Do Something!

 

 

Already for 3 weeks, I have been having a heel pain. The first week, I tried to ignore the pain as I constantly have some pains all over the body (e.g. ankle, knees, shoulders, hamstring, hips and so on…) from my over exercising. The second week, the pain seemed to start bothering me more that I was feeling very uncomfortable but, I was still too lazy to do anything for it. As my foot hurts more as the day goes on, this week I have been having a problem to even walk without pain. I knew I needed to do something but the lack of determination delayed me to do anything. The funny thing was I expected my foot would be fine soon like a miracle (when I didn’t do anything to get better???).

 

Finally, after lunch time work-out (I know, I shouldn’t have done J), having a serious pain that I couldn’t walk without limping, I decided to ‘DO’ something.

 

I showed my foot to one of my colleagues who used to be a physiotherapist and asked her opinion. She straightaway diagnosed ‘Plantar Fasciitis’ according to my symptoms and suggested me to search internet about it. I felt immediately better by only knowing what it could be. 

 

 

 

‘Plantar fasciitis (say "PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus") is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.’

Wow… When I read the first a few sentences, I knew I was on a right track. So, what could be the causes of the pain and how to cure this? Of course, there were plenty of free advices and tips for me to try on the web instead of visiting Physio. 

•           Give feet a rest and cut back on activities that make feet hurt. (This will be very hard as I can’t stop moving ).

•           Try not to walk or run on hard surfaces. (No run??? This is even harder.)

•           To reduce pain and swelling, try putting ice on heel. (Good, I can do this.)

•           Or take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), naproxen (such as Aleve), or aspirin. (Well…, I don’t want to take a pill not to feel pain instead of curing.)

•           Do toe stretches, calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when you first get up in the morning. (This sounds very good. I can try this.)

•           Get a new pair of shoes. Pick shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Or try heel cups or shoe inserts. Use them in both shoes, even if only one foot hurts.

 

I immediately applied some of these tips yesterday and through this morning (especially icing and stretches), and guess what? I feel far better than yesterday. I am going to buy shoe inserts today to get the best result (getting rid of this pain) as soon as possible.
 

  

What am I talking about now? Sorry, I didn’t want to talk about my painful heel or how to fix all my sport injuries. What I really wanted to talk about is that I was quite amazed by my attitude on problem solving. I have been knowing/acknowledging my pain for three weeks but I didn’t take any action to release the pain and I only hoped it would be better ‘Anyhow’. Obviously, the miracle didn’t happen and I had to be in pain during the time. Once I decided to take an action for solving the problem, I could have a closer look at the problem and stepped forward to finding solutions. When I found out what could be helpful and applied some of options, the problem starts getting easier and simpler. Now, I am facing the problem and trying to resolve it. (My right foot is on ice after three sets of stretches and, I feel good J).
 

Most people including myself very often try to ignore or delay facing problems. Delaying will never lead you anywhere. Either the problems will stay there wait for your action anyway or get bigger/worsen that you need to put extra efforts to resolve. So, when you have got a problem, don’t delay it, face and deal with it. Remember that we intend to worry more than necessary. The problems could be far simpler than you think.

 

Don’t expect a miracle can happen to solve your problems. As you are responsible for your happiness in your life, all the problems occurred in your life are also your responsibility. No one can solve your problems on behalf of you and the miracle you wish could only rarely happen (if you are extremely lucky).
 

Examine the problems properly. Don’t exaggerate or underestimate.  When you are clearer with the problems, shorter time and less efforts will be needed.
 

When you know what the actual problems are, you can find out ways and take action to resolve them. I believe that most of problems can be solved by our appropriate approaches and efforts. If it is beyond our control, then we have to let it flow anyway. Am I right?
 

I know that my thoughts are jumping everywhere from my sore heel to problem solving (sorry J). However, this simple practice helped me to realize that how important to take action (‘Do’)  when we get any issues. There was no reason to keep the pain and suffer every single step for three weeks with doing nothing. I feel embarrassed that I left my body in pain so long when I know how important to keep it healthy. At least I feel better now that I have started doing something for it (be positive J).   
 

Do you have any problem? You know what to do now, don’t you? ‘Do’ something!