My feet hurt! Could it be Plantar fasciitis?

Who knew that simple stretching exercises could bring relief from those aching, burning feet that you experience in the morning? Not always of course, but for some conditions such as Planter fasciitis simply stretching out the back of the heel upon rising can relive that intense stiff pain many people experience in the morning. My husband and I used to describe it cracking the seal on our feet, it was super painful.

The problem occurs when excessive wear to the plantar fascia (located on the underside of the heel) comes from wearing flip-flops or walking around barefoot, culminating in pain to this area. The pain is usually most intense first thing in the morning and is thought to be worse after a day full of standing on your feet or long periods of weight bearing activities. To remedy this situation try wearing shoes with more support, look at fit-flops available at most retail outlets or something similar to support the arch of your foot.  Stretch the foot (aiming to stretch the archilles tendon) at the end of the day; maybe even treat yourself to an Epsom salt foot bath a few times a week to further relax your feet.  My massage therapist advises me to use the end of an eraser tipped pencil when it really hurts, she recommends using the eraser to gently massage directly under the area that is most painful, and I will warn you it can be pretty intense when I do it, but afterwards and especially the next day I can certainly feel the benefit. 

In cases of chronic plantar fasciitis of at least 10 months duration, one recent study showed high rates of success by stretching the planter fascia. (Digiovanni, Benedict F.; Deborah A. Nawoczenski, Daniel P. Malay, Petra A. Graci, Taryn T. Williams, Gregory E. Wilding, and Judith F. Baumhauer (2006). “Plantar fascia-specific stretching exercise improves outcomes in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. A prospective clinical trial with two-year follow-up”. The Journal of bone and joint surgery (American) 88 (8): 1775-81.)

So remember to stretch out those feet at every opportunity, if you have to stand on your feet all day make sure the shoes you are wearing have adequate heel support, the flat style flip-flops can be inexpensive and trendy, but they can also do a real number on your feet.

Make an adjustment, stay Healthy ~ be happy:

Schedule your consultation with Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic, Evergreen CO.

Telephone: 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

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