It’s amazing and scary how easy it can be to fall out of exercise routines when injuries occur. Since the pain in the arch of my foot wasn’t going away, I stopped walking long distances and discovered any form of cardio caused more pain. Of course, I could try swimming, but that’s not as convenient with my work schedule.

Dr. Gregory Morris, is a podiatrist who’s helped me a couple of times. He owns (I think) The Ultimate Footstore, which is a chain of shops selling orthotics and orthotic shoes and accessories. He writes something akin to a prescription/coupon to take to one of his stores to get a 10% discount on this one-time purchase. He recommended: 1) Sole brand orthotic inserts, 2) orthotic sandals/slippers to wear indoors, and 3) a compression sleeve ($25 for one sleeve) to be worn beneath my socks.

He gave me stretches to do which don’t differ from what you will find on other websites after doing a quick google search for them. What was different? He recommended massage of the calf and foot, and ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory to be taken twice a day.

I bought a can of tennis balls on Saturday, and ran my feet back and forth over them to massage my painful arch and stretch out the tendon, and started icing my feet. I also used a foam roller to massage each calf, and the result was a reduction in pain. It’s going on two months now. I’m feeling kinda gross from lack of physical activity. Things could be much worse though, so I’m glad it finally seems to be improving.