I hope you never develop PF, but if you do, you’re not alone.
I noticed the other day, after a week of particularly “strong” walks, 3-4k daily, that my left heel, on the bottom of it, had started to ache. I thought maybe I had put too much effort into the walks, and just needed a day to rest it. So I did just that.
The next morning, again, out for my morning walk, again 3.5k, and again with the heel pain, only this time it was a bit more intense, shall we say?!
I consulted my friend Max, and he told me exactly what I suspected, but didn’t want to acknowledge- that it was, indeed PF. Damn. Now what was I going to do? I don’t want to stop walking, but I can’t keep up the pace, or the discomfort, because now, after the 6th day, the pain is such that it’s difficult to sleep the whole night through, like I have been.
One thing he told me was to shorten my stride, not necessarily the pace, but to try not to make such a hard heel strike, and to stretch my feet before and after I walk.
So, I did that. All of that. Today, however, I’m sitting at my desk typing this after having started, last night, taking Ibuprofen 800mg. every 6 hours, and having cut up a 4” diameter piece of egg crate mattress, and put it in my Crocs just so I can walk around the apartment.
Both the Ibuprofen and the foam insert have helped tremendously. I walked 1k today, listening to a book, (boring), instead of my upbeat music. (The music makes it difficult to keep to a sedate pace.) I don’t want to do anything to increase the pain, for sure, so I’m willing to cut back on the stride length. If I don’t walk 3k, I don’t get an extra 350 calories.
The pain comes, and goes, even just sitting here typing. I’m going to continue to walk my 3-4k, just at a slower pace “keeping my feet under my body, not beyond”. That keeps my heel strike less forceful.
I’ll let you know how things continue, so, until then, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.