Last summer I wrote a post about sleeping that referenced a left knee pain pain I had been experiencing upon waking every morning. That knee pain ultimately morphed into a strange ache on the right inner upper heel that would go away within a few minutes of getting out of bed.  This heel pain lingered in my life for over a year and every morning I would spend a minute or two trying to figure out what it was. I blamed my mattress, my children, my sleep position, my shoes….
The pain was similar to plantar fasciitis, a heel pain that manifests under the foot at the front of the heel. Based on the location of pain I knew it wasn’t plantar fasciitis though I thought there might be some connection because the pain was so similar in its effect—there when I woke up but gone minutes later.
It is a strange thing to have a mild injury. Since I felt it for less than five minutes each day I thought about it for about as long. After a while I realized that I hadn’t been to see my chiropractor in quite some time.  Which is a problem as one goal of my life is trying to practice what I preach. I fail miserably but smile trying. I tell every client I meet that they should go to a network chiropractor, figure out their spine and then go every six to eight weeks for maintenance. It had been a while since I had been maintained.
For the last few years I have felt particularly good physically. I have pulled muscles and had aches and pains from assorted activities but in general my 49 year old body was feeling very sound. Â But my chiropractor, Lisa Kirsch, immediately said my left leg was short and my pelvis was twisted, and went about releasing it. All well and good.
The next day I was taking one of my long walks and started getting an ache in my left ankle. Within a quarter of a mile it was hurting something fierce and I almost stopped walking. Instead I persevered with a wince and after about fifteen minutes it cleared up.
The following morning I woke up without the heel pain for the first time in forever and it hasn’t returned since. There was something about the short left leg that inhibited the right and created the pull on the heel. Now, every time I put my foot down first thing in the morning, I smile; it is such fun to have figured out an issue that dogged me for a long time.
The body is a mystery that requires a certain amount of detective work and inquiry. Sometimes following the timeline of an injury can help to unravel the mystery.
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