Hank Ellis

[Hank Ellis]

Been fighting a pain in my right foot for several months now. Wasn't getting any better and finally went to see the doc.

Diagnosis. Plantar fasciitis brought on by a fallen arch. FFI: www.webmd.com Don't know the cause but ill fitting or worn out shoes is a possibility.

Treatment. Doc quickly figured out that I won't slow down to let this heal. So I'm wobbling around in a rigid boot to keep it from moving and to give it a rest. No bicycling. Skydiving and scuba diving are probably out. Runnin' and gunnin' are on hold till I get over this due to not wanting to aggravate the injury. Next step is to have a set of shoe inserts made to give the arch some support. A couple months and I should be back to play.

Bout' the only thing left I can do is shotgunning and to get caught up on chrono work. I ought to borrow some SASS gear and do a couple Cowboy Action matches. I've got the limping Chester of Gunsmoke thing down pat.

[leam]

Treatment. Doc quickly figured out that I won't slow down to let this heal. So I'm wobbling around in a rigid boot to keep it from moving and to give it a rest. No bicycling. Skydiving and scuba diving are probably out. Runnin' and gunnin' are on hold till I get over this due to not wanting to aggravate the injury. Next step is to have a set of shoe inserts made to give the arch some support. A couple months and I should be back to play.

Bout' the only thing left I can do is shotgunning and to get caught up on chrono work. I ought to borrow some SASS gear and do a couple Cowboy Action matches. I've got the limping Chester of Gunsmoke thing down pat.

Yeah, SASS is full of us old overweight fellas moving around.

Have you done any tech diving? Reason I ask is that with Jet FIns and frog kicks you're not likely to move your arch as much. Once you get the hang of it your gas consumption drops way down too.

Leam

[Hank Ellis]

Have you done any tech diving? Reason I ask is that with Jet FIns and frog kicks you're not likely to move your arch as much. Once you get the hang of it your gas consumption drops way down too.

Not a tech diver. But I do use the frog kick when appropiate. Especially when I'm down on the floor looking at some micro object. Don't remember the brand of split fins I have but when the wife and I tried them we bought them immediately. Felt like somebody strapped a rocket pod to our tanks. And gas consumption went down as a plus.

I'll stay dry until this blows over. I'm going to be stressing it enough in about a month when I go to Reno for the air races. All that tromping around isn't going to help it any.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Hank Ellis

[bufit323]

Sorry to hear it Hank, hope to see you soon at a match . . .sans boot.

[HiCapMag]

Hank, is this gonna mess you up for Three gun Nats?

[Hank Ellis]

Hank, is this gonna mess you up for Three gun Nats?

Just might. Don't know as us of yet. I've got the limping Chester boot for about 3 weeks. Then when the orthotics (shoe insert thingys) come in we'll see. Laying off the local matches for a while will speed the recovery.

I know me. I'll play hurt. Been doing it the last 3 or 4 months anyway so the MG nats is still a strong go. Just hope I'll know before the early deadline so I can save the $30.

Funny, you don't know how much you bend you ankle till you can't bend your ankle.

[DougCarden]

I feel your pain...been dealing with it since April.......

Got better with physical therapy....up down up down...which is typical for this....

go slow and realize you will have other pains/aches due to you compensating for it.....and the 3am pee will just plain ass suck......

Some days will be better, but it will heal when it heals.......

DougC

[mikey357]

...don't know about the Plantar Fascitis (sp-?), but they have MEDS you can take that'll eliminate--or at least greatly REDUCE--the need for that 3:00 a.m. "Bathroom Trip"..."FloMax", etc. ...Ya' oughta' look into it, Doug!!!...HTH....mikey357

[Hank Ellis]

I feel your pain...been dealing with it since April.......

The orthopedic doc said that waiting too long to treat this can lead to a very long recovery. In addition stress fractures can occur if left untreated which will have to be dealt with also.

One of the lawyers my wife works with had the exact same symptoms as I did but he lived with the pain for a much longer time. He got a stress fracture because of it and got the boot for 6 weeks.

Listen to your body. It will tell you if some maintenance is due.

but they have MEDS you can take that'll eliminate--or at least greatly REDUCE--the need for that 3:00 a.m. "Bathroom Trip"...

Just so we're on the same page. My plumbing and prostate is fine. The one 0300 trip to the head isn't a big deal. It's when you get up muliple times a night for urination and get a weak stream that it's a sign of an enlarged prostate.

[brboyer]

I feel your pain...been dealing with it since April.......

The orthopedic doc said that waiting too long to treat this can lead to a very long recovery. In addition stress fractures can occur if left untreated which will have to be dealt with also.

One of the lawyers my wife works with had the exact same symptoms as I did but he lived with the pain for a much longer time. He got a stress fracture because of it and got the boot for 6 weeks.

Listen to your body. It will tell you if some maintenance is due.

+1,000,000

Plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and an avulsion fracture of the right calcaneus...I was out of comission for six months! Oh and let's not forget the arthritis that developed in the right ankle! Man, getting old sucks!

Edited August 7, 2008 by brboyer

[Hank Ellis]

An update.

Lived with the boot for 10 days and it hurt me more than the foot was hurting. The desired result was to quit bending the paw to quit aggravating the injury. Tossed the boot and went back to my shoes with an upgraded store bought orthotic. Felt so good that I spent Saturday and Sunday around the house doing white suburbia stuff. Paid for it Sunday night. Serious pain. Ibuprofen. After dinner mints for those over 40.

I had an appointment today (Monday) at the prostetic/orthotic shop and joy, they were ready. Eight hours into wearing them I can tell that they are rearranging the foot parts to be where they should. Tech said it will take two weeks to break them in. All my sports are still on hold for a couple weeks but after that I should be good to go.

I've now got new pains. The calf muscles are being stretched in a different way and the knees are tweaked a little. Side effects that will go away in those two weeks. Knew those were coming and was prepared for it. If things continue as they are I should be ready to run and gun by mid September.

Couple of observations.

Shot a few rounds of Handicap and Trap Singles. Stank like you wouldn't believe. Worst rounds in the last 9 months. No pain. It was the boot. It totally screwed up my stance and mount to the point I couldn't hit anything. Didn't think it would make that big of a difference but it did. The next day I went out and got caught up on some chrono work. At least the boot didn't affect shooting when sitting down.

The prostetic/orthotic shop. Sitting in the waiting room I rooted around for something to read. Found a travel magazine so I thumbed through it. It was a travel magazine dedicated to those who are mobile by wheelchair. Amazed at what is out there in that world. The offroad wheelchairs were facinating and saw an ad for chair with a built in shooting rest and advertised as such. I happened to have on one of my skydiving shirts that day. Tech noticed it and asked if I knew who Dana Bowman was. I did. He was the Golden Knight who was involved in a horrific freefall collision that tramatically amputated both his legs. He has since skydived again. A testiment to the human spirit. The tech met him at a prostetic/orthotic convention and said he's everything you read about and more. On the way out I saw two in the waiting room to be fitted for their leg prostetics.

I've got no room to whine.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Hank Ellis

[sasquatch981]

I too am dealing with this dreaded problem. Luckily my Brother-In-Law is a podiatrist. Besides the things you are doing, he also suggested that I use a "Strassburg Sock ". This is a wierd little sock with a "long" toe. The toe is then pulled up and the foot is stretched while you sleep. It is supposed to eliminate some of the pain in the morning. I just ordered one, and have yet to recieve it.

Strassburg Sock

[Hank Ellis]

I too am dealing with this dreaded problem. Luckily my Brother-In-Law is a podiatrist. -snip-

Strassburg Sock

My brother-in-law is a car salesman so he's no help except every few years when a new ride is due. At least he's head of sales for an Acura dealership.

Spent yesterday doing errands, cleaned off the reloading bench (there really is a table under that pile), and a dentist appointment for crown delivery. So last evening my mouth was sore from the dentist poking around but the foot wasn't that bad. A bit of pain in the arch but the heel pain from the plantar hasn't come back.

This morning, sat at the side of the bed wondering, "Well what's it going to be like today?" Two steps and I was mobile. The heel pain of the plantar isn't there. But I've still got the arch pain. Also most everything around the ankle is hurting like I've twisted it or strained it. Got a followup visit with the orthopedic doc today and I'll check on the ankle pain. I think that's normal due to the foot parts being rearranged to the proper position.

I'll ask about the sock and a few other items y'all have brought up. The doc is highly respected and the clinic treats the LSU atheletes so I know I'm in good hands.