For those of you who remeber my pretty cast~ I was in it for three weeks as a last resort to treating my plantar fascitis. It did not work. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot is overstretched or overused. This can be pain and make walking difficult.
Initial Treatment includes:
•Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to reduce pain and inflammation
•Heel stretching exercises
•Resting as much as possible for at least a week
•Wearing shoes with good support and cushions
Other steps to relieve pain include:
•Apply ice to the painful area. Do this at least twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes, more often in the first couple of days.
•Try wearing a heel cup, felt pads in the heel area, or shoe inserts.
•Use night splints to stretch the injured fascia and allow it to heal.
If these treatments do not work, your doctor may recommend:
•Custom-made shoe inserts (orthotics)
•Steroid shots or injections into the heel
•Wearing a boot cast, which looks like a ski boot, for 3-6 weeks. It can be removed for bathing.
Wearing a walking cast.
In a few patients, nonsurgical treatment does not work. Surgery to release the tight tissue becomes necessary.
I had my surgery on July 7th.
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This are not images from my actual surgery, but of the procedure that I had done (In-Step Plantar Fasciotomy)
My postoperative orders.
A walker boot will be used from the day of surgery until 6 weeks post-operative. The walker boot is used for all walking. For the 1st 3weeks, it is used day and night. After 3 weeks (when my stitches are removed), it can be removed for showering.
I will be spending the next few weeks catching up on blogging :)
HUGS!!
Silvia
