin ankle straps... so sorry... I
digress... I would notice the pain was
so much more intense and could
definitely bring me to tears.
Needless to say those beautiful red
high heels that I love so dearly had
to be packed away and please
understand... this is a girl's worst
nightmare!
So
after the loss of my beloved heels,
I began to research the symptoms of
bottom of the foot pain and tried to
discover if my shoes were the cause
of the pain in heel of my foot or if
I had an underlying problem. Bottom
of foot pain symptoms include a dull
but long lasting ache with sharp
pains in the center of the heel.
This definitely described what I was
experiencing.
I
also learned that this pain can be
caused by heel spurs or
plantar
fasciitis. After journaling my pain
levels over the next few weeks, I
noticed that after wearing high
heels and stepping out of bed in the
mornings were the most painful, with
that first step of the morning being
the worst pain of all. I knew that
I was experiencing such intense pain
that I needed to immediately contact
my primary care physician. After
describing my foot pain to her
nurse, my doctor immediately
referred me to a podiatrist.
After
listening to my descriptions of my
bottom of foot pain, my podiatrist
explained to me that heel spurs can
cause an extreme amount of pain and
is often described as a hook of bone
that forms on the foot bone (calcaneus)
and can be associated with plantar
fasciitis. We also discussed the
possibility of plantar fasciitis,
which may cause severe pain in the
heel, sore feet and cause your feet
to feel hot or swell. I also learned
from my doctor that with proper
care, I might not have to toss out
my favorite heels... which was the best
news of all.
We
reviewed all of my symptoms and
discovered I had plantar fasciitis
and my podiatrist recommended
extensive rest of my heel;
stretching my calf muscles several
times throughout the day; stretching
the plantar fascia immediately upon
waking; icing my foot after
exercise; weight loss; taping my
heel; night splints and an arch foot
support. It was also recommended
that I begin the treatment
immediately because as my doctor
explained, no treatment could
definitely prolong my pain in heel
and could cause permanent damage. I
definitely didn't want to risk
permanent damage.
I
followed my podiatrist's treatment
plan and after several weeks, I have
finally been relieved of
bottom of foot pain. The
best news of all... I am back to
wearing my awesome red high heel
shoes!
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