Part 1
On November 15th, I had surgery on my left foot which entailed three precise incisions. The first two were to cut my plantar fascia, a thick fibrous tissue that runs from the heel to the base of the toes. When it gets inflamed, it is called plantar fasciitis and will hurt the most in the morning getting out of bed before it has had any time to stretch out. It’s common in people over 40 who increase activity, tennis players, policemen, educators- basically any professional who stands on their feet all day. Needless to say, I fit the demographic.
The third incision was for the lesser-known cousin of carpal tunnel but in the foot, tarsal tunnel syndrome. This happens when the tibial nerve on the bottom of the foot gets compressed. Both plantar fasciitis and tarsal tunnel cause a nearly identical sharp pain every time your foot hits the ground right below the heel. The only difference is that tarsal tunnel gets progressively worse throughout the day with any activity. As a result, I now have a permanent piece of titanium buried deep in my heel to ensure I don’t end up putting pressure in the wrong place. So how did I get to this point?
One year ago, I started 2024 with a similar commitment to no sugar. I also started attending yoga for the first time to balance out all my time on the tennis court. My tennis game was improving and I was captain of a local USTA team playing in a league. I thought this was going to be the year!! During my first match of the season, I am playing shitty tight tennis, rather than the relaxed fluid game I had been playing lately, for no good explainable reason-It’s not like I was in the finals at Wimbledon. Midway through the second set, I sprinted in for a short ball extending my leg and landing flat on my left heel where an immediate sharp pain shot through my foot. Damn, I thought, there goes my plantar fasciitis flaring up again. Somehow, I finish the match with a win, but hobble off the court.
That night, I iced my heel but could not fall asleep due to the terrible pain. I couldn’t walk and knew I was in bad shape for work. My bigger problem was that I couldn’t go back to my podiatrist who fixed my right foot two years ago. The short version is I owed him over a thousand dollars from two years ago when I found out AFTER the fact that insurance wasn’t covering my visits. Indignant, I thought, “They will never see me again.” So in the middle of the night in the middle of pain, I found another podiatrist and hobbled to the door twenty minutes before they opened, hoping to be seen. I luck out, get seen, and get treated for plantar fasciitis with a nice shot to the heel and a steroid pack. However, something is still not right and I know it walking out the door.
Fast forward two plus months later and another podiatrist later, and I am getting worse. I have barely been able to play tennis and if I try, I can’t walk the next day. I don’t want to exercise and yep, I might as well binge on sugar at this point- that commitment died with a nice bite of King Cake. Furthermore, my back is in severe pain because I am walking funny all day trying to avoid the pain in my foot. And it seems yoga is making things worse as it twists up my already wrenched back. After a week of rest, I try to convince myself that it is getting better, that I can tough it out, and try to play a second match- this time doubles on clay courts, softer on the foot and less running. Big mistake, Not only did we lose, but once again, the searing pain kept me awake all night and there was no way I could go to work the next day. I have burned through two podiatrists so I do the only thing I can the next morning.
“Hello, this is Scott. You treated me for plantar fasciitis two years ago. I know I owe you over $1000 but I can’t walk and will you please see me this morning and do you now take my insurance?”
To be continued tomorrow…