Addicted

So, let's talk about plantar fasciitis. It's fun to say, but it hurts a lot. Spread throughout the body are sheets of tissue called "fascia" that run between muscle groups or between muscles and other organs and they allow everything to slide smoothly back and forth when you move. So plantar fascia is the sheet that runs along the bottom of your foot and the fancy "itis" means inflammation. When the fascia in your foot gets inflammed it hurts. It hurts a lot. It hurts when you stand, it hurts when you sit and boy, oh boy does it hurt when you get up in the morning!

I mention all this because I have plantar fasciitis. I do all the non-invasive treatments: massage, stretching, cold, but it's not bad enough (I'm not sure it could be!) for me to consider cortisone injections, shockwave therapy or surgery. I definitely think it's related to tightness in my calf muscles and I know that a lot of walking, particularly in the wrong shoes, will make it worse.

Which leads to my new addiction: MBT shoes. As you may remember from the China posts, I bought a pair to take along. The weather was so warm that I didn't wear them much, but now that fall has set in with a vengence, I've been wearing them here. And I love 'em! I can tool around all day and while my feet aren't pain free, I don't get the escalating levels of pain that I've come to expect. Last night, Stuart and I went out and I wore my Solomon shoes with the expensive SuperFeet insoles. Just getting in and out of the car, with a bit of wandering around in BestBuy and Ikea was enough that my heels were in pain when we got home. I put my MBTs on to head to work this morning and could feel the pain going down as we walked.

As an added bonus, I do have to say that at least some of their advertising claims are true. They do encourage you to adopt a better posture. The first time I put them up and stood up, it felt like right after a really good Pilates workout; shoulders back, pelvis tucked, abdominals strong. It also helped bring to my attention a bad habit I'd developed (and that is probably contributing to the fasciitis) of over-using my calves and under-utilizing my upper legs when I walk.

I've found out that between the two of us, Stuart and I have coverage for $400/year for orthotic shoes and right on the invoice it says "Orthotic footwear". Yippy! So this weekend, I'm off to look at a pair of MBT boots, that may be able to pass as fashionable (they look ok on the website) and I'm thinking about a pair of sandals for our trip to Florida. There's no doubt that these shoes will never be sexy, but since stilettos are never gone be part of my everyday wardrobe anyway, I'm going for the pain-free option. They aren't cheap, but if you think they may help you - check 'em out: MBT.