Week 6 - Interviews & writing!

Hello all and welcome back to another blog post! I hope everyone’s spring break went well, and I am excited to share my progress with you guys.

Interviews

I interviewed a total of seven people (two of which will be completed after the submission of this post) to gain insight into their experience with the foot condition known as Plantar Fasciitis (PF). Most of these patients had been dealing with PF for over 5 years and speaking with people who have gone through similar experiences as me is a huge comfort.

Possible Drawbacks

Originally, I was worried my sample size was too narrow. All of my interviewees are in the education system (mostly teachers) which could prove to be a slight drawback in my study.

Another drawback in my study involves data saturation. With 8 out of 11 interviews done, I was able to observe trends in data and am confident that eventually data saturation will be reached. Saturation refers to a point in a research process where enough data has been collected to draw necessary conclusions.

Results of Interviews this week

Trends

My first interview of the week was with an individual that had previous foot conditions and had tried just about every treatment possible for PF. It was interesting to see how they mitigated the pain and the tactics used to survive on a day-to-day basis. Some trends I noticed that aligned with my own data was stretching, icing, and use of insoles or specialized shoes. Almost all of my interviewees showed this trend.

Many of my interviewees first notice the pain and ignore it until it becomes unmanageable. After this, a doctor diagnosed them and are gave them stretching regiments. Most are unable to relieve their pain with simple stretching and icing and look into specialized footwear. Many of the patients reported that specialized footwear had a drastic effect in pain reduction. This reduction in pain prompted them to go back to old habits which caused them to enter a cycle of relieving and accumulating PF pain.  The remaining interviews showed this trend.

Differences

What came next was looking at the differences in how my participants dealt with their pain. Now that they were in this cycle of relieving and accumulating PF pain, many patients would look to other methods of relief. The fifth interviewee had undergone rounds of corticosteroid injections and specialized shoes. Only after 20 years were they able to find the right regiment that provided relief.

Coming soon….

This week was the I started my research paper. I am beginning my outline and starting the compiling process. In my next week post, I will update you guys on any further developments. I also hope to interview a specialist soon, and I am currently still working on securing the appointment.

Until next week : )