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My Heel Hurts! Treating And Preventing Plantar Fasciitis

Virginia Eaton blog Jan 16 2015 SNOL Barefoot WalkingBy Virginia Eaton —

I’ve run into an amazing number of people recently suffering from plantar fasciitis (one of those Greek phrases meaning inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot). I’ve had this condition and most people I know have either struggled with it themselves or are closely related to someone who has; it can take a year to fully subside and once you’ve had this condition, you are more susceptible to future occurrences. Plantar fasciitis has the signature symptom of morning foot pain– the first couple of steps from the bed to the bathroom can be excruciating!

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is common in runners especially if your feet tend to rotate inward, women who wear high heels (I suppose men who wear high heels as well), and those who have excessively tight calf muscles. There is a band of tissue on the bottom of the feet that connect your heel to your toes and it’s purpose is to support the arch of your foot. This arch is what gives our feet bounce—the spring in our step and a proper gait. Anyone who has been walking around with foot pain is probably also feeling aches and pains in other places as well such as the knees, hips and back. It should be no surprise that our bodies are fully connected so, if our feet are functioning poorly, the whole body can suffer. When the tissue on the bottom of the feet is strained repeatedly small tears can occur, and the resulting inflammation can be quite painful.

The recommended treatment for PF is rest, ice (freeze a water bottle and roll it on the bottoms of your foot) and gentle stretching. If the pain doesn’t let up, cortisone shots are sometimes used and for intractable PF, surgery may be a last resort. For most people, though, resting and icing eventually cures the problem but it’s hard to rest your feet, most of us use them all day everyday! At the very least avoid standing or walking on hard surfaces for long periods of time, give running and jumping a break, and wear shoes that support your aches so the tissue on the bottoms of your feet don’t have to – this ought to allow you a more normal walking pattern so the negative impact on the rest of your body is minimal.

Once you have fully recovered from PF, there are some things you can do to prevent further flare-ups. When you wear shoes, depending upon the shoe, it is similar to wearing a knee or back brace. These devices serve to protect parts of our body from instability,but the downside of these kinds of props is they do the job that the muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue should be doing. When the body’s tissues don’t have to perform their job they get lax, lose their tone and ability to support the body on their own. Shoes also function to protect us from our environment and going barefoot is just not an option for most of us. To strengthen and retrain your feet to be supportive and pain-free, here are a few suggestions:

  • When it’s safe, go barefoot.
  • Check your alignment — feet that point outward roll inward or outward while walking, and may put undue stress on the plantar fascia.
  • Avoid shoes that squish the toes as well as high heels (some foot experts say a heel of any height is bad for the feet as well as alignment in general).
  • Stretch your calves and hamstrings at a minimum; a regular yoga practice will stretch your feet and legs as well as the rest of your body preventing PF and a host of other ailments.
  • Stretch the top part of your foot as well as the bottom: http://www.arianayoga.com/plantar-fasciitis-doctor-wont-tell/
  • Roll a tennis ball on the bottoms of your feet to sooth and relax that plantar fascia.
  • If overweight, lose weight; less downward pressure on the arch will allow it to function properly.

Healing your feet will impact your whole body, so think about giving them the same attention you would your grandchild— spoil them, nurture them and in return they will adore you for your lifetime!

Read more of Virginia Eaton’s blog posts here.

Virginia Eaton is a health and fitness coach helping people reorganize priorities.

 

 

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