Conquering Foot Pain
- Posted on: Oct 4 2013
Do your feet ache with every step you take? It’s possible you have arthritis, a sports injury—or you’re simply wearing shoes that don’t fit properly. Here are some possible causes:
• Poorly fitting shoes: If your shoes don’t fit properly or provide enough shock absorption, your feet are going to be sore. Your shoes should offer stability in your heel and absorb shock while you walk. Lace-up shoes are generally best, since they provide a snugger fit than slip-ons and more stability in the heel.
• Aging: The bottoms of your feet have fatty padding, which protect the bones from excessive pressure. As you get older, the padding wears down.
• Plantar fasciitis: There are about 15 million visits to health-care professionals for this heel injury. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammatory condition of the connective tissue that stretches from your heel to your toes. It helps maintain the arch of your foot. Symptoms include a sharp or burning pain under or next to your heel.
• Ankle sprain: ankle sprains account for about 25% of all athletic injuries. People who play sports like basketball, football and volleyball are especially vulnerable, since they involve jumping, quick turns and back-and-forth movement.
• Arthritis: If you’re over 50, you may be suffering from this inflammation of the cartilage and the lining of the joints. The foot and ankle are especially vulnerable because there are 33 joints in each foot, and we put so much weight on our feet.
No matter what’s causing your foot pain, physical therapy and acupuncture can help. We can give you exercises to improve your balance and strength. Acupuncture can help by returning tight shortened muscles to their resting state. It also may stimulate the release of the body’s feel-good brain chemicals known as endorphins.
A program will be designed to address your individual needs. The goal is to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible—and to help you avoid future injury and pain.
If you’d like to learn more about how physical therapy or acupuncture can help with foot pain, contact us here.
Tagged with: acupuncture, arthritis, foot pain, physical therapy, Plantar fasciitis, sprain, sprained ankle
Posted in: All Posts, Ankle/ Foot
