shoe shopping

I got a good excuse to buy more shoes, but unfortunately, it comes at a cost (and not just the cost of the shoes).  I, like Mario Williams, have plantar fasciitis.  And, that might be where the resemblance ends...  And, yes, kids, I'm writing this as another reminder of all the things I did for you.  The list is already long.

I started having soreness and pain in my left foot.  Guessing that it was probably from carrying around two adorable, yet chubby, babies, and often in heels, I thought I should probably cave in and wear flats more often.  Oddly to me, the pain was worse in the flats.  At first I thought it was because I consciously made an effort to wear the flats when I would be on my feet a lot and the pain was due to being on my feet.  After spending a long day on my feet in heels without pain, I realized, no, it's the flats.  The podiatrist later explained that aside from heels distributing weight differently, they also often  tend to have some arch support.  So, she gave me the green light on wearing my cute heels.  Not what I expected when walking into the podiatrist's office. 

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the tissue that creates the arch of the foot gets inflamed.  Interestingly, it is common in women with babies.  The hormone that the body produces to loosen up tissues in the body so that hips can spread for childbirth doesn't discriminate and only loosen the tissue around the hips.  It affects most all the tissue in the body (maybe all, but I'm no good at anything medical, so I'm leaving myself some wiggle room).  Many women's feet expand during pregnancy and they have to go up a size in shoes.  Unfortunately for me and many other women, this hormone continues while nursing.  Hence the foot problems.  Treatment includes exercises and stretching, anti-inflammatories and a cortisone shot (which hurt like #$^^), and orthotics and new shoes.  Fortunately, the shoes that are made specifically for women with plantar fasciitis are not completely hideous.  If you know anyone in need, I highly recommend Orthaheel.  I've now been wearing these shoes predominantly for a few days and the funny side effect is that my calves are completely sore.  The shoes align my feet differently, and even that slight change causes me to use the muscles of my body in a way that they are not accustomed to being used.  Doesn't quite make up for not going to the gym anymore, but I'll take what I can get. 

These are the special shoes from and my orthotics.  Not bad!