My Story
Korean male in my 30s, 170cm, living in Europe. After my foot tore one winter morning in 2022, I spent 4 years suffering — and I'm finally recovering.
The Beginning — A Winter Morning, My Foot Tore
Wore Skechers memory foam shoes for about a year — the front insoles broke down from summer rain without me knowing. Sitting 8-10 hours daily left my calves contracted. One dark winter morning, I sprinted for the bus without stretching and felt a tearing sensation in my foot. Electricity shot up through my sole — my Achilles tendon felt like it was ripping too. I was 31, not realizing my body had changed.
A Series of Failures
Visited 2 clinics — medicine and physical therapy did nothing. A massage ball made it worse for 2 weeks. Daily cream massage and double socks for years — useless. Started running without stretching, got shin splints within a month, and quit. Squats hurt my knees. The cycle of injury → quit → try again → injury again repeated endlessly.
Wrong Shoes — A 2-Year Mistake
Wore Nike arch-support running shoes (2 pairs) for 2 years. Thought arch support would help, but it was pushing up on an already inflamed arch, making it worse. When I switched to flat Air Force 1s and felt less pain, I finally realized — I'd been wearing the wrong shoes for 2 years.
Kickboxing — Light and Shadow
Started kickboxing in spring. Intense head-to-toe stretching before every session — my right foot's plantar fasciitis completely healed. Zero pain. But work got too busy and I quit. 3 months later (October), it came back. I resigned myself to living with it forever.
Turning Point — Sick Leave, New Balance, Wall Stretch
With wrist tendonitis and restless leg syndrome piling up, I got sick leave. Decided to overhaul everything. Learned from YouTube that calf stretching is the root cause. Bought New Balance 1080 (~$150 in Europe, prices vary by region) — felt like flying. Around December, I pressed my hot feet against a cool wall after running and accidentally discovered the stretching effect. Morning pain dropped dramatically within a week.
Recovery — The Positive Cycle Begins
Started running in February. 3km at walking speed with the shortest stride possible. Once a week, now twice. Always: stretching (front kicks) → squats (very slowly) → running. Switched to salads and protein. Around March, for the first time I thought: 'This might actually get better.' Still some pain, but I can feel the direction. I know recovery is possible — I've experienced full healing during kickboxing.