Cortisone Shot

Gulp. I got the shot. My regular doctor is on vacation this week, but I’ve lost patience with my plantar-fasciitis foot, so I went to see his office mate, another very experienced doctor. He confirmed my diagnosis that the problem really is plantar fasciitis, and offered considerable advice. Here is some of it:

• The inflammation will not heal unless I stop antagonizing it, and even then will not heal quickly. In the best case it might take three weeks, and perhaps longer because feet are slow to heal and even longer because of my age.
• Therefore, I need to figure on taking perhaps a full month off from running, though other cardio exercise such as the bike, elliptical machine, or swimming are fine as long as they don’t annoy the foot. Meantime:
• Ice it for 15 minutes at least three times per day. He is an advocate of ice, rather than heat, although he allowed that various opinions do exist out there. What the heck, I’ll try it.
• Buy Dr. Scholls “Gel Heel Cushions” and use them in all shoes, moving them from one pair of shoes to the next if necessary. I bought a pair of those, and another pair of Dr. Scholls Heel Pain Relief orthotics, which specifically mention plantar fasciitis on the label.
• Don’t walk barefoot in the house or out if it. Always use shoes, with the heel cushions.
• Don’t do any activity that makes the heel hurt. Thus yesterday’s very productive yard work was probably UNproductive for my foot.
• Running on it probably wouldn't do permanent injury, even a marathon, but would set healing way back.
• Runners’ stretches of the calf muscles are good, especially after exercise.
• Use the Strassburg Sock at night. He hadn’t seen it before, but I showed it to him and he thought that it should be as good as the clumsy braces they normally prescribe.
• He showed me another type of stretch used on the edge of a stair. I’ll try it.
• Ibuprofen or naproxen sodium might actually help, by reducing inflammation.
• Surgery is a last resort; there are other things to try first.
• A steroid shot can actually improve the likelihood of healing by reducing inflammation (as does ice), but carries a slight risk of further injury later.
• He mentioned that professional athletes do get these shots, because the current season is so important to them, implying that he wouldn’t be so anxious to give one to an amateur athlete.

I mentioned that I run Grandma’s Marathon quite competitively, and that my mom would be waiting for me at mile seven this year again, probably for the last time, because my folks may not be volunteers there next year. So he administered the shot. It contains both cortisone and novocaine, and it actually numbed the heel at first. Now the novocaine has worn off, and the heel feels about as it did before the shot. Ice treatments to follow.


Big salad: Bed of organic lettuce greens, organic celery, diced jicama. With avocado, blue cheese, artichoke hearts, organic strawberries, brazil nuts, raspberry vinegar. Estimated Weight Watcher points: 4.