Posts Tagged Flat feet
Heel Pain…A Very Common Foot Problem
Posted by drchrismilkie in General on August 1, 2009
Pain in the heel is one of the most common complaints I see. In fact, according to studies, over 2 million people suffer with this condition yearly. Why is it so common? Is it because we are an active society and put too much stress on our feet? The answer is yes, but there is more to it than that.
The type of heel pain I am referring to is the pain someone would feel on the bottom of the heel. (Pain in the back of the heel is a whole different condition.) Pain on the bottom of the heel usually is present when you first step out of bed. It is also present when you get up after sitting for awhile or after you have been on your feet for awhile.
This condition is usually a strain and inflammation of a large tendon that attaches to the heel bone. The strain can come from overuse, excessive weight, wearing unsupportive shoes, an injury or flat feet. There is a specific foot structure and movement of the foot that predisposes one to this strain. If your arches are flat, you like to go without shoes around the house and you wear mostly flat shoes, you are at high risk for this condition.
Heel pain can happen to all age groups, men and women and whether you sit or stand at work. Of course, some professions such as teachers, nurses and anyone who stands all day, are more prone to this strain. If you stand all day, wear shoes with little support and are over weight, your chances of developing heel pain dramatically increases.
Treatment of heel pain can be very easy or quite challenging. It usually depends on how soon someone with this problem decides to get it treated. Unfortunately, the average time it takes for someone to consult a specialist for this condition is 3 months. If treated within one month, most heel pain can be eliminated in one or two visits. Waiting longer than a month to be treated often results in several more visits and modalities needed to stop the pain. In fact, the need for surgery increases the longer one waits to be treated.
There are several things you can do to help prevent heel pain. (1) Wear shoes at home even if it is something like crocs. (2) Keep your weight under control. (3) Wear high quality athletic shoes such as New Balance or Brooks when exercising or standing a lot. (4) Stretch your calf muscles daily. (5) Gradually increase your activity level to avoid overuse strain.
If you experience pain in your heel, or know someone who does, see a Podiatrist sooner rather than waiting. It may only take one visit to fix the problem.
Get Rid of Your Back Pain by Fixing Your Feet
Posted by drchrismilkie in General on July 21, 2009
One of the most incapacitating injuries in the general population in our country is chronic low back pain. The problem is so severe that one-half of all Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. According to the American Chiropractic Association, chronic low back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. In fact, $50 billion dollars is spent each year on treating low back pain.
Recent research suggests that back pain may be closely linked to poor or improper biomechanics. Many researchers, in fact agree that chronic low back pain may be significantly related to how you walk (gait style), a reason we are shifting our focus to the feet to treat hip and back pain.
Everyone knows that low back pain is a recurrent problem. One predominant reason is because most doctors do not look at the way you walk. One flaw in your gait style can lead to strain on your back. Using custom foot orthotics to change the mechanics of foot function may improve hip extension and create prolonged relief of low back symptoms.
Using foot orthotics to effectively treat hip and low back problems has been studied extensively by podiatrists specializing in this area of foot care. It has been found through computerized in-shoe testing, that a specialized foot orthotic eliminates the flaw that causes strain on the back. Getting the feet to function exactly like they are supposed to allows the hips to extend properly. Normal hip extension, changing the gait as a person walks, eliminates strain on the back.
There are countless cases of custom foot orthotics relieving hip and back pain for the clients of podiatrists. Anyone who suffers from chronic hip or back pain should be sure to consider this solution and be evaluated by a podiatrist to assess their feet and observe their walking patterns. Since your doctor may not consider your feet as the possible cause of the pain, you will have to take it upon yourself to be proactive and see a specialist.
Medications, rest, exercise and losing weight may all be effective in relieving hip and back pain. Unfortunately, they are not a cure in most cases. Eliminating the cause of the pain should be the ultimate goal. Since faulty foot mechanics is often the cause of back pain, using custom foot orthotics can be provide a lifetime of relief from this otherwise chronic condition.