Hey Friends! How was your hump day? It’s the last one in January! Where has this month gone?
It’s with a BIG smile I’m writing today that I am feeling better with Foot Injury. I still can’t walk on it, but I have less pain. The last two days I stayed off my feet as much as possible to rest. Yesterday I returned to work. I had an important all-day meeting yesterday at my client with 100+ attendees & it was important I be there to support them. I’ve been working for my client in Phoenix the past 7 months and they are the best people I’ve worked with in a long time. They have embraced me as one of their own. I truly feel part of their organization! When I arrived at the conference, everyone was eager to help me & they were so incredibly grateful I came.
Personally, I wanted nothing more than to hide out at home until this ugly thing was over, but in the end I was happy I put on a brave face & went! Going to work made me feel normal and less like a crippled person. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself in these situations & become depressed. An important lesson I learned from this is that when “life happens” it’s important to jump into your daily routine as soon as possible.
Taking what I learned from work yesterday, this morning I braved a cycle class. I modified the class content by staying in the saddle the whole time. When the instructor asked the class to standup in the bike, I stayed in the saddle & increased my resistance level. The good news is that cycling didn’t aggravate my foot. With my Foot Injury, I’m limited on my fitness options for a few weeks – biking & swimming is it! My classmates, of course, were asking what happened & impressed by my fitness dedication. The problem is if I stop all activity until my foot is healed, my recovery will be difficult because my fitness level will drastically decrease.
I spoke with my classmate, who recently suffered a stress fracture from a Triathalon, to hear what activities he did to maintain his fitness level while healing his injury. His response…swimming and biking. He also offered to meet me at the pool to show me a few things! I will be taking him up on his offer. Fitness people are incredible! I have met some of THE NICEST people through my fitness activities – the gym, group class, conferences & races. Another reason for you to get your fitness on!
After the gym, I went to the orthopedic. This was my first appointment since my emergency room visit last Sunday. My stomach was a ball of nerves! Thankfully, Mom was there with me!
The prognosis…
- Stress Fractur or
- Plantar fascia tear
Plantar fascia is a ligament on the bottom of the foot & when it becomes inflamed causes pain in the heel of the foot (feels like a knife jabbing in the heel). Reference http://www.plantar-fasciitis.org/. The elliptical stretches the plantar fascia. Because I was on the elliptical at a high incline & high resistance when this happened, he suspects this is the culprit. The other symptom he identified was pain in my foot when I sleep. The sheets force my toes to bend downward, which he remarked is also an indication of plantar fasciitis. The recovery for either injury can be 2-8 weeks depending on the individual.
The treatment…
- Immobilize with a boot (he gave me a smaller one & it’s much easier to get around now!)
- Take a prescribed anti-inflammatory to decrease inflammation
- Roll a golf ball on the bottom of my foot while at work & a frozen water bottle at night
- Limit fitness activities to swimming & biking
Something important he told me “listen to your body.” Athletes know their bodies well. He told me to listen to my body & adjust my activities according to how I am feeling. In my opinion, this applies to everyone. No one knows your body like you do!
Next appointment…
Valentine’s Day and I have a confession. It can’t come soon enough! The doctor is so darn cute I can’t wait to see him again! 😉
Something random…
When I left the gym this morning, two javelinas were roaming the parking lot. Javelinas are similar to wild pigs. They are common in Arizona and are not scared to infiltrate human domain. At my last house in Tucson, I often saw javelinas running on the sidewalk. If you encounter one, take caution & keep your distance from them. They scare easily & can attack if they feel threatened.
Questions – have you had plantar fasciitis? What was your injury & recovery? What’s your random something?
Have a great night!
xoxo,
Megan
I had plantar fascitis when I lived in Texas. It took a year to heal because I never rested it. I got inserts for my running shoes to help.
Wow, a year is a long time! I’m glad the inserts helped!
I think plantar fascitis is much better than a stress fracture imo! I’m glad that you had a good day at work and a successful trip to the doctor! I really hope you feel better soon. Also, let us know what you learn from swimming with a foot injury! I would be interested!
Thank you, I will!
foot pain is the worst…whenever i run, the next few days my feet are always sore! I can totally relate!