Do you have foot pain? Stand on your feet all day long? What about heel pain? Have you heard of plantar fasciitis?

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. There is a band of tissue along the bottom of your foot called the plantar fascia (literally means foot tissue) that gets inflamed. When the inflammation continues for a period of time, it will cause a heel spur. A heel spur is just calcium that has been laid down in the tissue to try and stabilize the fascia. The heel spur itself actually does NOT cause any pain. The inflammation in the tissue is what causes the pain.

Common symptoms of plantar fasciitis: are pain upon standing, pain that is worse in the morning and pain around the heel and arch of your foot. Reasons for developing plantar fasciitis: shoes without proper arch support, standing on your feet all day, extra weight causing your arches to fall, and certain types of exercise.

Diagnosis

Proper examination of one or both feet, evaluation of posture and imaging of your feet will be able to provide a clear prognosis and treatment plan.

Treatments

Most common mainstream treatment include ice, stretching and rest. (Which can resolve in several months). Other options are to go the route of injections, surgery or shock wave therapy (none of which are guaranteed to work) and all have risks involved.

With CHIROPRACTIC CARE (at our office) ultrasound and cold laser are used on the bottom of one or both feet. Ultrasound will help the fascia relax and bring healing to the area which will reduce inflammation. Cold laser works at the cellular level to produce ATP for the cell. (ATP is the food source or energy for the cell.) Which in turn helps fix “bad” tissue. We will also adjust your feet to ensure all the 26 bones and 33 joints are working properly.

What To Do At Home

Things that can help at home include icing (I like a frozen water bottle), proper footwear (NO FLIP FLOPS!!) and getting custom orthotics made. We make a mold of your feet in our office, send the mold off and have orthotics made. Orthotics will help support the three arches (and fascia) in your foot and hold your adjustments longer.

If you have a job that requires you to stand all day or most of the day, are a runner or exercise regularly, have foot or low back pain, or pretty much ever wear shoes, then you should highly consider getting custom orthotics. Ask your chiropractor if they offer orthotics in their office.

Investing in your health is the most important thing you can do. Without your health you have nothing!! Stop by to get your feet evaluated.

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, Inc.
El Reno, OK 73036