My Story
Male, 30s, 170cm. How I beat plantar fasciitis after 4 years.
The Beginning
Kept wearing Skechers with broken memory foam insoles without knowing. Sedentary lifestyle left my calves contracted. One morning, I sprinted for the bus and heard a 'ripping' sound in my foot.
4 Years of Suffering
Achilles tendon, calf, and foot pain persisted. Went to doctors ($10-50) but it didn't help much. Bought orthotics ($10) but wrong size and hard to use. Massage actually made it worse. Tried compression wear too, but it was just uncomfortable with no real benefit.
The Realization
Realized that calf-to-thigh stretching was the key. Only one doctor ever mentioned this. Started sleeping with feet pressed against the wall.
The Shoe Revolution
Switched to New Balance 1080 and everything changed. Also learned that arch-support running shoes actually made it worse.
Recovery
I decided I couldn't keep living like this and started serious treatment. I put on the New Balance 1080 and started with walking. At first I could barely walk because of the pain, but as I kept going, I started losing weight. Even just 1-2kg less made a noticeable difference — less weight on my feet meant less pain. From 75kg down to 68kg, the pain dropped by half. It became a positive cycle: losing weight meant less pain, less pain meant more walking, more walking meant more weight loss. Combined with morning calf stretching and wall stretching at night, I improved dramatically.