As a mother of two and music teacher for kids in elementary school, Angie is always on the move. So, when her painful foot condition started to slow her down, she was desperate for relief.
“Whenever I was thinking about going somewhere, I would have to calculate how long I could walk before I would need to head back home,” said Angie, an SSM Health patient from Stoughton, Wisconsin. “I could not stay on my feet for extended periods of time, so often I could not go places or do the things I wanted to do. At work, even my youngest students knew I could not be on my feet for very long.”
Angie was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis – a difficult problem for a schoolteacher who would normally stand all day. It’s inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes, known as the plantar fascia.
“Plantar fasciitis usually causes pain in your heel or along the bottom of your foot,” said SSM Health podiatrist Dr. Brock Swanson. “The pain can be dull and constant or stabbing and intense. It happens when you’re standing, which is when the plantar fascia experiences tension.”
If you have plantar fasciitis, Dr. Swanson recommends stretching exercises for your feet, wearing supportive shoes as well as orthotics, and going easy on the activities that may be irritating the plantar fascia.
“I told him I did not want to wear a therapy boot because I had tried that before,” said Angie. “Dr. Swanson really listened to me and showed me the type of shoe insert I should get and how thick it should be. He also gave me a cortisone shot. It’s been six months now and I’m pain-free. My students notice how much better I feel and say, ‘You’re tapping your foot!’, which is something I could not do before.”
If your pain from plantar fasciitis isn't going away or you find yourself adjusting your normal, daily life to accommodate the injury, schedule an appointment to see a podiatrist.
