The human foot is a complex system of bones, joints, and muscles that work to support your weight and align your body for proper movement. Obesity can increase your risk of developing foot problems like flat feet.
Do your feet hurt when you wake up after a good night’s sleep? If the pain is around your heel, you may be suffering from plantar fasciitis, where stabbing pain often is worse first thing in the morning. Luckily, the medical professionals at Apple Podiatry are experts in treating plantar fasciitis. Here’s how they can help you.
The plantar fascia are long bands of connective tissue on the bottoms of your feet. They connect heel bones to toe bones.
When the plantar fascia are inflamed, you’ve got plantar fasciitis, a chronic condition that creates pain near the heels of your feet. Sometimes the pain is mild, sometimes it’s excruciating. It gets worse when you don’t move for hours, which is why it usually plagues you first thing in the morning.
Plantar fasciitis can develop if you have these risk factors:
You can treat plantar fasciitis with extracorporeal shock wave therapy, which uses pressurized air to create microtraumas that cause blood vessels to grow and deliver healing nutrients to the foot. Treatments take about 20 minutes under a local anesthetic.
However, there are some simple fixes for plantar fasciitis pain.
Here are simple things you can do to prevent or treat plantar fasciitis pain.
Maintaining a healthy weight can minimize stress on your feet and your plantar fascia. If you’re overweight, consider changing your eating habits to include more fruits and vegetables. Also, move more often. Walk the dog. Pull some weeds in your garden. Dance around the house.
Wearing the right shoes can help you avoid or reduce plantar fasciitis. Stay away from high heels, and select shoes with low or moderate heels. Don’t wear old athletic shoes, which stop cushioning your feet. And don’t walk around bare-footed, which does nothing to protect your feet.
If your favorite sport involves pounding your feet, you may have to choose another sport. Try cycling or swimming, which are low-impact sports. Be sure to stretch your plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, and calf muscles before and after exercising.
Ice can help reduce inflammation. Apply this cold treatment to painful foot areas 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day. Also, you can freeze water in a paper cup and roll it over painful areas for about five minutes, creating a cold massage that relieves discomfort.
You don’t have to live in pain from plantar fasciitis. Call Apple Podiatry Group at 817-482-9194, or request an appointment online today.
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