One thing I discovered is that my feet are growing in my old age. My left foot has always been a half-size bigger and since most shoes and boots stop offering half-sizes beyond a 12, I was cramming that foot into too small a shoe for a few years there until I woke up and went with 13's. Point being, having the arch in any way cramped up by too small a shoe is an absolute recipe for a flare-up of the PF, from which I infer that being in too small a shoe was part of what caused it in the first place.
I found it to be a real bummer of an injury, far beyond what I'd imagined "plantar fasciitis" would be like prior to having it. You hear the term tossed around pretty casually. It's not a casual injury. At least for me it wasn't. I'm also just now finally getting past the bursitis it set off in my left hip from walking funny on it for months. I'd counsel taking it very seriously. Also get that tennis ball asap and make your eyes water, Mike.
