Last October prior to my surgery I was having foot pain which seemed to be directly related to trail running/hiking and twisting my ankles and generally beating the crap out of myself. It was less that idea but I certainly could understand why it was happening (gone are the days of my early 30's and the "oh gee I have noooo idea why I could possibly be hurt- insert random bullshit reason instead of saying "I'm going too hard." Anyway, long story short is that we went pretty hard last fall and it made sense that I was having some pain and suffering.
Fast forward to late winter. I had recovered from surgery and was literally a blank slate. Brand new woman. I figured it was a good time to rebuild in a super smart way (again- I'm not 30 anymore. No more "accidentally" running long miles on untrained legs.)
I did everything SO correctly. Walking before running, teeny tiny runs, smaller hikes building to larger ones, and extremely regular trips to see my top notch Chiropractor to get my body running like a well oiled machine. Early on in the winter, I damaged my rotator cuff and subsequently fucked up my back. This was a drag but actually demanded that I make a return to strength training and really prioritize continuing with Chiro/massage/PT etc.
So long story SHORT. After all this love and care and legit couch to 5k return to athletics, HOW PISSED WAS I when my damn foot began to hurt back in April. I was pretty pissed but figured if I did my due diligence it would go away. So, I iced, stretched and rolled. Did my exercises. Backed wayyyy off on the 3 miles a week I was running. And nothing helped.
Off to my PCP I went (unless I have bones sticking out of my body I try to go through the steps at home before wasting time to have a Dr tell me to ice/stretch/compress/rest.) My PCP sent me for an x-ray (looked good as expected- although it seems that I fractured my big toe at some point and have a couple extra foot bones. Go figure.) And then she sent me to see a Sports Medicine Dr.
The Sports Medicine Dr was great. GREAT! She said that I certainly do have Plantar Fasciitis (LAME) and she added a couple steps to my already busy rehab regimen (more agressive rolling, possible dry needling, shoe inserts) AND she suggested a cortisone injection. Sick and tired of having foot pain all day every day, I took her up on that.
And that brings us to today, weekend 2 of no hiking due once again to 90 degree temps, but also due to the fact that I had that cortisone shot yesterday and need to stay off my feet for a little bit.
The injection itself was NO big deal at all. My doctor used ultrasound to show me my fascia (very swollen) and explained to me that first, a lidocaine injection would numb the whole area prior to the cortisone shot, and that besides from a little initial pinch I should not feel a thing. This was all correct and it was over before I knew it! It was extremely interesting to see the inner workings of my foot, and to watch the injection take place in real time.
So far 17 hours in- I would say my foot feels good. I did not have the problem of having a flare up from the cortisone that some people experience. (actually- I would say I felt better instantly.) After 48 quiet hours I'll be able to ease back into my routine and I am VERY hopeful that I get some relief!
Of course- this injection is NOT a cure and I will continue to be very diligent about my rehab. This has been very obnoxious, and I do not wish to continue with the foot pain of death so I plan to do everything I can to improve.
Thankfully, I have not been told to back off of my normal activities unless the pain becomes really bad. (my sports dr did say she would NOT recommend beginning to train for a marathon right now, but I can continue to stay active.)
So we'll see how it goes. I'm cautiously optimistic that this injection will improve my comfort and allow me to have better days on my feet. And I'm VERY determined to continue with my rehab and get past this bump in the road.
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