if i had to tell younger fathers one piece of unsolicited advice: buy arch support for your shoes. Plantar fasciitis seems to creep up on a lot of dudes after they have kids. It's also the worst.

I love to carry my kid but sprinting around while carrying the extra load did a number on the feet. You can largely prevent it just by spending $50 on a proper insole.

My kid is my favorite thing in my life. So tiring, so rewarding. And after a year of wincing walking barefoot, I can finally run again. Don't lose running time with your kid, buy insoles.

Happy fathers day.

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glitchcrab 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

As a father who is suffering from plantar fascitis (brought on by running), I would rather fix the problem by strengthening my arches than mask it by buying inner soles.

	▲	delichon 7 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Agree. I was able to fix mine by wearing thin sole shoes and walking regularly on rocky terrain. See Born To Run. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Born_to_Run/4gS_0UwVI34...
	▲	fouc 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Strengthening the arch is definitely the way to go. Hiking is probably the ultimate way to do it, but walking is good too. I've had plantar fascitis a couple of times before (decade apart) and I've found that it can be resolved within 3 weeks. The trick that worked for me is to regularly stretch the foot / arch after a few minutes into a walk when the foot is warmed up. If I do that consistently near the beginning of every walk, the pain quickly fades away and the problem resolves itself. I think hiking over technical-ish terrain, like stumbling over tree roots and rocks that hit the arch would provide the same action of stretching of the bottom of the feet.

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yokoprime 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

New flex: i use arch support btw

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nosioptar 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I find compression helps at least as much as support for my plantar fasciitis.

I'd recommend something like the links below for going barefoot:

https://copperfitusa.com/collections/feet/products/arch-reli...

https://www.drscholls.com/products/plantar-fasciitis-achy-fe...

I think both companies make a compression band without a cushion, so it won't interference with your insole. (I use 3" elastic sewn in a loop, costs about $1 for a pair.)

Good anti-fatigue mats for anywhere you stand a lot are great as well.