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Do you have foot pain? Are you wearing braces, heel lifts, or even special shoes? Many Americans wear items in their shoes or pay high prices for specialty shoes, and the sad part is that many people don’t need them. When you understand the anatomy of your feet and how muscles can make you feel, you can easily see why they hurt.
Let’s start with plantar fasciitis, heel pain especially in the morning. In the arch of your foot there is a muscle called the plantar fascia. It is the spring in your step that allows you to walk. However, the palntar fascia does not do this alone. It requires the help of the 4 calf muscles that join above the knee, go down the leg and reach the foot. The 2 muscles of the middle calf make up the Achilles tendon, while the inner and outer calf muscles cross under the foot to the toes. The muscles of the shin also run from the knee to the toes. All of these muscles help the plantar fascia move your body.
This is where we screw up our feet. When we walk, especially when we are in a hurry, we walk leaning forward or leading with the nose. Walking in this manner puts pressure on the balls of the feet, causing the upper calves to contract. When the upper calves squeeze, they pull on the plantar fascia at its arch, causing it to remain in a contracted state. Now think about this. If the arch is in a contracted state and the calf is in a contracted state and you step down on the heel, the heel bone will pinch the muscles surrounding the heel and cause heel pain. All that braces and heel raises do is allow your foot to remain in the contracted state. In the short term that works, but it will only get worse. Some people sleep in a boot at night and that forces the muscles to lengthen and they will react and react by shortening as soon as you take it off. Again, this is a short term solution.
Now let’s get back to your pimples. While you’ve been dealing with your heel, your shins have also tightened because as you walk, you lean forward. All your weight rests on your shins. This can lead to pain in the shin or pain in the lower outer part of the knee. How is plantar fasciitis stopped? Sit on the floor and swing your hips against the wall to stabilize your back. Some of you may not be able to sit like this and put your knee flat on the floor because your calves are too short. If so, you can use a chair and ottoman. Take an 8 foot rope or yoga strap and wrap it around the ball of your foot. With your knee straight, pull your toes toward you. You will feel a stretch behind your knee, maybe a little painful at first, but it will decrease as you stretch. Just hold the stretch for 2-3 seconds and repeat 10 times. Turn your foot inward and repeat 10 times. Then turn your foot outward and repeat again. Do this for 5-10 days and your plantar fasciitis will stop and you can wear normal shoes.
Most of our foot pain has more to do with our shoes and how we walk, then something is wrong with our feet. Look at your foot and then your shoes. Are your feet developing the shape of your shoes? This can cause Morton’s neuromas, balance problems, hammer toes, and general foot pain. The cure is up to you. It can be treated better or you can keep buying short-term solutions. The choice is yours.