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

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Plantar Fasciitis Strecthing Exercises Reduce Inflammation

There are some form of stretches and exercises that can be done to reduce the risk of recurrence of plantar fasciitis. Your physician may give you specific instructions for a suitable exercise program that is appropriate for you. Exercises for plantar fasciitis focus on stretching the Achilles tendon, calf, and plantar fascia. These stretches can be done whenever you experience pain from plantar fasciitis. Try them.

It is sometimes recommended that you warm up a little before doing plantar fasciitis stretches. An easy and not complex warm up is to walk up some stairs. Always ask your physician for advice on doing exercises and stretches for plantar fasciitis.

One of the plantar fasciitis stretches starts by standing about two feet away from a wall. Lean against the wall. With one leg bent comfortably, straighten the other leg, placing it about six inches behind you with the heel on the floor. Hold for ten seconds. You should be able to feel a small stretch of the Achilles tendon in the extended leg. Switch positions and stretch the other leg. Repeat twenty times.

The second plantar fasciitis stretch starts with your toes against the wall with heels on the floor. Bring your hips nearer to the wall so that your other foot is at a 45 degrees angle. This will stretch the calf and the plantar fascia.

Sit on a chair. Rest the ankle of the injured foot on the knee of the opposite leg. Gently push the toes backward until you feel a stretch in the bottom of your foot.

Another exercise starts by leaning forward onto a countertop. Your feet should be widely spread apart with one foot in front of the other. Squat down. Keep your heels on the floor. Hold for ten seconds and relax. Repeat twenty times.

Sit on a table with your knees bent. Holding onto the ends of the towel, loop a towel under the ball of the foot. Keep knees bent as you gently pull the towel while flexing the foot upward. Try to press your foot against the towel.

If you experience pain in the morning, do the next simple exercise before getting out of bed. Lying on your back, using your big toes to try to write the alphabet in the air. After writing the alphabet, gently raise your big toes towards you.

Some people find massage helpful to reduce pain. One way to massage the area yourself is to rest the foot on a tennis or golf ball. Gently roll the foot over the ball. Rolling back and forth over the ball of the foot yields a gentle massage of the plantar fascia ligament. You can try using an empty tennis ball container that you filled with water and froze. The ice pack will smoothe the pain and the rolling action sort of massages the foot.

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Allan Tan is the creator of Foot-Care.org. He provides more helpful information on plantar fasciitis exercises, hammertoes, heel spur, and calcaneal apophysitis that you can read up in the comfort of your home on his website. He setup this helpful website to help people understand more about their foot conditions and pain.