Let me also throw this out there. About a year and half ago, I was increasingly having problems with the first step in the morning. But my mind didn't go to plantar faschitis , it went to gout. I knew of a truck driver who was a heavy meat eater and drinker but his drinking was kept in check by having to drive. Well, he retired and one day I saw him on the street hobbling about with a cane and he told me he had gout and he explained what caused it. High protein consumption and drinking.
Well, anyway, I said to myself , shoot that looks painful but after what I read here about plantar faschitis, the symptoms sound similar
Well, when I got up that cold january morning and experienced the same pain that he described that is where my mind went. I also realized before hand that my meat consumption was really high and this seemed to confirm it. I don't drink so that wasn't a factor (that's why you haven't seen me in the beer thread). Anyway I made an effort to cut back and I felt continuous relief from day one. I also started going for the massages and found there were other factors. I shy away from doctors because sometimes their need for a tennis court or swimming pool conflicts with the best course of treatment(I won't even say "my opinion", we know this to be the sad state of many in the medical profession)
Anyway, today, I am a borderline vegetarian. I will eat my fish, and occassionally, have a small piece of chicken from the salad bar. But if I were to have that frankfurter(and they really do taste great) , my stomach would reel within 15 minutes. By no means, am I telling anyone to become a vegetarian but the cutback approach worked for me and now my stomach is telling me I am stuck with where I am at.
I'll include this little bit from wikipedia about gout :
Gout usually attacks the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks); however, it also can affect other joints such as the ankle, heel, instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, or spine. In some cases, the condition may appear in the joints of small toes that have become immobile due to impact injury earlier in life; the resulting poor blood circulation can lead to gout.
My friend that I alluded to earlier had gout right in his heel , which for all intents and purposes was the same pain as plantar fa****is.
So, I guess, my question to those who suffer from this, does it feel ten times worse on a sunday morning after a later saturday afternoon barbecue and drink fest?