It’s been awhile since I blogged on this site. I have a confession: I don’t wear my Fivefingers anymore. Except to the local pool. You may have read why I started wearing them in the first place. Well, my feet have overall NOT improved. My arches (who knew there were three on each foot?!?) are worse, not better. But the latest and most severe problem is my heel.
My Unpleasant Surprise
About two months ago, I woke up one day and got out of bed. My very first step was a stabbing pain through my heel. So was the second step. And the third. Throughout the day, the pain seemed to fade until I couldn’t notice it anymore. Within a week, the pain was an every day / all day experience. Worst when I walk barefoot. So I began wearing my flat Diesels. They add some cushion without hiking up my heel above my toes.
GWAW WHAT?
I’ve had a very painful procedure done twice – Gua Sha. The doctor scrapes EVERY part of the foot with a piece of polished bone or plastic to break up the scar tissue around joints, tendons, and ligaments. When I say “very painful”, I mean don’t even think of bringing your children to watch.
We tried to take X-Rays this week, but the machine was malfunctioning. I’ll go back next week. Just to make sure I don’t have a fracture. Even with the scar tissue broken up, the pain in my heel is still REALLY intense.
I’m Such a Judas
So I’ve at least temporarily given up the Fivefingers. I hope I’ll go back someday, but not at the expense of my quality of life. In the meantime, I’ve switched my blogging fascinations over to BLOGS! Check out my rants at DailyBlogCrush.com -> where I review all my favorite blogs (yes, I have a crush on them).
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Hey man, what do you plan on doing with the myfivefingers website?
Depending on a shoe to fix your feet is like depending on an anti-depressant pill to make you happy. Of course you ache more – you’re asking your feet to work… but they’re weak! Fix your feet through exercise. Make them strong, flexible and smart. Check my site and search for Sole Training.
From personal experience, it sounds like what you have – shooting heel pain that gets better as you walk around – is plantar fasciitis. Stretching will help a lot, or it did for me. Straighten your leg, pull your toes back toward your knee (using only your leg muscles), hold for 10-20 seconds. Repeat frequently.
Rolling a lacrosse or other hard compact ball under your foot helps, too.
Good luck. I’ve been there and it hurts a lot.
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids.
I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and
said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic
but I had to tell someone!
Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking a few minutes and
actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate
a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.
Plantar fascitis (sp?) I got that. Not as sudden or as painful as you. It would hurt when I got up in the morning, especially. I stopped were the vibrams for a while.
I looked around and found some testimonials and obtained what I thought was a foot massager. Its a thick wooden dowel with smooth barbell ends and rubberized knobs around the shaft.
Well, every day I got up and forcefully rolled my entire foot on the thing, which of course was painful. But the thing is, the tenderness decreased afterward, and each day was slightly less, until there was no need for it at all.
This after some research recommending a brace, or saying there is no cure, etc.
Probably the efficacious part of “Gua Sha”- i.e., Chinese quack medicine. (Did he sell Black bear spleen for erectile dysfunction as well??)
Turns out you might not need an extreme guru grinding on you, just some gentle, consistent stimulation.