Tedium Training

I’ve been suffering from pain in my left foot that is apparently the result of a not-too-serious case of plantar fasciitis (inflammation in a strip of tissue that connects the heel to the base of the toes).

This problem can be sparked by all sorts of things, from landing too hard after a jump to having tight glutes or hip-flexors. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect my case is the result of running several miles on pavement multiple times a week, as that kind of repetitive strain can also stress foot-fascia, if you’re not careful.

After doing a bit of research (the actual, “reading science papers and checking with experts” kind), and then a bit of “research” (googling experiential anecdata shared on YouTube and Reddit) I identified a few potential treatment plans that seemed worth trying, and after a couple of false-starts, I landed on a (seeming) solution that involves keeping off my feet as much as I can, focusing on “soft knee” walking, and doing a couple minutes of stretching and foot massage before getting out of bed in the morning and before I stand up if I’ve been sitting for a decent stretch of time.

Compared to other oft-touted solutions (injections, surgery, wearing giant, stabilizing boots to bed every night) this is a pretty chilled-out option! I’ve also been pain-free since I started it, and my understanding is that I can begin to ease up on these habits after about a week of painless days.

Unfortunately, these efforts are also fairly day-disrupting and tedious.

I usually work from a standing desk about 70% of the time, but now I’m spending a fair portion of my day on the couch. And every time I need to get up to use the restroom (or do anything else) I have to take a few minutes to prepare, lest I undo all the healing my foot has managed up to this point.

My workout routines (including new, class-taking habits I’m in the process of locking into my schedule) have been upended, as have various other plans that require some level of uncareful perambulation.

Two things have been on my mind as a result of this relatively fortunate, but still imperfect state of affairs.