This week both myself and Jane, one of the footcare practitioners at the centre, have been inundated with people asking about planter fascitiis and heel pain.
Planter fascitiis is where the thick connective tissue layer on the bottom of the foot that is designed to protect the tendons becomes painful.
Classically the pain is worse in the
morning making people hobble getting out of bed. Being on the feet
makes the pain worse but in bad cases the pain can be present even
when not weight bearing.
Research has suggested that although the condition is an 'itis' (suggesting inflammation) there is no actual inflammatory cells present. The condition, it seems, is more likely due to degeneration in the connective tissue which is the same as other tendon problems such as 'tennis elbow'.
This
time of year is rive with foot pain as people walk around in flip
flops which provide next to no support. Even those that are designed
to provide some support are not as good as wearing proper shoes.
What's
the solution?
Osteopathy
and other manual therapy can help with massage and manipulation to
the foot. We can identify any mechanical cause for the problem ie./
if you over pronate or supinate in the foot or ankle this can have an
effect on the tendons and planter fascia.
Also
because the calf muscles blend into the connective tissue of the foot
we also work away from the source of the problem addressing any
issues present there.
Planter
fascitiis can be tricky to resolve so sometimes we recommend gentle
arch supports or gel heel pads to help allow the tissues to recover
whilst treatment is being done.
Stretches
to the planter fascia and calf work well too.
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