Stretching your tired feet with exercises that stop plantar fasciitis in its tracks

Heel pain? Most likely, it’s plantar fasciitis, which results from excessive strain on the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue that supports the arch of the foot. Too much loading or pressure causes microtears on the tissue, leading to inflammation, pain and stiffness.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of pain on the bottom of the heel, which accounts for approximately 2 million patients being treated each year. People who are obese, have high foot arches or tight calves and are involved in repetitive activity or high-impact sports, such as running, are at risk.
A recent study revealed that stretching exercise could resolve acute plantar fasciitis (pain for less than six weeks) better than radial shockwave therapy (chronic pain modality that uses acoustic pulses to stimulate the tissues to heal). Symptoms were found to improve after eight weeks of daily stretching (three times a day).

How to do the stretching? The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons described it as done in the seated position: Cross your affected foot over the knee of your other leg. Using the hand on your affected side, grasp the toes of your painful foot and pull the ankle and toes back up. Using the thumb of your unaffected side, gently rub the arch of the foot. The plantar fascia should feel firm or like a tight band. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds (or a count of 10). Repeat 10 to 20 times for each foot. Stretching is to be done first thing in the morning or before getting out of bed and before standing after a period of prolonged sitting.
Another way to stretch an inflamed plantar fascia is to sit with one leg stretched out
in front, then softly pull back the foot using a towel tugging around the ball of the foot.

When you run on happy feet, you run happy

Whether your feet go grinding for a fun run, routine exercise or athletic training, they could only take so much of a beating; you’ll never know when that dreaded foot injury or foot breakdown can happen. Even with jogging, your foot carries 1.7 times your body weight, and this could increase with changes in speed. Your spirit might be willing but when your foot fails, you’ll wish a rewind – stepping back to where you make a conscious, careful effort at protecting your feet.
Help your feet to breathe and keep them in running condition with basic foot care.
Choose sport-specific, proper fitting athletic shoes.
The American Podiatric Association stresses that if you are participating in a sport two to three times a week, you should wear a sport-specific shoe. And fit is equally important as the type of shoe. Sport-specific, properly fitting shoes prevent foot injury and deformities and enhance performance.
Running shoes should:
· Provide adequate cushioning, to absorb shock or impact when the foot strikes the ground, and heel control to allow a stable landing. This will protect you from knee pain and shin splints (pain along the front of the lower leg). Shoes should have a good grip on the ground and the heel should not slip as you walk or run.
· Consider your foot type. For feet with normal arches, select a pair with cushioning and stability that are equally distributed – the inner sole fits the contours of the foot, the heel and midfoot stiff and is but flexible at the front so it bends easily at the ball of the foot. For those with low arches, choose shoes that are strong on stability and motion control, especially against lateral (outer side) motion. For high-arched feet, shoes should have a softer midsole and allow more flexibility. An orthotic device, or shoe insert, may be used to support a weak foot arch.
Buy shoes in the afternoon or after a workout.
The feet are slightly swollen at the end of the day or at their largest after highly physical activity. The toes should be able to freely wiggle even with the socks on, and the shoes should feel comfortable when you walk or run a few steps.

Wear the same type of sock for your sport.
When you try on shoes, wear the socks that you plan to wear during your running.
Stretch before starting off.
Proper general warm-up and stretching of the running muscles even for five to 10 minutes will prevent strain or microtears on the muscles, tendons and joint tissues.
Progress slowly.
Start with small distances and increase gradually so as not to cause sudden load to the soft tissues. You can start with two sets of two-minute jogging and alternate with five minutes of fast walking, then progress according to endurance into a 20-minute jog.
Proper foot hygiene.
Keep your feet clean and dry. Apply powder or petroleum jelly if feet are prone to blisters.

Longer braking time after a foot or ankle surgery

Denial and resistance have always been the usual reaction of patients after an injury or procedure when their normal functioning and activities are being compromised. This is especially true where freedom of movement afforded by driving is concerned.

In research conducted at the Brooke Army Medical Center and the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the driving ability of patients under foot or ankle immobilization due to injury or surgery is quantified in terms of total brake-response time, reaction time and braking time. It was found that whether one is using a left-foot driving adapter (accelerator is transferred to the left of the brake pedal in automatic vehicles for the unaffected left foot to operate), wearing a short leg cast or wearing a controlled-ankle-motion boot, immobilization impaired the drivers’ ability to brake quickly. At a highway speed of 60 mph (96.6 km/hr.), a person wearing a right controlled-ankle-motion boot would travel an additional 9.2 ft. (2.8 m) during an emergency stop and 6.1 ft. (1.9 m) when wearing a short leg cast. A driver employing a left-foot driving adapter would travel 6.0 ft. (1.8 m) farther during emergency braking.

The findings suggest that the ability to drive is impaired with the inability to perform an emergency stop and that driving cannot be recommended for patients who are still under immobilization. According to survey studies, 90 percent of orthopedic surgeons would generally not recommend that a patient drive while immobilized in a right lower-extremity short leg cast. This issue has also special implications with insurance policies that do not cover accidents where the insured was still recuperating from an injury or procedure.