Spring is in the air and many of us already started walking or running outdoors. When you start running again, some of you will notice soreness on your feet after the activity.
Do you notice any pain on your foot when you take the first step in the morning? Or any heel pain after prolonged standing the whole day. This is the first sign of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition of the foot. It affects the sole of the foot, mostly in the heel. It is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a thick tissue on the sole of the foot.
Plantar fascia provides shape of your foot arch, and acts as a shock absorption and evenly distribute your weight as you put weight through your leg. Too much demand placed on the plantar fascia can lead to inflammation and become painful.
Causes:
• Increased activity- started running or hiking in the summer time
• Increased stretching of the tissue, such as wearing sandals or flats in the summer
• Prolonged standing at work
How to relieve foot pain:
• Avoid over doing activities that aggravates foot pain
• If the cause is your footwear, replace flats with lace up shoes with a good arch support.
• Try wearing custom made orthotics or insoles to correct and support the arch
• Roll ice bottle under your foot to reduce the inflammation or a golf ball to massage your foot to stretch the tissue.
• Stretch your calves regularly
How can physical therapy help?
Physical therapy is effective in reducing the pain and inflammation of the plantar fascia. Massage therapy and acupuncture can help relieve the muscle soreness and improves the circulation in the area to relieve pain and inflammation.
Our chiropractor provides rehab exercises and manual manipulation to improve the stability and strength of your joints and muscles on your feet and legs. His methods has been very effective for pain relief. Orthotics is also recommended to correct the foot.
Reference:
Physitract.ca