Every single morning for 14 months, the first thing I felt when my feet hit the floor was a searing, stabbing pain in my right heel, like someone had buried a knife in the arch of my foot overnight. I'd limp to the bathroom. I'd wince with every step. By the time I reached the coffee maker, the pain had dulled to a relentless throb that followed me through every shift.
I'm a nurse. Standing and walking is my job. And plantar fasciitis was quietly destroying it.
I tried everything the doctors and the internet told me. Custom orthotics: $320. Cortisone injection: $180, worked for three weeks then the pain came screaming back. Night splints: impossible to sleep in. Frozen water bottle rolling: helped for maybe 20 minutes. Physical therapy: two months, three times a week, $65 a session. Each thing brought a sliver of hope — and then nothing.