The heel spur won't go away. But the pain did.

The first step in the morning is terrifying.

I never thought a day like that would come.

The moment I put my feet down from the futon,
a sharp pain like a needle piercing my heel.

I couldn't even make a sound.
I couldn't stand.
I was just terrified.

"What if it never heals for the rest of my life?"

That anxiety became greater than the pain itself.

That was February, one year ago.

Since then, I became someone who is afraid of the morning.

I would gently move my ankles in the futon, curl and stretch my toes, and then slowly lift my body up. Every day, I couldn't stand without doing warm-up exercises first. Even then, I felt tense the moment I put my feet on the floor.

My job requires me to stand the whole time.
Staff members quit, and my workload increased.
There was no time to sit down.

"I have to do something about this."

My impatience only grew.

I would search for "plantar fasciitis" on YouTube and try every video that came up. Whenever I found a product labeled specifically for plantar fasciitis, I bought it immediately. I think I spent over 50,000 yen just on insoles.

"Maybe this will cure it."
"Maybe this time it will be okay."

I would get my hopes up, only to be disappointed. It was a cycle of that.

I also went to a chiropractor. The doctor was very kind and worked hard on my treatment. I would feel a little better after the visits. But after a few days, it would return. Sometimes, I would even be left with a sensation as if the soles of my feet were burning.

One day, when I was about to buy a bathing ticket at a public facility, I hit my bad heel hard against the tactile paving on the floor.

"Ouch!"

At that moment, I had a bad feeling.

From the next day, the pain doubled, and I could barely walk even a few meters.

That was when I finally decided to visit an orthopedic clinic.

"You have a calcaneal spur."

I was shown an X-ray and told that. A thorn-like protrusion has formed on my heel.

My mind went blank.

A thorn. A thorn formed on the bone.

"Does this mean it will never heal?"

After returning home, I searched desperately.

I learned that when the plantar fascia is pulled for a long period, calcium can deposit on the bone, creating a thorn-like protrusion. However, some people have spurs but no pain. Others have no spurs but still have pain. I learned that most of the pain is caused by inflammation.

Having a spur does not mean being in pain for the rest of your life.

Those words brought me a little bit of relief.

From then on, I decided to stop doing certain things.

Pressing too hard. Overdoing it. Being impatient.

I also stopped going to the chiropractor, even though I felt bad for the practitioner.

"It is better not to irritate it right now."

I decided to trust my own instincts.

It was then that I found the "Plantar Fasciitis Specialist Channel" on YouTube. It is a channel by an acupuncturist named Mr. Inamura. At first, I was skeptical. But the explanations were logical, and above all, I was saved by his advice that "you don't have to do everything" and "the painful area is not the only cause."

I chose only the things from the videos that I felt were necessary for me.

Don't do everything. Don't push yourself. Don't press hard.

I think that until then, in my desperation to heal quickly, I must have been overdoing it.

I also re-evaluated my shoes. I had been wearing New Balance shoes, convinced they were good because they were wide. However, when I tried switching to Asics Gel-Fanwalker, the stability of my feet felt completely different. When I went back to the New Balance shoes later, my soles felt a dull ache and I got tired.

Just because something is considered 'good for everyone' doesn't mean it will suit you.

I learned that, too.

It has been about four months since I stopped going to the chiropractor. What I continued was a very small habit.

Gently stroking my feet while in the bathtub.
Rubbing the soles of my feet.
Moving each toe one by one.
Stimulating my calves by pulling them sideways instead of kneading them.

About five minutes for each foot. Not just the painful right foot, but both feet.

Don't knead them hard.
Just treat them with care.

I kept doing that almost every day.

Before I knew it, the morning dread had gradually faded away.

And now.
That intense pain feels like a lie, and I can walk barefoot.

The spur hasn't disappeared. I'm told that once it forms, it doesn't go away.
But the pain has disappeared.

If you are reading this and you are currently afraid of taking that first step in the morning.

If you are someone who has bought countless insoles.
If you are filled with anxiety, wondering, 'Will it be like this for the rest of my life?'

You don't need to rush.
You don't need to overdo it.

Inflammation can subside.
The body has the power to recover.

What saved me was,
trusting my own senses.
continuing to do a little bit every day.
and finding information I could trust.

The heel spur won't disappear.
But the pain can disappear.

Like me back then,
I hope this reaches someone who is afraid of the morning.

　　　　　　　　Image created by Gemini