National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is all about knowledge, treatment, and prevention of this type of cancer, which is the second most common type found in women. In fact, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will get breast cancer at some point in their life. Spread the word about prevention this October—it could save someone’s life. Prevention is also important for a less serious condition in your feet—heel pain. In that case, stretches for plantar fasciitis will ease and prevent your pain.
To avoid this condition, stretch your calf muscles. Tight calf muscles can cause you to overpronate, which may be what causes your condition in the first place.
Wall Stretch – To stretch your calves, place your palms at shoulder level and put one foot behind you, keeping the leg straight and heel on the ground. Lean into the wall and bend your front leg at the knee until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.
Arch Stretch and Towel Stretch – You can also practice prevention by stretching the plantar fascia, which is where the pain occurs. For an easy stretch, grasp the toes and ball of your foot and pull gently towards your shins until you feel a stretch on the bottom of your foot along the arch. You can also stretch the arch by sitting on the floor and looping a towel around your toes to pull them towards you.
Frozen Water Bottle and Tennis Ball Stretches – To get quick and easy relief for your pain, freeze a water bottle and roll your arch over it. You can also roll a tennis or golf ball underneath the foot. The objects will stretch and massage the plantar fascia.
If you need more stretches for plantar fasciitis or have finally decided to see a doctor for your persistent pain, look no further. Kevin J. Powers, DPM, has been helping patients with their foot and ankle pain for 25 years. To make an appointment, call our office in Bloomington, IN, at (812) 333-4422.
The Great Amazing Race is a superb family-friendly event coming up September 27, 2014 in Indianapolis, IN. Sign up your team of two to race around a one-mile course, on which you will have to complete several fun challenges as a team. It is a great experience for adults and kids alike to enjoy—a great way to get your kids active! Running with heel pain is not enjoyable at all, however. Whether you are gearing up for a fun race like this or a more serious marathon, we can offer some tips to relieve your heel pain and get back on track.
For runners, heel pain is often caused by a condition called plantar fasciitis. Overuse and the repeated impact of your foot striking the ground can cause the plantar fascia, a thin ligament across the bottom of your foot, to sustain tiny tears and become inflamed. This injury can cause searing pain when you step out of bed in the morning or stand up after sitting for a while.
If you want to get back to running safely, it is worth having Dr. Kevin J. Powers evaluate the nature of your injury and help identify what caused it in the first place. We can also identify any structural problems that may have contributed to the injury and treat that specifically. Flat and high arched feet and a tight Achilles tendon are common contributing factors to plantar fasciitis. We may also suggest some effective stretches that target that area of your foot, taping, night splints, footwear modifications, and custom orthotics to help you back on the road without foot pain. If you increased the duration or intensity of your workouts too quickly, then it will be important to scale back on your running to take pressure off the plantar fascia. Keep your mileage increase to less than ten percent per week.
Don’t try to run through the pain—take care of it the right way from the start. If you have been running with nagging heel pain from plantar fasciitis, contact Dr. Kevin J. Powers in Bloomington, IN for treatment. We help athletes of all kinds and ages stay at the top of their game. You can reach our office by calling (812) 333-4422 or through the contact option on our website.
