Most of my life was spent outside and active. I loved running around exploring nature. When I was 7 I nearly ran off the edge of the Grand Canyon 

because I loved it so much. They wanted to put me on Ritalin when I was 4 years old because I had "too much energy". My bible in my 20's was

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. When I attended Syracuse University getting my BS I powerlifted right alongside

the football players. In fact my lifting bud Rus and I were respected for how impeccable our forms were and how strong we were. Chalk and a

powerlifting belt was all the equipment we needed. My max squat was 515 pounds in the bucket. My max deadlift no straps was 585 pounds.  My

Bench was always the weakest at 275 pounds max. I was 5'10 205 pounds of all natural dense muscle mass and strength. In 1998 I suffered an

injury while deadlifting and gave up powerlifting.  After this injury I started really getting into hiking and in my 30s began mega hiking.

 

  In July 2017 this all started to end.  I started feeling a burning in the side of the foot.  I had not idea what it was it was an unknown feeling. I ignored

it and just kept hiking. I would just tighten up my laces. By September I could no longer ignore it. After hiking up to Tombstone Lake in the Wallowa

mountains probably the most difficult hike in the Wallowa's my left leg no longer functioned. On the way back down the mountain I fell several

times. Some of the tumbles were brutal and I look back thankful I did not die up on that mountain range. My brains and body smashed against the

rocks. Yet I was still in denial and I kept hiking with severe pain even as my miles decreased.

 

  In April 2018 this denial and lie ended. I went out on a hike and heard a pop in my foot. I ruptured my abductor hallicus and plantar fascia in my

left foot. I could not walk anymore. The pain was too great and if I did walk it would have literally ripped my foot in half. I crawled over a mile back to

my car at the trailhead. 

 

 After this my life changed. Over the next 5 years it was all out survival to save my left leg and foot. At first I thought podiatrists would help me. Boy

was I wrong. Their solutions were drugs, heat, cold, Epson salts or surgery. These treatments made the condition worse and set me back years in

my recovery. Next I went to PT. Here is where I started to get and inkling understanding of what the condition was and how to treat it. But they still

did not have enough understanding. I met several older patients in PT who had surgery for their condition and they told me never get surgery they

were worse now after surgery. Finally my "really good" insurance cut me off from PT. Some middle man parasite at a desk said I had enough PT and

the condition coverage denied. By this time most all relationships and contacts were gone. I was on my own.

 

 One day I was in the kitchen and could not stand to wash the dishes. I sat down and said to myself with my Glock 17 in the next room I am either

going to blow my brains out or fight to the death to save my leg.

 

 I chose to fight and fight I did. I started researching and searching. I would stay up until the wee hours trying to find a speck of actual knowledge on

what this was. This is where I found William Prowse and his website Plantar Fasciitis Survival Guide. That is when the light went on and i began to

understand the condition and started treating it correctly.

 

 I made an appointment with Doctor Graves who worked on the Seattle Seahawks players. I described to him what I am doing and he gave me a

thumbs up and was impressed I knew even more about how to treat degeneration than he did. This was the true beginning of the healing process. 

 

 My ankle was compacted and fused. My arch was collapsed. My foot was flat. Both feet compacted with scar tissue. Much of my left foot was

degenerated with chronic plantar fasciitis. I had massive bone spurs in my heel and Achilles tendon. The abductor hallicus was degenerated where I

could not move my big toe.  The left leg was atrophied. My calves, glutes and hamstrings were shortened. My body riddled with toxic trigger points.

The size difference in my left leg and right leg was horrifying. I started using a cane and crutches. It was so bad I had to sit to brush my teeth and

take a shower.

 

 When I look back now there were many things I could have done to prevent this debilitating and chronic disease. There were warning signs as early

as 2013 maybe even earlier. I grew up with the mindset "No pain no gain" and "stop whining". My biggest regret was I should have taken care of my

body more. To stop and fix all the little injuries during my life. Such as when my left big toe was crushed when I was 18. The skiing injury in 1989.

The deadlift injury in 1998. The snow board injury in 2010. The multiple left ankle shears over the years. All of the little nagging injuries.  I never

stopped to rest and treat them. Stretching and yoga was not something I did much of. Hardly ever released a trigger point. I would just change my

walking gait and compensate and ignore them. As the degeneration and compensation reached critical mass.

 

 As of today I am 95% healed. My foot still has one spot of degeneration. My left leg is nearly the size of my right leg and I have really good blood

flow in it now. My right leg became an inch shorter compacted and crooked due to injuries and the compensation of weight distribution onto it. My

hips and pelvis still have serious issues and are still a little twisted. Today my main focus is on straightening and lengthening the right leg and fixing

the hips and pelvis. I still work on the foot but it is mainly under control and manageable. My height has actually increased by a half inch. 

 

 My goal here is to help you not make the same mistakes I did, be more efficient with the treatments and to recover far quicker than I did. 

 

If I can do it you can too. 

 

- Rick