PLANTAR FASCIITIS
Why do I suffer with this?
1 in 10 Americans suffer from Plantar Fasciitis or PF, and only a few understand its cause, and how to mitigate the pain.
Are you one of them? I would like to offer some thoughts on the subject to help you or a loved one, as an added value for being a member of the Foot Foundation Fan Club.
First, let’s understand: the cause and effect.
The cause is stress-induced micro tears in the facia itself. It’s a swelling or inflammation of the… fascia. These occur due to an overuse moment, or long-term wear and tear.
The foot is like an inelastic web or fabric. In this case, just one thread might snap, but the web itself still works. which is what is so amazing about pain, it prevents you from completely destroying yourself.
So what caused the thread to pop? When you look at the foot through the lens of the Foot Foundation philosophy, we see over-pronation being the trigger mechanism or cause of the excessive tension in this “web”. This tension over time injures the facia. It may be triggered by an effort made in a moment of imbalance where it falls over more than normal and it gets stretched out. These in-elastic fibers just break they don’t stretch. So that micro tear in the fabric of the facia is what you are dealing with. Usually, it occurs just in front of the heel in the center of the foot. Another way it may get injured is in the case of a bone spur growing from the heel forward into the facia. That can be a much harder fix.
However, the fix is the same. Overpronation is the enemy, when you control the pronation, you reduce the stress on the facia and healing can begin, more importantly, you will begin to stop re-injuring the facia every step of the way.
This is exactly what Foot Foundation has created, an opportunity for healing.
The Plan for Improvement.
1st By measuring and mitigating over-pronation to a functional level, the tension in the facia will lower allowing it to heal over time.
2nd, Stretching can help the healing. By keeping the range of motion and circulation maxed out the healing will continue. Keep it loose and lubricated. The “pre-pee” morning st Achilles stretch. The worst moment of the day is the first step getting out of bed to go pee. So before you take a step bring a towel or belt to bed with you at night. Use the belt to pull the forefoot towards your knee. This is a simple Achilles stretch, but if you add foot rotation towards the big and little toe, you will feel it loosen up before you hit the floor.
3rd, Strengthen. Stronger and smarter muscles are better than the weaker and dumber versions. So any effort to strengthen your muscles is time well spent. The ever-famous towel drag with your toes. Place your foot on a towel and scrunch your toes to pull the towel under the foot. More can be found online and you should consult a pro on this when training with injuries.
4th, Massage
Rubbing always makes it feel better. Why? circulation improves, cleans out toxins, loosens up, and lets the fresh healing blood enter the fibers. So by all means Roll your foot on anything. Softer may be better to start, but frozen water bottles, tennis or racket balls.