Optimal Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Strategies?

Research Is The Way Forward!

Fragments of an odiferous egg. Yep! I forget some eggs from a sagging trip, months ago, under a seat in the truck, and one exploded today, with a foul odor. Deb was right, there was an odd smell in the truck. Example of phenotypic variance?

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“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain

Here we go again, at the Louisville Ironman. Let’s see how it goes. A fun adventure, for FitOldDog.

When it comes to developing your own plantar fasciitis treatment strategies, you have to think it through. Thus my ongoing research. I prefer to call this progressive disease, ‘so-called plantar fasciitis,’ and you can see why in my downloadable ‘So-Called Plantar Fasciitis Research Report, at this link.

Before leaving for this trip, to Louisville, Deb said, “Kevin, you need to get that truck detailed. The dog has pooped in there somewhere!”

I couldn’t smell it, so to me it wasn’t there! Right?

Well! As I was setting up the stove, for breakfast in the campsite, this morning, I needed my glasses. Aging!!! I was hunting around in the truck, when I found an old packet of eggs.

Eggs? I haven’t eaten eggs in ages, since going vegan, over a year ago. I opened the packet, and BANG! Literally! With a loud, cracking pop, one egg exploded. Covering me, and the adjacent truck seat, with blackish-yellowish-greenish-stinking-goo! Lots of sulfur in there, I bet. What a smell!

Sitting talking to Howard Glass, over dinner, last night. Howard is great Ironman-distance triathlete. He beat me here, last time I did this race. Howard also had me thinking about phenotypic variance. Why are there so few of us old guys here? Is it genetics, or lack of craziness? Happiness, for me, anyway!

Deb was right!

I was wrong!

There was a stink in the truck, and it wasn’t Scooter’s fault (the usual culprit). This reminded me of the role of phenotypic variance in Biology – all individuals of any species are slightly different. Molded by genetics, mutations, and environmental factors. This variance allows the species to survive, when environmental changes occur. Some of the members of the species are just better equipped to adapt to the change. This is the key role of phenotypic variance in species survival.

It just so happens, in humans, that the females generally have a better sense of smell. However, we are all unique in this respect, too. I, for instance, cannot smell indoles (chemicals causing nasty smells in poop and elsewhere). I’m indole odor blind.

That said, I am exceptionally sensitive to certain ketones, which helped me as a veterinarian. I could always spot a milk cow not doing well – seemed like magic to the farmer.

I bet no two people have exactly the same taste sensation for individual olfactory stimuli! I use thyme for flavor, and oregano for aroma! You?

You are probably wondering what this has to do with optimal plantar fasciitis treatment strategies.

Well! Phenotypic variance is one of the factors I consider, as I’m working through your plantar fasciitis treatment effectiveness data (If you are one of the people who filled out my chronic plantar fasciitis research survey, at this link, which is still open!).

I’m wading through the data, and patterns are appearing, based upon which I plan to publish my next book.

This book is being designed to optimize plantar fasciitis treatment strategies, with tactical adjustments as you go along.

Here are the chronic plantar fasciitis treatment response patterns, appearing on my computer screen, using clustering analysis. For almost every treatment there is someone who benefitted (green), someone with no effect (black), someone it made worse (red), and someone who never tried it.

What are the forces that drive these human choices, for heel pain treatments?

• Cost?
• Desperation?
• Other people’s opinion?
• Advertising budgets on Google???

Go figure!

I used binary data (1, 0, -1, no data) Can you see the patterns emerging, from these 220 cases of chronic plantar fasciitis? Green -> improved; black -> no change; red -> made it worse; grey -> treatment not tested. Each case tells a different story, of foot pain and frustration. Let’s fix it!

Is phenotypic variance playing a role? Probably! But the stage of disease progression, and the underlying cause in each case, are almost certainly more important – in my not-so-humble opinion.

Wishing you happy feet and happy trails.

FitOldDog

Book in preparation!