Causes of Foot Pain, Foot Problems, and Heel Pain
Foot pain, heel pain, and foot discomfort are fast becoming a regular health issue for many. Your body is an interconnected system of functional parts. The support structure, which holds everything together, is made up of bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. When the foot is under excessive stress, the small bones, muscles, ligaments can get irritated and hence cause foot pain. Even if you don‘t get foot pain, they may be contributing to your overall postural balance. It‘s not too surprising to learn, therefore, that by the age of twenty, nearly 80% of the population have some foot pain or foot problem. And, by age forty almost everyone does. So, Don’t ignore your heel pain or foot pain, We Can Help.
Our Chiropractors use the terms plantar fasciitis and heel spur interchangeably to refer to heel pain. There are many structures attached to the heel bone (calcaneus). The two structures primarily associated with heel pain are the plantar fascia (a band of connective tissue along the bottom of the foot that supports the arch) and the small collection of bones in the midfoot known as the arch.
Typically in walking, the arch starts to flatten as the foot absorbs the weight of the body.
They accomplish this effortlessly. Excessive exercise and occupations that require people to spend a lot of time on their feet may stretch these structures beyond their limits. Once the muscles, ligaments, and joint are stressed, it leads to misalignments. Arch of the foot is a common site for misalignments. When the arch bones are misalignments, (out of place), it causes further stretching of the soft tissue. This stretching can lead to muscle tears and bone spurs.
Bone spurs on the heel occur when the attachment point of the tense plantar fascia at the heel bone starts to calcify in response to repeated stresses placed on it. A bone spur usually appears on x-ray as a fishhook-shaped structure, often with sharp edges.This sharp-edged deformity can irritate the nerves in the heel and combined with the strained muscles, causes heel pain, foot pain, and even foot weakness.
Foot Pain and Heel Pain Prevention & Treatments
Prevention is important because once symptoms develop, treatment often necessitates weeks or months of recuperation. To prevent heel pain, wear shoes that provide proper support. People who wear dress shoes should invest in a pair that gives adequate support. Brand names and high prices do not guarantee a good fit. A quality dress shoe should not bend easily in the mid-foot at the arch. If it does, it will not provide enough support to maintain the arch when walking. Proper Custom made Orthotics may be required to assist in stabilizing your feet.
Remember that your foot is the foundation of the body. Those who take care of their feet are more active and much healthier. So, take our advice and do not ignore your feet. Your health and your wellbeing depend on it. A healthy life is an active life, and you can not have an active life unless you have healthy feet. It is just that simple.
So, to stay healthy, fix small issues in the feet before they become major ones later: Leading to Foot Pain.
Wear proper shoes that provide adequate support. Avoid high impact activities, especially for prolonged amounts of time. Also, good custom made orthotics may be required to assist in stabilizing your feet. Our trained chiropractors and physiotherapists could analyze your foot and tell you if a custom made orthotics are right for you.
At Chiropractic Specialty Center, we specialize in spine, joints, knees and feet. We pay particular attention to weight bearing joints. The feet are the most important of the weight bearing joints. They are the foundation of our frames. Years of education, research and over 20 years of clinical practice has enabled our director Dr. Yama Zafer to establish the Feet Treatment Protocol. These sets of treatments are significantly useful. It combines the best of chiropractic, physical therapy, physiotherapy, exercise, orthotics, and prevention. Our foot pain and heel pain treatments are rendered painlessly on an outpatient basis by our clinical team of Chiropractors and Physiotherapists.
Here are some tips to help you Avoid Foot Pain and Ankle Pain
- Keep your toes and ankle moving
- Wear properly fitted shoes.
- When standing, one finger’s width should fit between your longest toe and the front edge of the shoe
- When you squeeze at the widest part of your shoe, you should feel some space before you feel your foot
- Elevate your feet after standing for long periods
- Keep your feet warm.Don’t wear restrictive clothing or garters
- Watch for cuts and bruises on your feet to prevent infection
- Wear good quality shoes (i.e., leather oxfords that lace up)
- Don’t sit with your feet below your knees for longer than 20 minutes
- Avoid exposing your feet to cold or moisture.
- Do not wear torn or worn-out socks. Blisters may form when shoes rub against exposed areas of your feet or toes
- Call a Chiropractic Specialty Center near you if your foot pain persists for more than three days