Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common sources of foot pain. With the right treatment and protocols, you can get rid of the pain and get back on your feet. In this article, we’re breaking down what plantar fasciitis is and what you can do to get back to living your life pain-free.
With every step you take, your feet and ankles endure a large amount of force. When you have foot pain, your stability, mobility, and strength decrease. This can alter how you walk, stand, run or jump and affect the functioning of your knees, hips, and back. Since you use your feet and ankles constantly, this can be extremely debilitating.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis is pain on the bottom of your foot and it can manifest as pain in different parts of the foot. Many times it shows up on the base of the heel. We see this kind of pain prevalent in a lot of marathon runners and athletes.
When does the pain of Plantar Fasciitis happen most?
People largely feel the pain of Plantar Fasciitis when they first get up in the morning. The foot pain is excruciating. They either have to slow down, stop moving, or stretch to get to the bathroom. What is the reason this happens first thing in the morning? A large majority of people point their feet while they sleep.
Even if you’re trying to do a good job with sleeping on your back, your toes can get pulled down. Whether by habit, or simply a blanket or sheet being tucked under the bed too tight. When this happens, you point your feet and shorten your calf muscles. Your calf muscles are then pulling on your fascia and the tendon that attaches to your heel, which wraps underneath and attaches to the bottom of your foot.
This is why as soon as you stand up and put pressure on your feet, your shortened muscles are being pulled. This is directly causing you to feel like you’re being stabbed in the foot.
How to get rid of your Plantar Fasciitis pain
The biggest problem is that it’s not a foot problem, it’s a calf problem. The muscles in your calf are tight and contracted. You’ll notice that a common recommendation is to wear a higher heel in your tennis shoes to take the pressure off the foot.
That does give temporary relief from the pressure. Unfortunately, what happens is that you’re shortening your calf muscles even more while you’re awake, along with shortening the calf muscles while you’re sleeping. It then turns into this whole repetitive cycle.
Recommendations
There are four protocols/methods we recommend you implement in your life that will solve your Plantar Fasciitis problem and rid you of any pain for good.
- Fix your sleep posture – Dorsal night splints hold your foot in a neutral position. Many times these in themselves can take care of Plantar Fasciitis. You can find these for pretty affordable prices on Amazon.
- Wearing proper footwear – Having shoes that fit properly where your arch is supported is going to help because then your foot isn’t rolling in causing your muscles to get tight.
- Icing and Stretching – This ankle care protocol works all the muscles down to the foot that will help you gradually release the tight muscle and fascia that attach to the ankle because almost always they are the problem and the ankle is the symptom.
- Coming in for bodywork sessions – Many times in a session or two we can isolate all of the muscles that are causing the problem. Book an appointment at one of our locations today.
If focus on these components, you don’t have to deal with the pain of Plantar Fasciitis anymore.
We’ve helped hundreds of people get back to doing the things they love, Plantar Fasciitis pain-free. If you’re tired of constantly being stuck with foot and calf pain and are looking for a solution that solves the root cause of your pain, book an appointment at any of our 3 locations or give us a call at 512-244-6241 with any questions at all.
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