I hate what I am about to write, because then it is in black and white.

Here it is written. I have a problem. I have an injury. Now I must deal with it. Ugh.

I am injured. Yes, it is true. I have not even told, Bekah. Writing this makes me admit that I am worried and I need to deal with it. Since Saturday I have been in pain. The first three days were excruciating which I just contributed to the long 20 mile run. However, since yesterday I think it is much more than that. I have not ran since Saturday and actually the muscle pain has went away. What hasn’t went away is the constant foot pain and tight muscle in the middle of my left foot. It is so tight and it feels like my foot needs to be arched all of the time. It is so bad that I am wearing tennis shoes 100% of the time, except when I sleep. Even if I slip my Nike support flip flops on it is a short lived notion. My self diagnosis is plantar fasciitis. The second symptom that continues to hurt is the left side of my knee. This I can actually tolerate it’s annoyance. It hurts all the way down the leg from the knee. When I bend down I can actually hear my knee crunch like tissue paper. Good times. Ugh.

What is plantar fasciitis?

According to Wikipedia: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the sole (bottom surface) of the foot. It is often caused by overuse of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is a very common condition and can be difficult to treat if not looked after properly. Another common term for the affliction is "policeman's heel".^[1]

Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termed plantar fasciosis.^[2] The suffix "osis" implies a pathology of chronic degeneration without inflammation. Since tendons and ligaments do not contain blood vessels, they do not actually become inflamed. Instead, injury to the tendon is usually the result of an accumulation over time of microscopic tears at the cellular level.

The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue originating on the bottom surface of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extending along the sole of the foot towards the toes. It has been reported that plantar fasciitis occurs in two million Americans a year and in 10% of the U.S. population over a lifetime.^[3] It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing. Among non-athletic populations, it is associated with a high body mass index.^[4] The pain is usually felt on the underside of the heel and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. Another symptom is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are brought toward the shin (decreaseddorsiflexion of the ankle). A symptom commonly recognized among sufferers of plantar fasciitis is an increased probability of knee pains, especially among runners.

What am I going to do? Well, I am stubborn and don’t feel like going through the three ring doctor referral process at this time. Therefore, I keep resting, rolling, and stretching my foot and calf for the plantar fasciitis and I am praying. Praying that I heal. All I want to do is finish my marathon without causing permanent injury. I will never, never, never give up! I am doing this!!

Until next time please pray and…Happy Running!

~Danyelle

Have you ever been injured?

If so, what did you do that was helpful?