HEEL PAIN, ARCH PAIN, ACHY FEET.
I have had these problems a short time ago. Mine was called Plantar Fasciitis and the pain was centered in the arch of my feet. Specifically, the pain was between the ball of my feet and my heel. Sometimes, my heel would hurt too. There were days that it was difficult to walk because there would be stabbing jolts of pain as I take each step and let me tell you, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
WHAT HAPPENED
When I started having foot pains a few years ago, I had no idea what it was. Then I thought maybe it had something to do with the fact that I started jogging and doing long walks around my neighborhood. The pain got so bad that I was actually limping around the house and I couldn’t sleep at night. Sometimes, when I walked there were stabbing jolts of pain on the arch of my feet which made my life miserable.
It seemed to help if I press hard on both the arches of my feet with my fingers but how could I possibly do this all night or all day? So I tied some handkerchiefs around the arches of my feet and that helped a lot. I discovered that there’s an arch brace you could buy online or at some stores but for my experience, the handkerchief works just as well. Also, you could put duct tape around your arch but unless you want to get instant hair removal when you take off that tape, the hankie is still a better option.
PLANTAR WHAT?
The pain went on for days and finally the days turned to weeks. Finally after many weeks of walking around like an old man, I went to see a podiatrist or a foot doctor. The doctor knew right away after I told her what happened. PLANTAR FASCIITIS. Yep, its a tongue twister alright. PLANTAR WHAT? I wished it wasn’t planted in my feet in the first place.
Plantar Fasciitis (PLAN-TUR- Fas-e-I-tis) is apparently one of the most common causes of heal and/or arch pain among joggers, marathoners, or people who hike or take long walks. Inside our foot is the plantar fascia which is a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of our feet. It connects the heel to the bones. In my case, the plantar fascia was inflamed and perhaps, there were some fiber tissues that were torn. I didn’t know that my sudden decision to be fit would have some adverse consequence. Imagine that.
THE SOLUTION
Here are the exercises I did to minimize the pain:
1) Sitting on my heels with the toes bend
2) Sitting on a chair cross-legged and bending my toes upward with my hands
3) Sitting on the floor with a towel wrapped around one straight leg (towel is around the arch of my feet) and pulling as hard as I can.
4) Standing against a wall with one leg stretched and the foot stretched as well
5) Sitting down- point your toes, then bend your feet backwards, point your toes, bend feet backwards in a series of consecutive movements.
With these exercises and special shoes, the pain disappeared eventually. It’s not a get-cured quick treatment but I know that yours will too in time. I am hoping that the exercises I showed here and tools that I used will help you as well.
Thanks!
Happy Walking.
Rigs Morata
