Installment #3 of Old Mom Problems

Plantar Fasciitis Takes Over Our Lives

Figure 1. Boo, tendonitis!

If you haven’t read the first and second installments, here’s a recap: old moms are a growing demographic and we’re kind of awesome. But old mom problems are a real thing: the physicality of being a new old parent is no joke.

The tendonitis slowly resolved. As you’ve probably noticed, much of life involves your thumbs. Some day I’ll scroll through baby pictures pain-free!

Figure 2. Most life activities involve using your thumbs.

Meanwhile, this tiny human was cuter by the day. Reading books and taking walks — we couldn’t get enough of watching him figure out the world.

Since our little one is a morning person like me, my spouse found herself stumbling out of bed earlier than she’d prefer. Something felt…off. No, it wasn’t sleep deprivation. It was her foot, aching in the morning.

As new parents, we were on our feet a lot…you know how it goes.

Figure 3. In the beginning, most of the day was spent like this.

My love-struck partner procrastinated, which is especially easy to do when you’re absorbed with your baby. Maybe it’ll go away on its own, she thought.

It didn’t.

Finally, she went to the podiatrist.

“You’ve got plantar fasciitis,” the doctor told her.

Figure 4. An unwelcoming welcome to plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis, also known as “oh f***, my foot hurts,” is more officially defined by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as when the fascia — the ligament supporting the arch — becomes irritated and inflamed.

Maybe you’ve never heard of plantar fasciitis, but chances are good that someone you know has had it. Mention it — people come out of the closet. One in 10 people will have plantar fasciitis in their lifetime — and 2 million Americans are struck with it annually.

Figure 5. Welcome to the club you didn’t want to join.

Luckily, plantar fasciitis usually resolves quickly with simple measures. Unluckily, this was not the case for my spouse.

Not to worry, said the podiatrist, what works for one person may not work for another, but there’s a variety of treatments to try. And so began one treatment after another…

Figure 6. My spouse tried one thing after another. Unfortunately, she was an exceptional case.

Plantar fasciitis took over our lives as the months wore on. To give her foot a rest, I gradually took over some responsibilities, such as carrying the baby around when he was fussy and taking him for strolls. If you’ve had a baby, you know — carrying the baby is a thing.

As my spouse became increasingly immobilized, our baby was raring to move! When he started army crawling at 4.5 months, I got desperate for a quick-fix. I needed back-up with this crawling baby! Recognizing my limitations (I’m not a podiatrist) and my strengths (I’m a scientist nerd who loves reading research on Pubmed.), I put my thumbs (ow!) to work, scrolling through articles about potential treatments.

Figure 7. Potential treatments included dry needling (sounded painful); injections of human amniotic membrane from donated placentas (sounded fascinating — placentas are cool!); and strength training.

I learned that plantar fasciitis is indiscriminate: it strikes a diverse crowd.

Figure 8. Plantar fasciitis strikes both athletes and couch potatoes.

To the best of my knowledge, researchers haven’t explored whether new old parenthood is a risk factor. However, prolonged weight-bearing (hmm, baby-carrying, anyone?) as well as advanced age may increase your risk—so, fellow new old parents, beware!

Figure 9. All the bouncing, walking, and lifting of our baby barbell did a number on my spouse’s foot.

Next up: This injury felt never-ending. Would it ever go away? My poor spouse had tried almost everything. The antidote was surprisingly unsurprising.

Previously:

Old Mom Problems, Part One

The Saga Unfolds: Spine Compression and "Mommy Thumb"