The 1 Thing That Helped My Plantar Fasciitis Most Cost Me $18 on Amazon

Plantar fasciitis, where the tissue running along the sole of your foot (from the heel through the arch to the toes) becomes inflamed, is an extremely common (and extremely painful) condition that many runners experience. You see, a lot of responsibility comes with being a runner. If you want to train for a marathon or develop a weekly workout routine that involves getting in those miles, then you have to stretch properly, strength train, and ice your injuries with no exceptions.

When I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, it became clear early on that the issue did not begin in my foot but with my weak right hip, which drops with each stride I take if I don't keep my muscles strong by exercising. Cardio is not enough — I need to tone my legs too so they give me support when I run.

But the damage had been done and the end result was extreme soreness and pain in my right arch. At first it felt like knives were digging deep into my skin. I used a walking boot to relieve some pressure, but it wasn't a true solution. As I strengthened my hips at physical therapy, I was preventing future injury, but I couldn't figure out how to break up the stiff tissue in my foot and get back to square one — until my uncle, who is a podiatrist, recommended a night splint.

I felt so defeated that I didn't truly believe sleeping in one would work, so I purchased the most affordable option I could find on Amazon: the Alpha Medical Brace ($19). It's got three strips of velcro that I pulled as tightly as I could to keep my foot in the flexed position, pulling my toes back toward my shin. After two to three nights, I got used to the feeling, and it actually felt awesome to really stretch the area between my heel and my toes.

I'm sure that my plantar fasciitis healed after about a year and a half due to many different things: my hard work at the gym, time off from running, my investment in a quality pair of orthotics, and solid research about new running sneakers. But I swear by this $18 Amazon boot — I know for a fact I wouldn't have recovered so quickly without it. Keep reading to see this boot from multiple angles.