ouch! (I have the menopause foot)

I was walking to work Monday morning when I began to experience pain in my left heel. I hobbled the rest of the way in, and discovered that my heel is somehow injured. I have a burning pain on the bottom of my heel, where I stand on it. Every step hurts. Over the next couple of days the pain got worse, then subsided, then got worse, then subsided.

I had heard about this, so I looked it up on the internet. I will go see the doctor, but it will take a few days to get in to see her, so for now, the internet and friends will help.

The internet suggests plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the connective tissue where it attaches under the heel bone. It is caused/aggravated, by tightness in the tendons and ligaments inside the arch of the foot. Suggested treatments include, rest, icing, massage, stretching the foot and calf, and anti-inflammatory meds. You can also get a night splint or a sock that stretches the foot and calf gently while you are not thinking about it.

So I'm taking the ibuprofen, stretching, not walking 10 kilometers a day (starting today), and icing. As I post this, I'm rolling a frozen water bottle under my arch and heel. Feels good! I happen to have a massage appointment this morning so I'll ask for advice and help there too.

Lots of friends have had this. I have a generous offer to borrow the foot stretching sock from dear Cathy, and tons of encouragement from all around. The funniest part is that one of the senior ladies at my work (a retired registered nurse) said, "I don't mean to say you're getting old, Sue, but this injury is very common in women around menopause."

So it seems that part of being 50 may be a greater susceptibility to injuries or at least to inflammation or perhaps a lower pain tolerance. I will do what I can to get better because darn it, I like to walk 10 kilometers a day. I plan to do it for at least another 30 or 40 years.

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement, about my pain, my age, and my prognosis for deterioration. We are all deteriorating. We can do it with care, even with flare.

question: have you ever had a pain in your heel?

mompoet - ouch!