u/Legitimate-Cod2570

Hello,

Recently I’ve switched careers from a very low energy/impact to a high energy one. I’ve been a trucker for the last decade so sitting in a seat 11 hours a day to construction work where I’m standing 10 hours a day. My entire body has been going through a transformation with multiple body aches but this one concerns me the most right now.

For the last 3 months I have morning pain that goes away after a few minutes of walking. Directly at the middle arch of both feet. Lead me to conclude it’s plantar fasciitis. The entire 10 hour day consist of standing with maybe 30 mins total of sitting, and after taking my first few steps in the morning the pain completely goes away for the rest of the day.

I bought a pair of night splints to try out but was wondering what else can be done to help? I’ve read you should try to minimize the cause but I don’t think that’s possible as it’s a job requirement. I also feel like this has started because my muscles were very weak from sitting a decade and now I’m overloading everything. I also hit the gym a lot now and was wondering if there are any exercises to help manage the condition.

I’ve also been wearing two different type of boots for the work I’m doing. One fits very snuggly and is very comfortable to stand 10 hours a day in. The other is a bit more loose fitting and puts my foot in less of an arch. I’ve been finding that the loose fitting boot doesn’t have my foot in as much pain in the morning compared to the more comfortable one but I am in more discomfort during the work day in them. Should I be looking for inserts that keep my foot flat or arched?

So I’ve been working as a ground man at a data center for the last 3 months as I originally applied for a lineman apprenticeship as was told to go get hours. I’m 5’6 and 150 pounds all the time, most guys tell me being a lineman is rough on the body and even though I’m in the gym as well, I wonder if I’ll really ever be strong enough to handle the job. I use to have a sit down job and ate a lot and did practically nothing physical and still never gained weight and being a groundman has already made me drop a pants size.

From what I read the lineman wouldn’t go to sub because they say it’s boring but I wanted to get you guys opinion. I like traveling so would I still be able to move about the country like a lineman? What does you guys say usually consist of doing? Would a small guy be ok on this side of the industry? Are you all usually working alone or with a team?