Occasionally I’ll run into products I just LOVE and I have to share. SuperFeet is one of those products. Last spring as I was building up my running miles, I started to have pain in the heel of my left foot. It was especially painful after a long run, and at one point – got so bad I limped for days. I had no idea what it was and wouldn’t go away so went to my doctor. She almost immediately diagnosed me as having Plantar Fasciitis and told me to rest it for at least a week. I did, but as soon as I started running again, it came back. I had no other directives so my running was limited that whole season. When it gets to hot too run, I swim so summer came and even without running, I had a lot of heel pain, especially when I got up in the morning, and after long periods of sitting. I was limping around all summer long.
After months of this, I did some research and discovered that I had to stretch the foot regularly or it would never heal. It also was bad for me to walk without arch support. Being spring/summer when this was all going on, I LOVE to walk around barefoot and show off my pretty toes. By placing my foot on a hard surface, without supporting my arch, I was actually making it worse. I finally broke down and went to a Podiatrist. He concurred with the PF diagnosis, and told me I needed custom orthotics – to the tune of $650 which weren’t covered by insurance. Gulp. Well that just wasn’t in the budget, but I knew I needed to do something.
So I started asking around my running friends, and one of them recommended SuperFeet. They support the high arch of my foot and keep my heel from striking the hard surface. Within a week, I could already feel some relief. I bought a second pair for my workout shoes. Between wearing these every waking moment and following some stretching exercises prescribed by the Podiatrist, I can happily say I don’t limp anymore, and I am ALMOST pain free. The real test will be when it finally warms up out there, and I start running again, if it comes back. But can happily say for a modest investment I am holding steady.
Excel With Mel 