Try working shorter shifts, so that you dont overstress yoru healing foot (feet)

Try to avoid lengthy jogs on PT if you can. At least until you are healed better. Watch out for jumping jacks, etc things that place lots of pressure on your foot. {Perhaps the doctor can excuse you from those?) Try substituing if you can't eliminate it-- walk rather than jog, etc.

Try finagleling work details that allow you to sit on occaision, such as alternate desk work with moving around.

If you have a meeting, arrange it so that you sit during it-- call them to your office rather than go to them, etc. etc.

If its keeping you from sleeping, try a wrap of ace bandage and bengay. IT may not help the real problem, but it feels better and may let you get to sleep.

Get a pair of birkenstocks and wear them around the house instead of barefoot. NEver ever go barefoot, at least when you are still imflamed. Birks are expensive,. but they have reall really helped a lot of poeple. Birks are really orthopedic shoes, and just 'cause their faddish doesn't mean that they arent really worth the money if you need them.

The usual stretching and such, and massaging and when youfirst get done with work, apply Ice to it, later apply warmth.

If youwalk in a hilly/mountainous area (like I do) mind how you step up the hills, and move your leg in a way that doesn't stree the foot.

Im certainly not middle aged m yself-- I turn 28 this year. I used to also be athletic- weightlift, karate, racquetball, etc. Until a series of illnesses struck me down. It seems whenever I try to climb back up into the saddle I get sick again, or have some body part act up. Carpal tunnel, PF, pnumonia... etc. To top it off, medicine givben to me for my bronchial problems made me gain over 130 pounds. I lost the weight, started working out again, and POOF! Sick aain, then PF. Likely the sudden weight increas over the 6 month period made my mor elikely to get PF, even though it only showed up AFTER I lost the weight . (when I went off the medicine, I lost over 100 pounds in 4 months)-- I wonder if loosing weight effects it??

As for weight, even a small gain can cause a wounded foot to go over the line. I've read where five pounds or so have been documented to make a diffrence. And muscle weighs more than fat, so it may not be as noticible gain as fat.

Remember that once it's imflamed, acting up, then it is more likely to be damaged in use. So if your foot has hurt a while, then its been getting damaged all that time. I was stupid and waited months before going in and the pain went from annoying to crippling. I was to the point of literally and truly crawling, i could not walk on my feet. So keep in mind that it is a serious condition if left UNTREATED.

Likely you have caught it early enough that you may be able to set aside the notion of suirgery for a while yet. I would say wait until it is crippling-- i have heard horror stories about surgery. But if you find new ways to deal with this problem, new ways to do ytour tasks, you can add life into your feet, and allow them to heal. And if its just one foot, why not try a crutch or so for a while too, if its bad?

good luck to you!

-sherri