My name is Wendy Vanwinkle and I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis back in 2020. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but I’ve learned to manage it. Each morning is an adventure – I never know if it’s going to be a good day or not. Good days are when I can go to work and run errands without having to stop every few minutes, take ibuprofen pills like candy and cry myself to sleep at night. But nobody can really help me – exercises, massages and physiotherapy only bring temporary relief. So I began researching on my own and not relying on help from the outside. I bought some plantar fasciitis socks, and a night splint… and eventually found a cure that works for me.
If you’re struggling with plantar fasciitis, know that you’re not alone. I went through the same thing, and I’m here to tell you that there is hope. There are things that you can do to ease the pain, and eventually, get rid of it completely. So hang in there, and don’t give up.
How it all began
I first noticed something was wrong when I started having pain in my heel when I got out of bed in the morning. The pain would go away after I walked around for a bit, but it would come back later in the day. I thought it was just a minor injury that would go away on its own, but it didn’t. The pain got worse and worse, to the point where it was hard to walk or stand for more than a few minutes. That’s when I went to see my doctor.
After ruling out other potential causes, my doctor diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis. He told me that it was a common condition and that I would likely need to take some time off from running and other high-impact activities. He prescribed me some pain medication and told me to rest, ice, and stretch my calf and foot muscles.
I did as he said, but the pain only got worse. I couldn’t walk or stand for more than a few minutes without being in agony. I missed work, social events, and pretty much anything that involved being on my feet. I was desperate for relief.
A typical day in my life at this point
I usually didn’t get enough sleep and even woke up several times a night because of the pain. That’s already a bad start, even when the day had not even begun.
After waking up and getting out of bed, I immediately felt the pain under my foot. I was barely able to walk to the bathroom. I mean, I am in my mid-40s and possibly look like my own grandma. It was bad, really bad.
I needed to take pain medication just to be able to have breakfast. I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep and being in pain all the time. I tried my best to rest and ice my foot, but it was hard to do when I had to take care of my family and work from home.
Some days were better than others. On good days, I was able to take ibuprofen and put my foot up for a bit and the pain would go away for a little while. But on bad days, the pain was so bad that I couldn’t even stand or walk. I would have to take powerful pain medication and stay in bed all day.
Shopping for groceries and running errands was only possible on good days. I needed help from my family or friends. I couldn’t carry anything heavier than a few pounds, so they had to do all the work.
Before the pain in my feet started, I was a very active woman. I ran twice a week for about an hour, went to the gym to work out with my best friend Moni and I loved to go dancing, to the movies or to other social events on the weekends. But all of that was gone. I couldn’t do any of the things I loved because of the pain.
I was so frustrated, angry, and helpless. I felt like I was losing my mind. All I could think about was the pain and how much I wanted it to go away.
I tried everything
I tried everything that my doctor prescribed, but nothing worked. I even tried some home remedies that I found online, but nothing gave me more than temporary relief. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever find a cure.
I tried creams and potions, but they didn’t work. I tried acupuncture and reflexology, but those didn’t work either. I even saw a chiropractor, but that only gave me temporary relief.
I was at my wit’s end when I came across an article about plantar fasciitis. It was here on the blog page of baronactive.com. They have a great resource for that matter and everything sounded plausible and logical. So I spent hours and hours on that site and read some more and some more on other sites as well to really educate myself on that condition. This gave me some relief because I felt like I was finally taking control of my situation and not just waiting for the pain to go away.
The turning point
Then I took matters into my own hands. I started doing my own research and that’s when I found out about plantar fasciitis socks, night splints, and other treatments. I was skeptical at first, but I decided to give them a try. And it was the best decision I ever made.
I ordered myself dozens of different socks, splints, pads, insoles, supports and other little helpers. Unfortunately, most of the stuff sold online didn’t work for me or only gave me temporary relief. But I didn’t give up and finally found the perfect combination of products that worked for me.
The plantar fasciitis socks from baronactive.com are really what made the biggest difference. I wear them all day, every day. They provide support and compression to my foot and heel, which helps to reduce the pain. I also wear them at night, which has helped to stretch my calf and foot muscles while I sleep.
The night splint was also a game-changer. I wear it while I sleep, and it keeps my foot and ankle in a neutral position. This helps to stretch the plantar fascia and prevent the pain from coming back in the morning.
I also started doing some simple exercises that I found online. These exercises help to stretch and strengthen the muscles in my foot and calf, which further reduces the pain.
The best exercises that I am doing every single day are the following:
Calf raises: I stand with my feet hip-width apart and raise up onto my toes, hold for a few seconds and then lower back down. I do 3 sets of 15 repetitions every day.
Plantar fascia stretch: I sit on the floor with my legs extended in front of me. I place a towel around the ball of my foot and pull gently on the towel to stretch the plantar fascia. I hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.
Toe raises: I sit on the floor with my legs extended in front of me and a small weight in my hand. I raise my toes off the ground and hold for a few seconds, and then lower back down. I do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
A bonus tip that I want to highlight is something I got from a friend who also has plantar fasciitis. You may be familiar with the “bottle roll“. That is, you place a glass bottle on the floor and roll your feet back and forth over it. This is a great way to massage the plantar fascia and relieve some of the pain. The idea was to put that bottle into the freezer for a day or two so that it’s really cold when you roll your foot over it. And that gave me that extra relief that I was hoping for. I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep the plantar fascia stretched and strong.
I am so grateful that I found these treatments that have finally helped me to get my life back. I am now pain-free and can finally do the things I love again.
I’m pain-free!
It’s been more than a year now since I started my plantar fasciitis journey and I am happy to say that I am pain-free. I still wear my special socks every day and night, and I still do my exercises, but the pain is gone. I am so grateful that I found these treatments that have finally helped me to get my life back.
If you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, I hope that my story gives you some hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t give up and keep searching until you find the treatments that work for you. And never give up hope.
Your friend Wendy
