Foot pain is a common problem and most people suffer from it at some point in their lives. The foot is one of the most neglected parts of our body. Most people only pay attention to it when there is an issue. Foot pain is quite common these days, especially among people who are constantly on their feet or have a lot of walking to do.
Foot pain may be caused by an injury, poorly fitting shoes, or overuse of the feet. If you have foot pain, the most important thing you can do is to consult with your doctor or get straight to a physical therapist. There are various exercises and stretches that they will teach you to help alleviate your foot pain and strengthen your muscles around the foot.
Foot pain can present as many different kinds of problems. The most common are plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis or heel pain. Physical therapy should be considered for all these conditions if they persist for more than two weeks without improving.
Foot pain can be very disabling and interfere with your daily life. Physical Therapists are doctors with a special interest in the mechanical workings of the body, and they can help you with all sorts of foot problems.
Physical Therapists can diagnose and treat many common conditions such as:
- Bunions (a large bony growth on the side of the big toe)
- Plantar fasciitis (swelling of tissue on the bottom of the heel)
- Achilles tendinitis (inflammation in a tendon that attaches to your heel bone)
- Foot tendinitis (inflammation in a tendon that attaches to your toes)
- Heel pain (pain in or around your heel or Achilles tendon).
Plantar fasciitis can really get in the way of your daily life. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common foot complaints. It is inflammation and pain of a band of tissue on the bottom of your foot. It can be caused by poorly supporting shoes, weak feet, or a combination. It typically shows up as sharp stabbing pain in your foot upon the first few steps in the morning.
Achilles tendinitis is another very common complaint. Achilles tendinitis is an inflammation and pain on the tissue that inserts on the back of the leg. It is common in runners who have increased mileage or intensity of their runs quickly.
Tarsal tunnel is another underdiagnosed problem. Tarsal tunnel is an irritation of a nerve around the ankle as it travels to the foot. Irritating that nerve above or below the ankle can lead to foot pain, numbness, tingling and trouble walking.
Physical therapy is a great way to treat your foot pain. It can help you recover and keep your pain at bay. You can use the stretches and exercises provided in this article to relieve the pain and take care of your feet.
Exercises:
Some exercises you can do for your feet are heel lifts, heel slides, calf stretches, toe raises, toe curls, ankle circles, hip extensions or leg presses. These exercises will help in releasing the tightness in the muscles and tendons around the feet, by strengthening the areas that also help offload the stresses from the feet.
Foot stretches:
Some foot stretches that you can do are plantar fascia stretch, arch stretch, calf stretching or even a hamstring stretch. These stretches will help in loosening up tightness contributing to pain and tissue irritability on the bottom of your foot or around your back of your legs.
Here’s the top 5 things you can do for foot and ankle injuries:
- Step 1: put compression on the foot and lower leg
- Step 2: Identify if you can put weight on the foot to identify severity
- Step 3: try modifying activity and footwear
- Step 4: work on improving tissue flexibility and strength
- Step 5: schedule an appointment with one of our foot and ankle experts to solve the issue and get you feeling better right away!
Physical therapy is one of the best things you can do for yourself to help recover from injuries or diseases as well as maintain general health for those with no underlying problems. The goal is always to improve mobility and restore strength as well as flexibility following an injury or illness. We can get you back to your usual life feeling better than ever in a short time. Call us today, feel better tomorrow!
