By: Kim Mills (CAT(c), C. Ped (C)) Certified Pedorthist (Canada)
If you’ve ever stepped out of bed in the morning to the feeling of hot daggers plunging into the bottom of your foot, only to be left in crippling pain crawling to the bathroom hoping the pain will subside enough to make it into work without the need of a Rascal scooter, then you know the pain of having plantar fasciitis. One of the most common complaints of people coming in to Milton Orthotic & Wellness Centre is the very well localized heel pain of plantar fasciitis. Though it is something that often develops over time, most people wait until the pain becomes excruciating until they do anything about it. However, plantar fasciitis can be best eliminated if the appropriate steps are taken early on, or, even better as a preventative measure. Plantar fasciitis can be a result of several different issues requiring several different treatments. It is always best to be looked at by a health care professional so that the appropriate treatment for you may be prescribed, however some simple steps can be done at home immediately.
1. Ice. Take a water bottle and throw it in your freezer and at the end of the day give your feet a nice ice massage to help bring down the inflammation.
2. Stretch. Proper stretching of both the plantar fascia and the achilles tendon should be
done 2-3x daily.
3. Footwear. Always be in appropriate footwear in the house and outside. Make sure the footwear has goodarch support and cushioning.
For many flexible footed over-pronators, custom made orthotic inserts to support the longitudinal arch has been a very successful treatment for plantar fasciitis. For the rigid footed pes cavus person a custom made insert with a high amount of cushioning can provide excellent results. The key is taking care of your feet before you end up crawling as your preferred method of transportation. Feet should not hurt! If you are experiencing the tell tale signs of plantar fasciitis (morning heel pain, and/or pain on the bottom of your feet at the end of a day), don’t assume it will go away on it’s own, book an assessment to see what your best options will be to relieve that pain.
Visit us at www.miltonOrthoticWellness.com