I had a strong suspicion that the hamstring and hip ailments were the result of limping around on my hurting foot. I don't know how a bum foot would affect my shoulder, but who knows? In any case, I finally decided it was time to seek professional help with the foot, and I made an appointment with an orthopedist last Friday, the 29th of January.
The doctor told me it looked like a textbook case of plantar fasciitis, and he prescribed his standard treatment regimen for this common overuse injury. I would be taking an oral anti-inflammatory, doing a few specialized stretching and massage exercises, and wearing this splint while I slept at night:
I was a bit dubious about the splint as soon as I put it on. It's not very tight-fitting, and I couldn't believe that wearing it overnight would make much difference. But lo and behold, it did. When I got out of bed the next morning, the pain was gone from the arch and replaced by some mild soreness in the lower calf and Achilles area. This latter bit made sense to me, as plantar fasciitis comes about when lower calf tightness causes more of the burden of standing and walking to be shifted down into the arch area. I knew I would have to keep stretching and massaging, but this simple splint was making most of the difference.
My foot has continued to feel much better in the week that has passed since my visit to the doctor, and perhaps as a result, the rest of my body is feeling better as well. Feeling better after weeks of feeling crummy has renewed my enthusiasm for doing all the little things that help keep an athlete feeling good: hydration, thorough stretching and warmup, and plenty of rest and good nutrition between workouts to facilitate recovery.
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