If you have ever suffered from pain in the bottom of the foot, then you know just how much of a well, pain it can be. Very few pains can interfere with your life the way foot pain can. When every step you take is agony, you’ll do nearly anything to find relief. I know just how you feel. I spent more than 20 years carrying the mail, and believe me, a mailman knows about foot pain. Pain in the bottom of the foot, pain in the top of the foot, and pain in the side of the foot. I knew them all at one time or another during my mail carrying career.
My first pain was a severe case of tendinitis in the top of my foot. This was treated by injections of steroids. If I had it to do over again, I would have avoided them. Steroids can make your tendons brittle and leaves them more easily injured in the future.
But the worst pain of my postal career was a nagging case of plantar fasciitis. This is an inflammation of the tendons that run the length of the bottom of your foot from the heel to the toes, and if you have it, then you know what it’s like to just not be able to walk without excruciating pain. Treatment is usually rest, along with stretching exercises.
Fortunately there are several products on the market to help with these stretches, and some are designed to stretch the plantar fascia as you sleep during the night.
Generally speaking, it takes up to 2 years to cure a case of plantar fasciitis, but most cases are resolved in about 9 months. In my case it took about 3 months, during which I was put on a light duty night shift at one of the mail processing plants.
I’m definitely a day person, and I found working a night shift to be torture. I couldn’t sleep during the day while the sun was up, and by the time my time was over and I could carry again, I was a wreck due to sleep deprivation. You won’t need to suffer through that I hope.
I have written another article which can be found here which discusses this problem and some other common problems which can cause pain in the bottom of the foot. It also offers some solutions and where you can find them.