Stretching Exercises Help a Woman with Foot Pain

Guest article writer today a school teacher who is sharing a personal experience of heel spurs, caused by plantar fasciitis and what she found worked for her.  She is mainly concerned with the foot problems experienced by women. Some of her thoughts and advice on stretching  are applicable to men with some of the foot maladies discussed. : Here are her thoughts

There are many women suffering from extreme pain in their feet especially to the heels and the soles.

This is chiefly due to the problems of over weight, job related long standing , too much walking, trauma to the feet from exercise , arthritis, constant tension in the muscles at the back of the feet and lost of calcium due to aging.

When the feet pain in varying degrees of intensity, it may be that you have or is developing one of these two problems, plantar fasciitis, or heel spurs. These conditions can be very painful and often affect both women and men of all ages but recently the number of women experiencing the problems are on the increase and black women are not exempted

The pain is much greater after long periods of rest such as, after sleeping or after sitting for long periods. Many people go to medical doctors when they develop the very first plantar fasciitis symptoms. Here they may be given medication to dissolve the calcium deposit and anti -inflammatory drugs. These either do not work or they work for a very short time and then problems reoccur. Heel spurs and can really put a damper on ones life style and curtail many of ones normal daily activities.

Sometimes we are told to wear shoes with soft insoles but the truth is these really do not work because the problem really begins with the muscle in the calf and radiates to the sole of the feet, because the muscles sometimes needs stretching. This is the reasons spurs are so painful in the mornings and after a period of sitting, but become less intense after the muscles have warmed up after walking around a little.

Exercising the feet correctly is usually the first step to solve the problem. Incorrect exercise practices can make the problems worse. Here are two exercises that you may safely use to help correct the problem. They are intended to stretch the plantar fascia, as well as the Achilles tendon. These exercises are most effective when used in combination with another heel spur treatment. When used together with treatment such as orthopedic heal seats and orthopedic shoes, these techniques can reverse and heal the occurrence of heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, and other heel pain ailments, while also strengthening and increasing the flexibility of the heel, helping to prevent additional episodes of heel spurs in the long term.

Exercise one

Lean forward against a wall with one knee straight and heel on the ground. Your other knee should be bent. Your heel cord and foot arch stretch as you lean. Hold for 10 seconds, relax and straighten up. Repeat 20 times for each sore heel. Be very careful not to continue if you experience any type of severe heel pain. It is always better to start slow, and work into your heel spur exercises as you build your strength and tolerance.

This exercise is helpful because tight muscles in the calf can often lead to problems in other areas, such as in the heel of the foot. By stretching the calf and ankle, you can lessen the stress placed on the plantar fascia during movement as a result of a tight Achilles tendon or tight calf muscles. When this exercise is used, particularly before and after exercise, you can reduce the strain placed on the fascia and help to greatly reduce the chances of developing heel spurs.

Exercise two

In this second exercise, you lean forward onto a counter top, spreading your feet apart with one foot in front of the other. Flex your knees and squat down, keeping your heels on the ground as long as possible. Your heel cords and foot arches will stretch as the heels come up in the stretch. Hold for 10 seconds, relax and straighten up. Repeat 20 times.

Whereas the first exercise addressed other areas that can indirectly lead to heel spurs, this exercise helps to treat the specific area that becomes affected by excessive stress and causes heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Again, this exercise can strengthen the heel and arch of the foot, and when used in combination with an orthopedic device such as heel seats, you can not only help to reverse the painful conditions, but also help to keep these symptoms from developing again in the future.

Although orthopedic shoes may be a bit expensive they are one of your best bets on having your feet becoming well again. They now come in different styles so that you as a woman may still look chick and in vogue while wearing your orthopedic shoes

Heel seats are also another choice available to you. This maybe placed in any shoes. While this may be more fashionable because you can wear your own shoes they may be very painful when you start wearing them because the shoes may not have been a well fitting shoes in the beginning. They are however said to help after wearing for six months to a year as they may be able to reshape your fallen insteps and apply acupressure to the heels. They are also less expensive than orthopedic shoes.

This is where you will have to rely on your inner gut feeling or decide to take the risk of purchasing these heel seats to solve your ailing feet

Sports Injury stretching

About Plantar fasciitis and heel spur

Author: Juliet Christie Murray

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Christie_Murray

Orthotics Inserts ?

Improper foot biomechanics are responsible for many complaints such as plantar fasciitis, heel pain, knee pain, and lower back pain. In the case of orthoics for plantar fasciitis my personal experience is that they are a very small part in the healing of the condition.

An Orthotic is a device that is placed inside shoes to correct and restore the normal or better said proper function of the feet.

Biomechanics is the science of movement that studies motion during walking, running, and sports.

Biomechanics has determined that about seven out ten of us have a tendancy to over pronate. Over pronating is exactly the kind of condition which is served by the use of orthotics. When a person is said to over-pronate that means that there is a tendency to have foot strike that makes your foot arch drop or flatten while the feet and ankles roll inwards.

Orthotics are able to correct over-pronation effect by restoring the feet and ankles to their normal position desired for natural foot functioning. This use of orthotics not only alleviates foot problems but can also gives relief to various other mal-functions of the body caused by the over-pronating.

The choices that an over pronating individual has when attempting to correct the problem are several:

A person may choose to have a custom orthotic made usually after a series of mesasurements of the foot is made and the orthotic device usually a rigid molded plastic is created.

For patients suffering from more serious problems the custom-made orthotic may provide a better solution. The devices are generally only available from a medical specialist in the area of the foot, a Podiatrist. Over-pronation being the most common ailment most people are in need of correcting is something most podiatrist are very familiar with and are ready to address. The device is not inexpensive and one can expect to spend at least 300  dollars for the customized approach and in many cases much more.

When your doctor advises that a custom orthotic is the best solution he will prescribe for that device.

• a plaster cast of the patients foot this is usually done by an employee at the Podiatrist’s office who by now has done many many such impressions
• the impression is sent a lab where a fabrication of the device the doctor has prescribed is made. This mens the lab will create a mold in combination with what the impression is and the changes the doctor wants. From the mold a orthotic is devised from plastic with varying degrees of rigidity. Once made the orthotic is sent to the prescribing podiatrist
• At the doctors office an examination is made of the device. It is given to the patient for wearing inside the shoe. Even though these can be very useful devices many patients find the use cumbersome and do not easily get used to the Orthotic. In a fair number of cases they never feel right and even cause more problem than they fix. This causes the use to be abandoned by the patient.

A second choice of orthic is a heat-mouldable orthotic these are  are standard  flexible devices made from medium density EVA material. The device can be heated to slightly alter its shape. In many ways they are more user friendly than the custom rigid choice and they are much less expensive at around one hundred to two hundred dollars.

A third and much more economical way to go is a pre-fabricated orthotic. This is usually a soft-medium density shoe insert which is available from pharmacies, on-line specialist websites, and some physiotherapists or chiropractors. People will get used to such Orthotics almost immediately and the cost ranges from twenty to forty dollars per pair. For four out if five people suffering from over-pronation, a pre-fabricated Orthotic will provide sufficient correction. After some wear this types of Orthotic will customise to the wearer’s foot shape as a result of body weight and body heat. Usually pre-fabricated orthotics are made from EVA, a flexible material that supports the foot without hurting the arches.

It should be noted that we have not addressed the one in twenty people who supinate as opposed to pro-nate. Supinating is basically the opposite problem of too much arching and  having an outward roll to a foot strike. Typically the orthotic that will help these people is of the custom-made variety.

Finally it should be noted that there is some confusion about the difference between foot pad shoe liners and orthotics.  Simply put they are not the same. A foot pad insert can be very useful in  absorbing some of the shock to a foot or just by providing a softer bed for foot in the shoe. However these pads provide not therapeutic value except for these comfort factors.

Running and Plantar Fasciitis

I would say don’t do it but I am sure you don’t want to hear that. I did it I should instead have embarked on a simple program for healing plantar fasciitis and in a few weeks I could have returned to running and not spent years trying to heal the damage I did by pushing that said read on because unfortunately many disagree and I present here that case too.

Heel pain is a very common malady amongst runners. Most people have endured heel pain at some point in their lives. Four out of ten  all visits to the foot doctor are because of  heel pain.

There are many different causes of heel pain, but it is most commonly caused by thea condition known as plantar fasciitis, the band of tissue, known as the plantar fascia has become inflammed it goes from the heel to the toes. Plantar fasciitis is most often caused by  poor foot structure, such as overly flat feet or high arches. Wearing non-supportive footwear on hard surfaces, spending long hours on your feet, and obesity are also causes of plantar faciitis. A shortened or tightened achilles tendon can also be the culprit.

Plantar fasciitis can cause a sharp, stabbing pain on the inside of the bottom of the heel that can feel like an ice pick jabbing into your heel. Pain from plantar fasciitis is usually most severe when you first stand on your feet at the start of your day after inactivity has allowed th plantar fascia to shorten. Therefore many people complain that the first step out of bed is the worst.

Many people will  have pain as they get up and start to walk after sitting for a period of time while working at a desk or computer. This heel pain will usually subside as you walk, but can return with prolonged standing, walking or running.

For runners, the plantar fascia may become inflamed after a period of running hilly courses or running in excessively worn shoes or the wrong type of shoe for your foot type. Once this happens, a cycle of inflammation ensues.

The medial calcaneal nerve that runs along on the inside of the heel bone and actually curves down around the bottom of the rear of the foot between the bone and the plantar fascia. when you walk and place added stress on the plantar fascia, tugging the ligament at it’s attachement to the heel bone stimulates inflammation. The inflammation results in fluid being collected around the nerve between the bone and the plantar fascia. The nerve gets compressed by the collection of fluid when you get up and step on the heel. This causes the sharp pain. By stepping on the heel, some of the fluid is pushed out of the area and away from the nerve. The second step may also hurt less as even more fluid is pushed away from this space around the nerve. Once you get moving, the pain then usually subsides. Once you go to sleep the whole cycle begins again.

The condition is a combination of two distinct problems. If your Achilles tendon is too tight, that leads to added tension on the plantar fascia when you run or walk. Then there is  the tissue damage as the inflamed plantar fascia is tugs away at its attachment to the heel bone. You must address both.

The main question  doctors get from patients about treating the problem is concerning the necessity of surgery.  The answer is most often a happy no. Heel pain sufferers can effectively self-treat their heel pain and get permanent relief .

A current treatment philosophy  that simple, reliable, cost-effective treatments should always be attempted before expensive and evasive treatments like surgery.
An important question from runners is can I still run. This answer really needs a doctors exam and the answer is usually yes after it has been diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.

Since plantar fasciitis is by far the most common form of heel pain, however there are other causes. One must exercise caution because other problems share  the symptoms of plantar fasciitis.Among those are stress fractures on the heel bone, bone tumors, and bone cysts. These conditions are different than just an inflamed fascia and when you run they are made worse. Serious problems such as a fracture of the heel bone. A fractured heel bone will definitely interrupt your running life.

Provided that it is plantar fasciitis, the most often effective treatments for plantar fasciitis include stretching, icing, and anti-inflammatory medications. A program of home exercises to stretch your achilles tendon and plantar fascia are the mainstay of treating the condition and lessening the chance of reinjury. Achilles tendon stretches are essential to eliminate heel pain. Perform the Achilles tendon stretches morning and evening. Doing this should only take one minute each morning and one minute each night.

Stand upright one large pace away from the wall with your feet parallel and about hip width apart. Place your hands against the wall, at shoulder height. Move your right leg half a pace forward. Try lunging forward on your right leg so that the knee is aligned over the ankle. Stretch your left leg back as far as is comfortable with the foot and heel remaining flat on the floor. Slowly lean forward to stretch the left leg calf muscles and tendon. Hold the stretch , relax, and repeat on the other leg. Please be patient and do each stretch four or five times per side. Remember to stretch gently.

Treating your heel with cold(icing) will decrease inflammation which increases while you go about your day, and to prevent more inflammation while you sleep. You may want to simply ice the bottom of the heel and arch for twenty minutes a couple of times a day. This is advisable in order to relieve your symptoms. Barefoot and support poor shoes like sandals are a bad idea. You should consider only  shoes with a moderate heel that do not bend through the arch. Always wear shoes when walking and running, even in the home. If you have custom orthotics, or over-the-counter inserts, wear them in your shoes at all times. The majority of people with plantar fasciitis improve tremendously after just two months of initial treatment.

Remember I think it is a bad idea to run through the pain of plantar fasciitis until you have engaged in an effective and simple program to get ahead of the problem.

Most will keep on running, but be sure to seek help if your heel pain gets worse while you run or if the heel pain just won’t go away after trying the treatments described above. Once you get rid of the heel pain, keep stretching your  tendon periodically and you can prevent your heel pain from returning.