Foot pain is actually quite common. At my office, patients typically say that they have a stabbing pain in their foot that is worse after being immobile for a period of time. Mornings are the worst and they usually have had it for years. 😩

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 that gets inflamed. When the inflammation continues for a period of time, the fascia that attaches to your heel will pull (due to flattening of the feet) and it causes 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 around the spur 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

To diagnose plantar fasciitis a proper examination is done to both feet. This includes making sure the bones in your feet are moving and aren’t fixated. Posture can be evaluated to see why one foot is worse than the other. Then x-rays can be taken of both feet to see if a heel spur has developed.

 

Treatment Options

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 (if both feet are involved). 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.

Home Care

Things that can help at home include icing (I like a frozen water bottle), proper footwear (NO FLIP FLOPS!!), stretching with some foot exercises, and wearing custom orthotics.

Custom orthotics can be made in our office using a mold and send them off to have them made. Orthotics will help support the three arches (and fascia) in your foot and hold your adjustments longer. They help your foot from breaking down, which can cause many other issues later in life.

Chiropractic

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, then you should highly consider getting custom orthotics. Ask your chiropractor if they offer orthotics in their office. I wear my custom orthotics every day!

Investing in your health is the most important thing you can do. Preventative care is much cheaper than sick care. Catching your foot pain early makes it a lot easier to get the results you want. Stop by to get your feet evaluated today!

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