Plantar Fasciitis or Plant-Ar Fash-ee-eye-tis
When I am at social gatherings I tend to shy away from the moment in the conversation when people share what they do for a living. When I tell people I am a “Body Worker” their first thought is that I work on cars.
I don’t like saying “Massage Therapist” as it usually conjures up the sounds of babbling brooks, birds chirping and harp music, which is worlds away from what I offer. Going with the auto shop analogy, I’ll sometimes say that the bodies I work on are more like Ferraris, Porches or Vintage American Autos. This works well as most people take better care of their Toyotas or Subarus than their own wondrous machine.
That being said, what would you do if you had an older model car that had the engine light on due to the alignment issues from your tires being misaligned in the accident you were in several months ago? You would be concerned because there would be uneven wear on your tires that can put an incredible amount of stress on your car’s steering wheel and the way you drive.--you could damage the suspension in your car, wear the other tires prematurely and unevenly and even cause a bigger accident.
After I establish what it is that I do, the conversation often leads to questions about that awful pain in their foot, heel and leg from what the GP might mistakenly call ”Planters Franchises”.
Before I begin to tell them the proper pronunciation for Plantar Fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis), they will go on to explain:
“I have very sharp stinging pains at the bottom of my feet so bad that if feels as if I’m walking on broken glass or someone is running razor blades along the arches of my feet!!”
One partygoer went so far as to hand me his drink, took his shoe off and hoisted his foot on the armrest, “No matter how much stretching or how often I use the roller it won’t go away. The Dr. is talking about injections and surgery!”
I’m proud to say that my clients do not suffer from Plantar Fasciitis (PF). Regular bodywork sessions and attention to overall body usage keep this at bay.
People would love to hear a quick remedy; buying inserts, or soles for the inside of your shoes, or maybe a magic adhesive that will suck out the toxins and leave you with pain-free feet. I’m here to tell you, it’s not going to happen.
Those afflicted are hardly ever given a comprehensible reason as to why there is so much pain. It is difficult to take care of without proper understanding of your own anatomy or what can be done even with the proper care.
Plantar Fasciitis is classified as an inflammation of the foot or sole. Plantar: relating to the sole of the foot and Fascia: fibrous tissue enclosing a muscle or organs.
The inflammation of the area is not from an outside source such as a virus, or a swelling from a break or sprain but it is caused from within the body’s own mechanics.
Its source is usually from a repetitive motion injury inflicted upon the foot (heel or arch) by daily ill-use; overly straining the hip, legs or foot and how it articulates in these areas.
Our feet have a strong and fibrous band of thick tissue (hence the fasica) that is attached from your heal to your toes. These bands act as bridges that make up the arches of the foot that can be overstretched, overburdened and may start to tear. The pain usually comes from these strains or miniscule tears that can feel like tiny knives tearing the “fascia” at the “plantar” area of your foot.
Plantar Fasciitis is caused because the body is being used in a disproportionate way to correct alignment and structure.
In the picture above, the muscles that are attached at the heel fan out into a triangular shape. If you are standing, running or resting on the outside of your foot for too long you could be straining those muscles causing pain and damage
The root of the issue may also be based in the hip or one side of the hip. It may be from an old knee injury, or pulled hamstring or sprained ankle. The root of the issue could be located elsewhere in the body and the symptom ending up at your feet. PF may also be caused by wearing bad shoes, high-heels or shoes with no support.
Sometimes the body, in its unending crusade to take care of itself will produce bone spurs at or near your heel or Achilles tendon. In an attempt to make the area stronger it could also make those muscles and attachments strained, tighter and more painful to use.
That’s why a good bodywork therapist is useful and important in this process of recovering from PF. As a body worker of 20 years I can assess the muscles involved and not only stretch and lengthen those muscles causing the pain but together we can also locate the root of the problem and figure out routes on how to take care of it at its source.
A general medical doctor or even a podiatrist will mostly likely prescribe anti-inflammatories, sometimes bed rest or even a splint or tape. In severe cases sometimes unnecessary injections of cortisol or cortisone to bring down the inflammation and pain but these effects are almost always short lived.
I believe your best shot at helping get rid of this problem is by slow and detailed bodywork not only to stretch and lengthen the problem areas but find the root as well. With personally tailored sessions we explore together how you use your body and what you need to do specifically to address it.
Your body sends you warning signs—ones that you should heed -- untreated could lead to deterioration of other areas of your body.
Book a session and we can begin setting you and your body in the right direction. You will be surprised by what we will find--this information could be key to using your body and achieving your goals.
You alone are entrusted to take care of your body. Let me help you take care of one of your greatest tools and one of the most amazing machines that ever existed. And once we have worked on your feet, whether you run, jog or swim, you can take your pain-free feet out on the open road for a spin.