How Can Exercise Help Your Health?
October 20, 2017Fighting the Battle with Fatigue
November 6, 2017Does plantar fasciitis get you planted in one place instead of active like you want to be? The feet support the body and help you move around each day. However, injury and illness can leave your feet aching, cramping and painful with every step. If you have pain in the sole of your foot that makes it hard to walk around, the cause could be plantar fasciitis. Along the bottom of each foot is a thick band of soft tissue that goes from the heel to the toes. This holds the tension of the arch of the foot. However, that band of tissue can be damaged or stretched beyond capacity, causing you pain. If you rely on your ability to stand, walk, run and be active, don’t let the pain of plantar fasciitis slow you down. Learn what you can do to find soothing relief and what physical therapy can do to heal your symptoms.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
If you have never had plantar fasciitis before, then you may think it has something to do with gardening. It’s actually far from it. Plantar fasciitis has everything to do with your feet and nothing to do with plants. How did it get its name? It actually gets it from the name of a thick band of soft tissue it’s associated with. The bottom of the foot has this thick band that runs from the back of the heel all the way to the toes. This band connects to the Achilles tendon and is responsible for holding the tension that keeps the arch of your foot intact.
Many people are on their feet all day long. Because this band is located along the sole of the foot, it is easily damaged by overuse. It is also possible to stretch the band more than usual, which will definitely damage it. Any damage to your feet is something you want to avoid, but sometimes you can’t. The feet support your body and help you move around. Many people have jobs that cause them to be on their feet all day long. If plantar fasciitis sets in, this can leave your feet aching and cramping with every step, and can affect your ability to stand, walk, and run.
What Else Will You Feel?
Patients generally experience problems centralized in the sole of the foot. This is one of the areas that carries the most weight of your body. However, some pain could occur in the center of the foot or even appear in the toes. We can rule out nerve and muscle problems depending on the symptoms you have. Luckily, plantar fasciitis generally has the same type of symptoms among patients. Unluckily, you don’t want to have problems with your feet in the first place.
If you have this condition, you may experience pain in one or both of your feet. You will start to notice pain more when you are standing or walking around instead of when you are seated. This is because of the pressure put on the sole of your foot and the plantar fascia band. You may feel great when you wake up in the morning, then gradually feel pain shortly after you wake up. For some, that pain might be a stabbing sensation in the heel that immediately happens.
The Most Common Running Injury
Plantar Fasciitis happens to many people, but it happens often to runners or people who are putting a lot of pressure on their feet. In fact, it’s one of the most common injuries for runners. If your shoes are worn out, or not proper for running, your feet might roll to the inside or outside when walking, which stresses the bands in your feet. Most people need proper arch support as well or their arch could collapse or they develop plantar fasciitis quite quickly.
Overtraining and overuse can cause your injury, so you want to be careful to switch up your workouts during training. If you are new to the running world, come to our center to receive tips for stretching and training to avoid problems. There are also many online resources that can guide you into proper training and endurance.
Get Up and Running Again!
Some patients look to surgery for help, but that is not required in the majority of cases. Proper rest, staying off your feet, and receiving the right treatment should help relieve your symptoms. For runners prone to plantar fasciitis (which is the most common injury they experience), orthotics and stability shoes can help relieve pain and symptoms. Proper icing, stretching, and strengthening exercises will greatly improve your symptoms as well. We can help you with your rehabilitation, as physical therapy services are one of our specialties.
We can fit you for custom inserts for your shoes that will provide you better arch support and will relieve the symptoms you feel. Many patients notice a major difference within just a few days in their new supports. We see this type of injury often, so we have special stretching instructions for relieving tightness in the plantar fascia band. If the problem also stems from body misalignment and uneven pressure on your joints, we can provide you a chiropractic adjustment while you are in-office.
Relieve Your Pain Naturally
Don’t look to invasive procedures to fix a problem that is easily correctable. There are thousands of runners out there that experience problems with plantar fasciitis. There are thousands more that experience the same issues because of their jobs, improper footwear, or overuse. Don’t let your foot pain prevent you from enjoying life at the speed you want! Let us help relieve your pain quickly and naturally with rehabilitative treatments. Simply call our Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center office at (512) 806-0015 and “heel” your plantar fasciitis today!