| Treating Foot Pain- February 2010 blog The feet are unique and complex in design. I often call them the “drainage grates” of the body because with so many bones, muscles and tendons in the feet; often we have swelling and pain because so much collects in this area because of working against gravity and the dense maze of tissue. You may not know that the major veins of the legs actually have valves similar to the heart valves to help return the blood supply to the torso just because it needs a little extra push to counteract the effects of gravity. The more time you spend on your feet the more you stretch out the tissues from body weight. The feet are built to distribute your body weight and uses a series of arches to help you balance and mechanically push off and absorb the shock of weight coming down. When this system works correctly it provides a tremendous foundation for the proper function of the skeleton and the muscles. However, it doesn’t take much to break down this system. Stub a toe, an ingrown toe nail, poorly fitting shoes all can cause us to redistribute our weight (maybe even a limp) which throws the entire body out of whack. Unfortunately, in our society we y custom have a poor relationship with our feet. We rarely go around barefooted (unless you’ve adopted the Japanese custom of leaving your shoes at the front door) and we typically abuse our feet until they scream out for attention. Plantar Fasciitis: is a condition of heel and foot pain caused primarily by an inflamed plantar tendon which runs the entire sole of the foot, over the base of the heel and connects to the Achilles tendon. The most common symptom of this condition is extreme pain the first steps you take in the morning. Eventually, the pain lessens as you continue to move about and work out the tissue. This was common for me when I worked as a retail sales clerk at the mall and had to stand for hours. My feet ached all through my shift and I was constantly shifting my weight. First thing I did when I got home was kick off my shoes and sometimes soaked my feet, but the worst was the next morning when I woke up and got out of bed. I could barely stand and it felt like I was walking on broken glass. Sound familiar? Remedy: the key is to lessen the effects of overnight inflammation. As we sleep the body attempts to repair damage and injury. The problem is that the body will sometimes overreact and we get swelling because the bodies defenses are throwing tissue to the effected area in an attempt to repair damage. But the inflammation and the pain associated with it, can often be incapacitating ,which is because the body is trying to force us into a “rest” mode. It would be ideal if you could take a break and give the body the time it requires to repair itself, but understandably, it’s back to work the next day. So the first action is reduce the swelling that occurs when we sleep. For at least 20 minutes before bedtime, rest with you feet elevated above your heart. This is to reduce the effects of gravity and to lessen the amount of blood pressure needed to push the blood back to the heart. Now I’m not a big fan of using ice except in first aid to immediate new trauma. Most people find the numbing, stinging effect of ice hard to tolerate so probably wouldn’t use ice if I recommended it. However, I am a fan of using “cold” to reduce swelling by slowing down the body’s metabolism. So a good compromise is to take 2 towels and soak them in cold tap water and then to wrap them around the feet and ankles while you elevate them. Most people can tolerate this for the entire 20 minutes. It may even feel good and take away the burning sensation your tired “dogs” may have. What this treatment does is to slow down the bodies defensive reaction so that it doesn’t throw as much tissue (fluids and such to support new cell growth), therefore, it reduces the swelling and pain that occurs the next morning. Warning! Avoid heat treatment as heat can increase the amount of inflamation. Reflexology and other types of foot massage assist the healing process. Massage helps to break up toxins that adhere to the bones and tissues that can eventually cause joint malfunction. The feet have as many nerve endings as the hands and in most cases are starved for positive attention. Just as the chinese used to bind the feet of little girls so they remained small and couldn’t grow, it’s hard to believe some of the misshapen feet I see on my female clients from the shoes we force our feet into for the sake of fashion. So we not only ignore our feet but often abuse them. It is no wonder then that we have so many elderly using walkers and powerchairs. Remember to treat your feet as if you want to keep them your entire life. |
