How I Cured My Plantar Fasciitis

I had a serious bout of plantar fasciitis early this year between phases 1 and 2 of Body Revolution.

In this post, I share my experience with plantar fasciitis and how I dealt with the situation to prevent long-term damage and a recurring issue.

What is Plantar Fasciitis? 

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation of the muscles along the bottom of the foot. It can cause intense heel pain and affect one or both feet. 

Pronounced PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis, this condition is caused by repetitive motion on the arch of the foot or any activity that puts a lot of pressure on the arch of your foot.

How-I-Cured-My-Plantar-Fasciitis

My Tale of Plantar Fasciitis

So out of the blue, my right foot started throbbing one fine morning. I thought I’d stubbed it and forgotten when or how so I ignored the pain. 

I applied heat on it off and on throughout the day and assumed that should fix it. However, when I woke up the next morning, my foot felt like it was on fire. 

I climbed out of bed, placed weight on the foot, and was greeted with excruciating stabbing pain.

Plantar Fasciitis Diagnosis

After hobbling around for a few hours, the foot started swelling to accompany the pain. I panicked and headed to the ER.

An examination plus an x-ray later, the doctor announced plantar fasciitis. I was like, “Plantar what now? What the hell is that? And how?”

There was no specific explanation as to how. It just came on spontaneously. And no way to know when and if it would go away. 

The doctor recommended a foot roller and ice then prescribed some pain medication and sent me on my merry way. 

Is Plantar Fasciitis Diagnosis the End of Working Out?

Not working out for a while was fine with me. Not being able to work out indefinitely? That was a scary thought. 

I conducted my own research and panicked a little when I came across loads of horror stories about living with plantar fasciitis for years.

“Wait, what? I have to live with my foot feeling like there’s a knife in it for…..did I just read YEARS!?!?!?!”

More panic…visions of canes and crutches permeated my thoughts every time I set my foot on the ground and put some weight on it.

I was also very concerned about taking pain medication indefinitely not that it really worked anyway. 

I dug further into my research and went down more information rabbit holes until I formulated a treatment plan.

What Cured My Plantar Fasciitis?

Note, this is the treatment plan I chose based on my research and it’s a pretty standard one.

However, it may or may not work for you and you should, of course, see a doctor before putting together your plan.

Plantar Fasciitis Sleeves

The first thing I ordered was plantar fasciitis sleeves. Plantar fasciitis sleeves are compression socks that work by applying pressure on the soles of the feet and calves.

The compression is supposed to improve blood flow and reduce pain and inflammation. These brought on instant relief.

The relief lasted as long as I stayed off my feet and combined with an ice pack for 20 minutes every few hours. 

However, I couldn’t stay off my feet forever and had to leave the house at some point. On to the next solution…

Orthotics

Next on the list were orthotic shoe inserts. Orthotics are placed on the inside of your shoes and are supposed to provide arch support and prevent pain. 

You could go to a podiatrist to have this specially fitted but I decided to start with a pair of Dr. Scholl’s® Pain Relief Orthotics for Plantar Fasciitis.

I removed the insoles from my regular shoes, cut the orthotics to my size, and placed them in the shoes. 

This action alleviated the pain significantly while walking and removed the pressure. 

The orthotics shoe inserts and plantar fasciitis sleeves provided immense relief but I still couldn’t work out plus I could not sit for extended periods of time unless my feet were up.

If I sat down with my feet down, I was greeted with a world of pain whenever I stood up.  

Dual Foot Massager

The Theraflow Dual Foot Massager is what proved to be the game changer in treating my plantar fasciitis.

A dual foot massager is equipped with 2 types of acupressure nubs and provides a deep tissue massage for your soles.

The first day, I used it for 10 minutes but my feet felt worse the next morning. I was alarmed I’d caused more damage but it turned out I’d used it incorrectly. 

The next day, I repeated the process for 10 minutes the correct way. After 10 days of using the dual foot massager, I attempted to work out. 

I restricted my working out to weights and avoided any moves that involved jumping like jumping jacks, rock star jumps, high knees, etc. 

I also wore compression sleeves while working out. I did not use the orthotics while working out because they were very uncomfortable to work out in. 

Orthotic House Slippers

I completed my plantar fasciitis treatment by ditching flip-flops and ordering orthotic house slippers from ERGOfoot.

These slippers provide supreme arch support with an orthopedic footbed and a deep heel cup. 

The first day I wore them, they felt very strange on my feet and like I was standing on something. 

However, by the third day, my feet adjusted and I can no longer live without these amazing slippers.

Post Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

After combining everything I outlined above, my plantar fasciitis started fading away slowly and the swelling in my foot subsided.

The horrendous pain after waking up in the morning started going away too and I was able to sit normally without having to put my feet up. 

I’m not going to sugarcoat this process. It was slow and painful and I hobbled a lot in the early weeks. 

Working Out Post Plantar Fasciitis

It took about 10 weeks from the plantar fasciitis diagnosis to full recovery. By the 11th week, I was able to complete a full workout session without any moderations. 

I no longer use the ice packs and plantar fasciitis sleeves but the orthotic shoe inserts, dual foot massager, and ergonomic house slippers have remained.

Every evening, I use the foot massager for 10 minutes and walk around the house in the ergonomic house slippers exclusively.

I use the orthotic shoe inserts sporadically. Sometimes, they fit into shoes, and sometimes, I can’t remove the insoles already in the shoes so I just leave them out. 

5 months post plantar fasciitis and I’ve made a full recovery. I hope this never returns (fingers crossed) because it was an extremely unpleasant and debilitating experience.

Final Thoughts on Plantar Fasciitis

If you’re struggling with plantar fasciitis, there’s light at the end of that painful tunnel. Work with your doctor to formulate a suitable treatment plan and stick to it. 

This is what worked for me and helped me cure my plantar fasciitis. It doesn’t mean it will work for you but these are the usual treatments.

I guess instead of using them one by one, I used them all at the same time. 

If you have any questions about my plantar fasciitis treatment, drop them in the comments section. 

Abi is all about staying in the best shape of your life at every age without having to starve yourself to make it happen. She’s been on her fitness journey since the age of 15 and doesn’t plan on letting up anytime soon. She’s currently studying to become a Certified Nutritionist. Learn more about Abi and her favorite fitness tools HERE. See our Editorial Guidelines here.

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