A little chat about our feet…
Our feet put up with a lot of stress and strain. They carry us through our everyday life, from working on your feet all day, running around after kids, exercise and day to day chores.
We have 4 layers of muscles on the bottom of our feet, over the top of this is a piece of strong tissue that runs the bottom of the foot; it connects the heel bone to the toes, creating the foot arch. This is called our plantar fascia.
Plantar fasciitis is when this fascia becomes inflamed. This can be caused by a number of things, including:
- Spending a lot of time on your feet
- Exercise that can put pressure on the heel of your foot
- Unstable footwear
- Being overweight
Symptoms can include:
- Pain in the heel
- Dull or a sharp stabbing pain into the foot
- Ache in sole of the foot
- Burning in the heel
- Heel maybe slightly swollen
Symptoms may be worse in the morning or after sitting or standing for a long period of time.
Plantar fasciitis is best treated at the very onset of symptoms. Seeing an osteopath, remedial massage therapist or other health professional is always the best course of action. However, there are a few things that you can do at home that can help get rid of your plantar fasciitis if you catch it in time.
Spiky ball
Roll a spiky ball or golf ball (must be a hard ball) on the bottom of your foot. Yes, this will hurt, but the next morning you will feel a difference and find that it’s totally worth it!
Achilles/ Calf stretches
The best stretch for the Achilles is to stand on a step with upper part on the step and your heel dipping below the step. Let your heel go as low as it can go until you feel a really good stretch, raise yourself up on your toes and drop back down again. This may also hurt, but you’re looking for a more pulling sensation. This is also a great way of strengthening your Achilles.
Plantar fasciitis socks
These come in many different forms, however, they basically cover your heel and add more cushioning. You can get some that just cover the heel and others that are actual socks with extra padding in the heel area.
Remedial massage
Another treatment that will be a bit painful, the massage therapist would work not only on your foot but also your calf muscles, it can work in the same faction as the spiky ball, but someone’s finger digging into your foot.
Although plantar fasciitis can be common and in some cases easily eased with the above simple treatments, it can have a major effect on other parts of your body if not treated. It will affect your gate while walking, throwing out your hips, lower back and your leg muscles. Our bodies are amazing and will compensate for this, putting extra strain on the unaffected side.
Click here to book a remedial massage with Nikki and address your plantar fasciitis today! Call 5255 5040 (OG) or 4202 0446 (L) to discuss how Nikki can help you achieve your health goals!
