With plantar fasciitis being a prominent injury in both runners and soldiers, and as I fall into both of the aforementioned groups, it is no surprise that I found myself recently, hobbling into Dr. Stewart’s office.
I first felt the heel pain in June 2012, after a long run while in Ft. Knox. Unknowingly, I blew it off for about a month, thinking it was a “normal” runners pain, but it slowly progressed to the point where it stopped me from running completely.
In July 2012, Dr. Stewart diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis and tarsel tunnel syndrome and discussed my options. We started off with a cortisone shots, various splints, orthotics, and physical therapy. Unfortunately, the shots wore off after a couple of weeks.
My other options were surgery (which i didn’t want to do), high energy shockwave therapy (which my insurance wouldn’t cover), or nerve ablation.
I wanted to get back to running as soon as possible as I am a member of my military branch’s national marathon team. I chose to proceed with the nerve ablation procedure. It took about 4 weeks to heal. I continued physical therapy and made some changes to both my running shoes as well as my combat boots and as of mid-October 2012 I am back on my feet and running with my team.
I was a little slow at first, but we still managed to win our division at the 2012 Army 10 miler on October 21st. I will continue with physical therapy until I have full range of motion back and I will slowly increase my mileage.
Thanks to Dr. Stewart and his staff I am well on my way to my normal routine.
* Results may vary from person to person