Plantar Fasciiitis

[Ed]

Thanks, Cynthia. I do have a Bosu ball, and have spent some time practicing standing on it, which is about all I can do. I stopped when I fractured my humerus, and need to return to it. Probably would not hurt to find more ways to use it, as well. But the problem with the wobbly knee is very structural, and due to the Macquet procedure I had done in the 1980's. In a Macquet procedure a bone graft is placed below the patella to raise it, to reduce contact between damaged surfaces. Unfortunately, it makes the knee less stable. Orthopedic surgeons probably did thousands of them, but they admit it was a bad procedure and no longer do them

But I am not complaining about my knees. When I was about 37, I was told I had the knees of a man in his 80's, by a well-known orthopedic surgeon - Martin Blazina, also known as 'Blazina the Blade', he reminded me of the British actor Derek Jacobi - who had examined them through xrays and operated on them. This was after Steve Lombardo, the guy who saved Magic Johnson's knee, gave up on me, so I turned to the man who trained him. Four knee surgeries, two on each knee, by three surgeons did little or no good. I was a semi-cripple in chronic pain for decades. Now I have very little knee pain. I don't know why, maybe the pain cells, or whatever it is that causes the pain, just gave up and died. The human body is quite a mystery.

[Ed]

If you do try it, lmk if it works for you.

Zip,

I have it and am following the regimen. Will let you know how it works. Thanks for the advice.

[zippetydude]

Hope it works for you! Start the countdown!
z

[cynthia23]

Wow Ed, your 'knee saga' is horrific! I've come to the conclusion that most surgery for orthopedic problems does not improve matters, and you sound like the poster child for that idea! But have you seen a physical therapist lately? They are constantly refining their practices and they might have some new ideas to 'workaround' your issues. I'm a huge believer that most things get better with more (targeted) exercise.

And, it also sounds like Zip's med. may be a good solution. Better living through chemistry

[Ed]

But have you seen a physical therapist lately?

Yes, I have. For my fractured humerus. Slipped on a patch of ice in my own driveway on New Year's Day. My driveway in Alpine? No, my driveway in Rancho Mirage! The temperature was down to freezing that night, I left the sprinklers on, and water ran down the driveway and froze. You are talking to an orthopedic house of cards here. Or an orthopedic clown! Hurt like the devil for about a month. The next time up Skyline I tread very gingerly over the snow. Not a confidence builder, fracturing your humerus in your own driveway.

But the orthopedist was more impressed by the old damage in my shoulder, which caused him to start muttering about a shoulder replacement operation. In 1974 I slipped crossing a stream on a slippery log in the Wallace Creek area northwest of Mt. Whitney. Did not want to get my boots and socks wet. The result was a rare type of shoulder dislocation, posterior not anterior. Took two days to walk out, carrying my pack over Russell-Carillon Col and down the north fork of Lone Pine Creek. There I took the low road thrashing through the willows, instead of the Ebersbacher Ledges. Another nine days of dislocation due to misdiagnosis. Screaming 24/7 pain, until it was reset. And then the physical therapy to break down the adhesions, that was a trip as well.

On my most recent experience with orthopedists, I noticed they are quite different, very pleasant, flexible, forgiving and upbeat. Perhaps too much. They used to be real brutes.

[cynthia23]

Good grief! What a tale of pain! I"m not going to complain for a while! Seriously, Ed, you get props from me for persevering through all this and continuing to hike. You rock! Carry on dude!

[Hikin_Jim]

Me: "Hey, Ed, do much this weekend?"

Ed: "Nah, nuthin' much. Just hiked over Russell-Carillon Col with a dislocated shoulder and down (trailless) Lone Pine Creek through Willows thick enough to stop a tank battalion. How about you?"

Me:

HJ

[Ed]

Actually, it was a 9-day peak bagging trip, along the Kings-Kern Divide and the Great Western Divide, starting at the Shepherd Pass trailhead and ending at Whitney Portal. Believe me, I wish it had been a routine trip.

[Hikin_Jim]

Yipes.

HJ

[zippetydude]

Back to theme of the OP...it's been 3 days Ed. Hows the regimen going? Did I mention I ignored the warning and each application was followed immediately by socks? In any case, any relief yet? Mine first showed improvement by not lasting as long after I got up out of bed. The first few minutes were still bad at first, but the pain subsided earlier. Hope this is working...even if it takes a little longer, it will be cool that horrible fasciitis will cease and desist. Good luck!

z