Imagine sharp pain along the bottom of your foot - from your heel up through your arch - with every step you take. The pain is severe in the morning but may lesson to a certain extent as the day wears on. However, if you are on your feet throughout most of the day, the pain may remain constant and feels debilitating at times. You find that your walking patterns are affected and you may begin to notice knee strain, hip strain, and lower back pain begin to develop. These symptoms can be associated with a condition known as Plantar Fasciitis. The Plantar Fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel toward the toes. When this band of tissue becomes strained or irritated the above symptoms begin to occur.
When researching this condition there are varying reports out there about who is most likely to develop Plantar Fasciitis - some references claim that active men between the ages of 40 - 60 are at highest risk, other reports state that women between the ages of 40 - 60 are at highest risk, still others claim that runners and obese individuals are at highest risk. Other risk factors include shoes with poor support, being on the feet much of the day, having a flat foot or a very high arch.
In my own experience, I have seen Plantar Fasciitis develop in individuals who wear poor quality shoes in combination with walking on hard surfaces, being overweight, and exercising in these conditions. It is also possible, I believe, to develop Plantar Fasciitis when performing Yoga barefoot and allowing the toes to grip the floor/mat rather than extending the toes out and lengthening the bottom of the foot.
Whatever the cause of this painful condition, there are fairly standard remedies to help alleviate the symptoms. There are many sites that pop up with useful information and even videos demonstrating the exercises. I will include some links. I would also like to share my father's experience. He developed this condition quite a few years ago and it was suggested to him to purchase Birkenstock shoes. He did and found that when he wore his new shoes, his foot pain was helped and then alleviated. He lived in them until the Plantar Fasciitis was resolved and slowly began to incorporate different shoes back in to his routine. He refrained from wearing any kind of tennis shoe until his foot was clearly rehabilitated.
As with any chronic/recurring condition, it is necessary to engage in serious self-study to determine what in our lifestyle is causing flare ups of unwanted symptoms, and then to develop the necessary lifestyle changes required to alleviate these symptoms. I would also caution individuals to always be mindful of how the foot is carrying the burden of the body weight. Try this simple exercise.
Remove your shoes.
Stand up with your feet together.
Now bend your knees and begin to sit back as though you are going to sit in a chair, but then stay there and balance for a few moments.
Notice your toes.
Are they gripping the floor?
Lift your toes off the floor, extend them, then slowly place your toes on the floor.
Notice the difference.
When we grip our toes on the floor, we are shortening the muscle fibers that run along the bottom of our foot.
We then engage in activities such as running, walking, biking, swimming, standing - all of which cause the bones and muscles in our feet to move and spread away from each other with our shifting weight. Imagine the strain on shortened muscle fibers that are forced to lengthen and stretch. Micro-tears begin to occur over time which eventually leads to pain. When we are unaware of our feet, it is possible that we contract our toes more often during the day without realizing we are doing so. Also, we may wear shoes which cause us to contract our our toes. By doing this repeatedly, we are shortening those muscle fibers.
The Achilles tendon also plays a major role in the issue of Plantar Fasciitis. Please read further in the attached links to see how.
So, here are some links to fun exercises to do to help this condition. I would also strongly encourage everyone to take a single day to try and be mindful of your feet ALL day. Be aware of what you put your feet through. Then be thankful that you have them and maybe pamper them now and again
http://www.heel-that-pain.com/
http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/heel-pain.htm.
Take Care!
Gina
What do you think of the Vibram Fivefingers shoe?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Vibram-FiveFingers-Classic-Fingers-Running/dp/B001EEFSTO/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in
Are they good for feet?
Thank you for your question. I have never heard of this shoe, so I looked in to their website. The company appears to offer a quality product and the related news articles posted on their site appear to corroborate that statement. I was not able to find information on their site about how they developed their shoes, qualifications of the designers, research to support claims that the shoe is helpful to users, or any scientific information. From what I could see, they do not speak to wearing the shoes to promote therapeutic aid to healing injuries such as Plantar Fasciitis. With that said, my interest is definitely piqued and I am interested in trying out a pair for myself!
ReplyDeleteYour specific question was "Are they good for feet?" That is a question which requires a variable answer depending on many aspects of the intended wearer of the shoe. Generally speaking, is it true that shoes may in fact cause our feet to weaken and hamper our foot's natural tendency to develop strength and flexibility to carry our upright bodies? I would suggest that may be a reasonable statement. However people with foot issues, who are over weight, out of shape, diabetic, have neuropathies, have low bone density, poor circulation,etc - these people would need to consult a health care provider prior to trying to wear these shoes. The interest in wearing these shoes for some individuals may be enough to initiate a lifestyle change. A healthy, active individual who is interested in trying out the "barefoot" idea may indeed find these shoes to be liberating and fun! Rather than sticking with Amazon's site, you may be interested in going directly to the Vibram website to find more information on their products. Write back and let us know what you think of the product info and if you think you may try a pair!
Gina
This post has a lot of talk about the Vibram shoe and Plantar Fasciitis (PF).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marksdailyapple.com/vibram-fivefingers/
Here is an article that discusses barefoot running vs. shoes and that shoes can cause PF. Check out the Chronic Injuries and Conclusions section.
http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm
Here is a link to a related NPR story that humans were meant to be barefoot.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123031997
All interesting thoughts. I haven't tried those Vibram shoes, but I'm considering it - at least for serious walking and running.
Oh, hey, check these links out:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.examiner.com/yoga-in-denver/shoes-for-yoga-vibram-five-fingers
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/barefoot-sports/yoga_pilates.htm
http://www.costaricayoga.org/new-trend-of-home-sports-yoga-together-with-vibram-five-fingers-perfect-human-body/