It hurts to walk!! Plantar Fasciitis - What is it and how to self treat

Foot pain, primarily in the arch of your foot (plantar surface), is more common than you may think. Most of the time the pain comes out of nowhere and progressively gets worse with time. At first the arch of your foot is sore, or you may have pain when your heel hits the ground, then you are not able to wear some of your favorite shoes, and then you dread your feet hitting the ground when you first get out of bed in the morning! These are all telling signs of plantar fasciitis. PLANTAR WHAT???!!! Yes I know it is a weird term for most of you out there, but isn’t everything in the medical field? Basically it means you have inflammation of the plantar fascia – a “sheet” of connective tissue that supports the arch of your foot. This inflammation can occur for many different reasons such as poor foot wear, overuse, standing for prolonged periods of time, and even just the way YOUR foot is positioned can leave you at a higher risk of developing plantar fasciitis. Ugh, I know! And it is one of the most common diagnoses for foot pain that I treat. I decided to write about it now because I am currently experiencing plantar fasciitis for the first time, and let me tell you NOW I truly understand why my clients dread taking those first few steps in the morning. Luckily I know this is an issue that is easily addressed as long as you are consistent with stretching, building the musculature that supports the arch to take pressure off of the plantar fascia, and use of ice to decrease the inflammation.

So what do you do? Some of the best things to alleviate the pain and prevent it from reoccurring will seem so simple for an issue that is so painful. Here are some tips to assist with plantar fasciitis:

Decrease the inflammation – at least twice a day

• Ice massage – fill a few Dixie cups ¾ with water and freeze them. Once frozen, rip away the top paper portion so that ice is exposed. Gently massage the arch of your foot continuously moving the ice for about 5 minutes or until it feels numb

• Water bottle roll – freeze a water bottle and roll your foot back and forth on it for about 5 minutes or until it gets numb

Stretch!!!!!

• Calf stretches and stretch the arch of your foot holding each stretch for 30-60 seconds

• Hamstring stretches – yes this can help! Many times the entire leg it tight, which can also contribute to foot pain….remember everything in your body is connected!

Strength

• Write the alphabet (A-Z) with your foot

• Place a towel on the floor and scrunch it with your toes trying to pull it towards you

Obviously these are just a few things for you to try. If you are in need of more in-depth information or assistance please feel free to reach out to me and we can schedule an individualized session for your needs.

#footpain #heelpain #plantarfasciits #drqpt