Pain in the foot...

I am just getting over a bad bout of plantar fasciitis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this painful and ruthless foot condition, it is an inflammation of the fibrous band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from your heel to the ball of your foot. When inflamed it can become extremely (did I say extremely?) painful causing one to limp or have to use an assistive device, like a cane or crutches, to walk. So, I have been limping around on the ball of my foot (sometimes with straight cane in hand) due to plantar fasciitis. I am positive that many of you are wondering “How did a physical therapist let herself get to this point?” Well, I am as guilty as many of you and I ignored my pain. I thought ‘Oh, it’s not so bad…it will go away tomorrow. I can deal with the pain.’ Well, it did go away…and then it came back with a vengeance! So, for the past 8-10 days I have had to treat myself like a patient and even become a temporary patient of Dr. Yoo’s. After 8 days of consistent treatment I am finally step on my heel with minimal pain and today (day 12) I have hardly any pain! I cannot explain how amazing it feels to be able to finally step on my foot without wincing in pain.

Prevention is the solution! The human body is a kinetic chain; everything is connected! Over time, poor mechanics of one part of the body will affect another part of the body somewhere up or down the chain. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes! I cannot stress enough how important footwear is when it comes to preventing injury. I own great shoes that are wonderful for my feet and I own shoes that even though they may look good they are terrible for my feet. When I wear my great shoes, my foot doesn’t bother me at all, however when I don’t I suffer tremendously. I understand that footwear can be pricey, but it is even pricier down the road for treatment of injuries caused by poor footwear. If you have proper footwear it may prevent you from having to purchase orthotics. Some individuals may even do well with over-the-counter arch supports (i.e. Dr. Scholl’s, Spenco). These can be purchased at your local pharmacy, Road Runners (on Route 4 West in Paramus), and/or On Track (Englewood, NJ). However, some individuals depending on the severity of the condition or foot positioning may need to be fitted for orthotics by an orthotist in order to permanently correct the problem.

I hope this blog has helped save you from some unwarranted pain. I will continue to treat my condition until my foot feels 100% better and I will take preventative measures so this does NOT happen again.