A Real Pain in the… Foot?
Perhaps this is a familiar scenario for you: It’s the morning and you’re still lying down. You swing your legs out over the bed, stand up, and—ouch! A crippling pain in your heel radiates through your foot and up your leg.
Perhaps that has been happening just for a few days, perhaps (and sadly) pain has been happening for a few months or years. Perhaps you haven’t said anything because you think it’s just pain that comes with an old sports injury or getting older. However, there are treatments and help for you!
The pain you are feeling could be from your Plantar Fascia, a thick band of tissue that attaches at your heel and stretches to the metatarsal bones on the bottom of your foot. This tissue helps to support the arch of your foot. It absorbs the tension that is created when you stand or walk. When your Plantar Fascia is inflamed... well, that’s when you can feel intense pain whenever you use it. This inflammation is called Plantar Fasciitis and is a common complaint.
There are many causes for Plantar Fasciitis, and many ways that you may have inadvertently strained those tissues. Common causes include muscle imbalance, flat feet, high-arched feet, obesity, sudden weight gain, intense exercise that you may not be used to, unsupportive shoes, prolonged standing, and a change in the surface you walk, run, or exercise on.
Treatment is as simple as avoiding activities that irritate your foot. For example, you might avoid exercising for prolonged times or on surfaces that cause you pain. You can also stretch the bottom of your foot, massage it by rolling your foot over golf balls or a soup can, or ice it. Choosing more supportive footwear with cushioning and arch support can also help to alleviate pain. For more intense pain, you might consider a cortisone injection, therapy, massage to stretch the plantar fascia and address trigger points, or laser therapy to reduce pain and accelerate healing.
You want to make sure that you take care of the problem. Foot problems also follow hip dysfunction. Simply put: you may be experiencing pain in your feet because they are trying to accommodate for your hips. If this is an issue, you’ll need to address your hip dysfunction before you can truly deal with your foot pain.
If you can’t find relief and you’re tired of walking on a tightrope of pain, schedule an appointment with us. We’ll help locate the cause of the pain and advise you of your treatment options. You want to get back to living your life—we want that for you too.
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