I’m sure like many of you I have run out of ideas for all my leftovers. You can only do so many things with ham and all the sides. The holidays also present a challenge with all the high calorie food choices but that is not my focus for this article.
How many of you said by the end of the night at a party, “My feet are killing me.”
I thought that this time of year is a great time to talk about a common foot injury with many people since improper footwear can cause this pathology. That injury is plantar fascitis. This injury can affect many different people including dancers and athletes.
The word “plantar” refers to the undersurface of the foot. Fascia is a thick connective tissue that covers muscles, bones, organs, vessels and nerves. “-itis” means inflammation. So, putting it all together we have an inflammation of the connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot.
This pathology usually causes the most pain upon waking in the morning. As you put your feet on the floor and stand up, the fascia, which runs from your calcaneus (heel bone) to the ball of your foot, stretches out causing pain.
This thick band of connective tissue protects the underlying muscle, blood vessels and nerves. It also helps support the arch of the foot and provide shock absorption. This plantar fascia also assists with raising the foot off the ground during walking or running.
Repetitive motions, a high arch, obesity, faulty foot position during stance and improper footwear can all contribute to this pathology.
If the problem is not addressed it can cause other problems like heel spurs. When there is a repetitive stress on a bone the body responds to this stress by producing more bone. In this case when the plantar fascia continues to pull on its attachment at the calcaneus (heel bone) then the body responds by producing more bone in this area. This produces what’s called a heel spur.
A good stretch for this area is to pull up on the ball of your foot and push down on your heel. It is the same motion as if you were taking off a shoe. Since the plantar fascia runs from the heel to the ball of the foot, this stretches out this connective tissue. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and perform 3 sets of this stretch.
Fascia can become thick and bound up just like a knot in your shoulders or upper back. To massage the plantar fascia try rolling your foot on a tennis ball or golf ball, forward/back and left/right. Perform 10 reps in each direction and 3 sets.
In addition to gently stretching the plantar fascia another goal is to reduce the pain and inflammation. Ice is great to use for this injury. A great trick is to take a frozen juice concentrate can and roll the foot back and forth on this can. This allows the ice to reduce the inflammation and reduce the nerve conduction of the pain receptors. It also massages this plantar fascia which can be thick and bound up.
At night time place your shoes at the side of your bed. In the morning, before getting out of bed perform the stretch indicated above (like taking off a shoe). After you complete this stretch put your shoes on. This sounds silly but a good pair of shoes with good arch support will prevent that common morning pain as you put your bare feet on the floor and stretch this plantar fascia. Think about the plantar fascia as a string running from your heel to the ball of your foot. If you place your foot flat on the ground it will stretch this string. If, however, you put on a good pair of shoes with good arch support the plantar fascia will not be stretched and placed under stress.
Another popular treatment is the wearing of splints at night which prevents the plantar fascia from contracting overnight. It keeps a stretch on the calf muscles and plantar fascia preventing the common morning pain.
Some people have a biomechanical reason for their plantar fascia pain. This requires the eyes of a Physical Therapist who can determine the structural abnormalities and suggest proper exercises or shoe inserts for your particular biomechanics.
As always, remember, pain is not normal. You should not just “put up with the pain” . If conservative measures like ice, stretching and replacing the fancy shoes with a good arch support shoe do not solve the problem, then see your Physical Therapist for further intervention.
Has anyone had problems with plantar fascitis in the past or currently? Comment below and share your expriences.
Be Well,
Matthew Laporte
