Orthotics, Not Just For Oldies

Alright, when you hear the word orthotics what comes to mind?  At one time for me, the older population.  Both of my grandmas had orthotics while I was growing up.  I just figured it was something that people needed as they aged.  I did not realize that orthotics were associated with plantar fasciitis.  Heck, I did not even know what plantar fasciitis was when I was younger. 

So what is plantar fasciitis?  There is a lot of scientific jargon when it comes to medical problems, but I will give you the easy-to-understand version instead. We have a tendon that runs along the bottom of our foot.  That tendon is attached to our heel bone.  When that tendon gets irritated and inflamed (where it attaches at the heel bone), then it can cause considerable pain.  About 1 in 6 people experience heel pain. 

Usually the most painful part of the day, when you have plantar fasciitis, is in the morning.  Those first steps of the day can be excruciating until the tendon has had a chance to warm up and stretch out.  Most plantar fasciitis pain can be resolved with medical treatment- icing, ibuprofen, stretching.  But if the issue is not resolved then heel spurs (calcium deposits) form a the connection point of the heel point and tendon.  Which is even more painful, like stepping on sharp pins or nails.  

I am special enough to have a more chronic form of plantar fasciitis, so I have had the cortisone shots into my heels to reduce the inflammation and have specially designed orthotics to lessen the strain on the tendon.  I am pretty sure at this point that I probably have the heel spurs too.  

I had no idea that I too (like my grandmas) would fall victim to this medical condition, during my 30s none the less, but I do know that this condition is more common than most people think.  So if you are experiencing heel pain, don't dismiss it like I did at first, go talk to your doctor and maybe you can head off the heel spurs before they start to form.

Anyway, around mid-April one of my orthotics broke (orange), so I had to go back to the podiatrist to get molded for new ones.  I could of just replaced the broken one, which would of been cheaper.  But there were several factors to consider: 1) My shoe size had increased since I first got my orthotics, so they were border-line of not being usable. 2) They had a new type of orthotic that had better arch support, had better flexibility and had some cushioning to them.   So the nice ladies at the office duct taped my broken orthotic back together as a temporary fix until the new ones came in.

Well, I just picked up my new orthotics (black) on Friday.  They are heavenly!  They are amazing!  I had a spring to my step and felt like I was walking on cushions instead of hard plastic.  I am so-so happy that I decided to bite the bullet and spend the money to do a total replace.  Hopefully these new inserts lessen the effects of the plantar fasciitis even more than my first pair.