Developing plantar fasciitis from bad running habits

I developed plantar fasciitis from bad running habits.

When I was younger, I didn’t have the money to pay for a gym membership, purchase exercise equipment or buy expensive sneakers.

I bought a pair of ten dollar sneakers from Walmart and started running. I made the mistake of running every single day. As I built stamina, I increased the distance of my daily routes. I was eventually running ten to fifteen miles. I failed to properly warm up and stretch prior to a run. I didn’t bother with a cool-down following a run. I wasn’t good about drinking sufficient water. Plantar fasciitis is extremely painful. It feels as if the bottom of the foot, from the heel to the ball, is tearing open with every step. The pain got so bad that I could no longer run. I could barely walk and struggled to sleep at night. Icing my feet, stretching the muscles and taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories helped. I finally scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist, who fitted me for inserts into my shoes. These plastic inserts work to support the arches of the feet. The podiatrist recommended that I spend some money on a pair of sneakers designed for running. I did some research and realized that running every day is very bad for the feet and joints. Now that I can run again, I am smarter about it. I only run two or three days per week. In-between, my workouts are centered around low impact activities such as cycling, kayaking and weight-lifting. I prioritize my warm-up, cool-down, stretching and proper hydration.

 

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