Plantar Fasciitis
What is it and what do I do about it?
What it is…
Plantar fasciitis is the fancy name for what may be better classified as plantar heel pain. It is irritation or inflammation of the structures that act as suspension cables for the arch of the foot. The bottom of the foot is a collection of thick connective tissue, foot intrinsic muscles, tendons of muscles above the ankle and of course, nerves, arteries and veins. The foot has many small joints that allow the foot to accommodate nearly any terrain. With the amount of load and impact the foot has to withstand, it is amazing plantar heel pain isn’t something everyone suffers from!
So why do I have it…
There are a number of reasons why someone might begin experiencing plantar heel pain. Most of the time, there is an increase in demand on those foot structures that the body was not ready for and not able to recover from. Often this is a new job that requires more walking, a new training regime with more running or jumping, or even a change in footwear. Combine those factors with a few external factors such as a season of high stress, decline in adequate nutrition or lack of sleep and all of a sudden we have these symptoms from something we had no trouble doing a decade ago!
What do I do about it?
Free up the tissue. Become best friends with that lacrosse ball. Work the arch, work the ball of the foot, but also work higher up the chain into the calf and inside of the lower leg
Mobilize the ankle. Self-mobs to your ankle can help restore the natural mechanics of the ankle.
Fuel the tissue. That's right, just like the rest of the body, it needs fluids and nutrients. Take a look at the diet and see if you need to improve hydration, reduce pro-inflammatory food, and add back in real food.
Work the muscles. Initially it might be toe yoga, towel scrunches and then heel raises/lowers and finally squatting, deadlift and many other ways to load.
Test the ankle. Strength is not enough. We need to take it one step further and build back it’s capacity to receive impact and quickly rebound. This is jumping, bounding and running.
Finally, let's continue to maintain the ankle! Incorporate these things into your daily workout routine. When you master all of these interventions, you can get creative in how you work those movements and concepts into your general fitness, stretch and health programs. For example, you begin to recognize how your warm up squat can become an ankle mob and calf stretch and not simply a leg warm up. Get creative. Be intentional. Have fun!
Follow us on instagram @RenewPT103 for some of these strategies this month!
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