Plantar Fasciitis is the buzz word of the summer, when “heels” get exchanged for sandals and flip flops. As the foot is flatter more often, the bottom of the foot may experience inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the tissue on the bottom surface of the foot.
Heels are in disguise! They are not just women’s fancy shoes...
Do you wear:
Sneakers with cushion in the rear-foot?
Men’s dress shoes with a slight lift in the rear-foot?
Other shoes with more than a 1-inch heel?
Wearing “heels” shortens the achilles tendon, which could cause the other joints to react in what is called supination. Supination is a component of propulsion in the gait cycle causing the arch to shorten and all joints to extend for push off. When you wear “heels” often, your body is chronically in this state, which can be stressful. Your body needs to pronate also.
Simply removing the arch supports and heels can be tricky, because it is painful. Your opposing muscles that are used in pronation may be weak from under-use. Pronation is the opposing phase of gait to supination and helps the body absorb shock, which causes the joints to flex.
There are many excellent remedies online that will provide temporary relief. The long-term solutions to this problem involve education, anatomy knowledge, awareness and patience.
In this video, you will find anatomy education and an exercise to help troubleshoot plantar-fasciatis. Keep in mind, this is just one possibility. Try it out and report back to us in the comments below!
Please share this video with clients, friends and colleagues. We can all use more awareness about our muscles and joints!
