Bloodletting For Plantar Fasciitis?

Black Death Cures

“Our merrymaking will keep it away”

bloodletting for plantar fasciitis

Bloodletting?

Maybe that will work for ‘so-called plantar fasciitis’?

bloodletting for plantar fasciitis

The death of Washington: “General Washington hoped his physicians would help him to an easy death. Between the massive bloodletting, the painful blistering treatments, and the awful sensation of suffocation, this was not at all possible.” Maybe that will work for so-called plantar fasciitis?

“Bloodletting for plantar fasciitis?” I think, as I study the available treatments out there, in my attempts to work out what the hell is going on, in heel hell.

Injecting blood platelets into the heel, seems to be of a similar ilk. Don’t you think?

This thought took me back to my studies of the plague, aka the Black Death, in my English History lessons, as a boy.

The problem with Medicine, as opposed to Surgery, I found, while working as a large-animal veterinarian, was that I never really knew if my treatment cured the patient, or whether they got better in spite of my ministrations. This was back in the dark ages, of the 1960’s. Couldn’t happen today, that’s for sure!

I’d administer a tetracycline, to a cow, say, and it would work like magic. bloodletting for plantar fasciitisGreat, I’ve found the solution! Happy, happy, joy, joy! Next time, same species, same symptoms, even the same farm! No effect, whatsoever. Confusion! Self-doubt!

Self-doubt can be a good thing in medicine, especially human medicine. But in some quarters, sadly, I’ve found it to be in short supply – just take those bloody cortisone heel injections, that doctors love to give, for example! [see hypotext of the previously linked post, designed to protect the queazy].

Platelets? Are you joking? I resist a further rant, and move on!

Let’s learn from the past!

For example, medieval treatments for the black death were imaginative and fascinating:

Crazy’ black death treatments?

bloodletting for plantar fasciitis?

They only seem crazy now, because we understand the mechanism!

Infection with a bacterium, Pasteurella pestis, recently renamed Yersinia pestis.

FYI, the rat has been exonerated; it would appear that the gerbil was the culprit! 

Modern (medieval) treatments for ‘so-called plantar fasciitis’:

bloodletting for plantar fasciitis

They don’t seem crazy right now, because we don’t understand the mechanism!

bloodletting for plantar fasciitis. The grim reaperI was surprised to find no reference to bloodletting for plantar fasciitis!

You Might Try FitOldDog’s Simple Movement Therapy Approach

But That’s Your Call – just advertising, to make a living!

FitOldDog’s recommended working hypothesis, based on my ongoing, and rather crude, investigations (download research report at this link, it will land in your downloads folder): Nociceptive pain signals, in response to remote (not in the foot, generally), biomechanical issues, which, if not corrected, can lead to serious organic damage.

Looking for the remote site? Start in the hips, I say!

We need some meaningful investigations, going beyond what I can do with retirement savings.

Plantar fasciitis treatment interactive map by FitOldDog

Click image for link to the plantar fasciitis treatment map, then ‘mouse over’ the lower right flag, ‘Other,’ to find the ASTRO website link. This is the only non-medieval treatment, other than ours, in my opinion, in that it is based on rational thoughts, about the probable underlying mechanism, of this progressive disease.

I’m still working on it, collecting information using surveys. Data are flowing in. The real trick is to interpret them, in a useful manner.

If you are interested in my ongoing plantar fasciitis surveys, and the results as they arrive, you can use the following links:

  1. Treatment successes and failures. Enter your data at this link. See the treatment data as they come in, at this link.
  2. Which shoes are best for plantar fasciitis? Enter your data at this link. See the shoe data as they come in, at this link.
  3. Which movement therapy techniques have you tried, and did it help? Enter your data at this link. See the movement therapy data as they come in, at this link.

Wishing you happy feet and happy trails!

FitOldDog

PS If you are offered bloodletting for your plantar fasciitis, I sure would like to know if it helped!

 

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Disclaimer: As a veterinarian, I do not provide medical advice for human animals. If you undertake or modify an exercise program, consult your medical advisors before doing so. Undertaking activities pursued by the author does not mean that he endorses your undertaking such activities, which is clearly your decision and responsibility. Be careful and sensible, please.