Simple stretching exercises could help your heel pain

Time wounds all heels. Oh, maybe that’s not what the old adage says. And it’s actually not all heels. One in six of us will wake up with a stabbing, burning pain in our heels that often dissipates as the day goes on. Most commonly affecting men who run and women who don’t wear proper shoes (read high heels), Plantar Fasciitis (fash-ee-eye-tis) can be chronically disabling or just a good old-fashioned nuisance.

The Mayo Clinic explains: Under normal circumstances, your plantar fascia acts like a shock-absorbing bowstring, supporting the arch in your foot. If tension on that bowstring becomes too great, it can create small tears in the fascia. Repetitive stretching and tearing can cause the fascia to become irritated or inflamed.

Those of us who are flat-footed and those of us with really high arches are equally susceptible to plantar fasciitis. Sound a little contradictory? Well so does that those of us who are always on our feet and those of us who live very sedentary lives can be affected. What isn’t contradictory is that it hurts. Really badly.

Like just about everything, your age and weight can affect your feet. PF is most common in those of us between the ages of 40 and 60, although it’s not uncommon for pregnant women to get PF. At any age, those of us who are involved in activities that place a lot of stress on our heels and the attached tissues can develop early onset of PF.

Your medical provider will check out your feet and watch you walk. He or she will be able to diagnose PF or another possible cause of your pain. An X-ray will most likely be ordered. The medico may recommend physical therapy, but will most likely (at first anyway) try over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen and suggest resting, stretching and applying ice to reduce the inflammation.

Treatment can take time, like up to two years, but most people find relief in a few months. Yup, that says months. Besides stretching and icing, your clinician may suggest you wear a night brace and orthotics in your shoes. If it doesn’t get better there are other treatments that your practitioner can advise you about.

But, for most of us, good stretching exercises prove very successful. About.com’s Elizabeth Quinn (an exercise physiologist and fitness consultant) recommends performing the following stretching exercises each morning as soon as you wake up, and repeating after sitting for awhile and certainly at least three times a day.

Achilles Tendon Stretch: Stand with your affected foot behind your healthy one. Point the toes of the back foot toward the heel of the front foot, and lean into a wall. Bend the front knee and keep the back knee straight, heel firmly planted on the floor. Hold for a count of 10.

Plantar Fascia Stretch: Sit down, and place the affected foot across your knee. Using the hand on your affected side, pull your toes back toward your shin until you feel a stretch in your arch. Run your thumb along your foot-you should feel tension. Hold for a count of 10

So, in reality time heals all heels and no one should suffer pain that can be alleviated by walking properly, wearing good supportive (not worn out) shoes and minimizing stress on your plantar fascia.

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com, 264-4029.