First PT Visit - Still No Great Answers, Still Not Liking my Podiatrist

So I saw the podiatrist last week (as seen in this post), and she didn't give me any great answer about my foot/heel pain. She basically told me to stretch more and go to physical therapy (PT) for some iontophoresis. I wrote her back with a few questions, and any responses weren't groundbreaking: still foam roll and stretch, keep swimming (just nothing with impact like running), PT will do iontophoresis and can tell me when to reincorporate my "old" 1-legged body-weight exercises, and stay off my feet as much as possible.

I saw PT for the first time yesterday, and that showed that my podiatrist dropped the ball YET AGAIN. I complained about how rushed through I felt in my appointment with her in last week's post (and how she missed some big things), and she's still missing the ball. My PT order specifically says to have iontophoresis (something she stressed trying in person):

Iontophoresis on my PT order (that I gave to my PT).

Sidenote: in places she calls it tendonitis, in others tendinopathy. It doesn't act like tendonitis. And my PT agrees that it's not tendonitis.

Iontophoresis noted again in my notes from the podiatrist.

WELL GUESS WHAT? THERE'S A MEDICINE THAT NEEDS TO BE PRESCRIBED TO GO ALONG WITH THAT. My understanding (based on what the PT told me yesterday) is that it's something applied to the skin that is then "worked in" (for lack of a better term) with a machine. SHE DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THAT. OR GIVE ME A PRESCRIPTION FOR THAT. So I basically wasted my first PT visit because they were like "Oh, I see she wants iontophoresis done, but you don't have the cream? Well, then we can't. Get that for next time, and we'll do it."

Besides that issue, the PT is confused by my body as well. I told him I'm flexible, have good mobility, and am strong, and he was like "Yeah, yeah... we'll see..." (And that's an appropriate response having just met a patient.) Well, after 40 minutes of poking, testing, prodding, and having me do exercises, he was smiling while saying things like "jeez, most runners don't have that ankle flexibility", and "I wish all my patients were as flexible as you - some have to stop HERE, but you can go to HERE" (motioning 4 inches farther), and "I totally believe that you do all the proper strength exercises to compliment your training!" He found that my left side was slightly weaker than my right, but I told him that just before he tested for that. And he said my hips are nicely in line "for a runner."

He noticed some light patches on my skin on the back of my heels that could be a slight circulation issue. He wondered if my heel pain was referred pain from my back (I don't think it is), but my back checked out during his inspection. In the end, he wonders if it's not subcutaneous calcaneal bursitis:

Pic from PT's computer. He's getting married soon (note the open tabs).

He's not sold on this, and he wants to try the iontophoresis. I guess we'll go from there.

So in the meantime, I'm still just not running or biking, staying off my feet when I can, stretching and rolling a lot, wearing the night splint at night, and just walking around in pain.