Ankle & Feet Pain Treatment

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition characterised by inflammation of the plantar fascia—a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot—connecting the heel bone to the toes. It often presents as heel pain, especially with the first steps in the morning or after periods of rest.

Plantar fasciitis typically develops gradually and can be caused by factors such as overuse, improper footwear, high-impact activities, flat feet, or tight calf muscles. Treatment for plantar fasciitis usually involves stretching exercises, Custom Foot Orthotics, supportive footwear, and icing. Shockwave Therapy is one of the most researched techniques to aid in one’s recovery from plantar fasciitis. It’s important to figure out the underlying cause of the symptoms you’re experiencing with a gait or movement assessment.

Orthotics are meant to be used as a supportive structure for how you currently walk or run. Not everybody needs orthotics, but everybody can benefit from them. Having multiple pairs for your most common footwear worn daily is most effective in supporting your movement patterns, and makes it easy to wear them since you don’t have to remember to switch your orthotic to your other shoes. People typically experience mild discomfort when initially wearing orthotics but integrate gradually in 30 to 60-minute intervals throughout the day to reduce pain levels early on.

Orthotics serve a great purpose: They buy your foot time to heal through more optimal positioning. This is drastically assisted by proper manual therapy and rehab provided by your healthcare professional, which functionally builds your foot strength while the orthotics help to properly displace and absorb energy from your foot striking the ground.

Barefoot shoes have gained a lot of attention recently because they allow the foot to return to a more natural shape, which can improve its function. However, these types of shoes are not appropriate for everyone, particularly those with rigid feet or people whose legs are significantly different lengths (i.e., a “leg-length inequality”).

Generally speaking, if your body feels best when you’re walking around barefoot at home, you may be a good candidate for switching to barefoot shoes. However, it’s best to have your feet & gait evaluated and to start gradually, building up strength in your feet, ankles, legs, & hips to support your walking in barefoot shoes. Most people can earn their way into these shoes if they want, but these shoes are not best for everyone.

There are genetic components to bunions, but bunions themselves are not genetic. Contributing genetic factors are things like how flexible your ligaments are (hypermobile individuals are more prone to bunions) and the shape of your feet.

Bunions form as a combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. Contributing genetic factors are things like how flexible your ligaments are (hypermobile individuals are more prone to bunions) and the shape of your feet. Non-genetic factors, as mentioned above, are things like what shoes you wear, how often you go barefoot, and your gait and walking patterns. A lot of those habits also come from childhood. Pinpointing the exact reason why you have a bunion is difficult; however, habits can be changed, footwear modified (including custom foot orthotics with specific modifications to better support a bunion), and exercises prescribed to help reduce the symptoms of a bunion and slow any progression.

An ankle sprain, or really any ankle “tweak”, is best fixed by a thorough rehab program. Ankle sprains are said to be the most common injury to the human body. It’s tempting to just “walk off” ankle sprains, but the ligaments that are often damaged are a critical component of the body’s proprioceptive system, and rehabbing them can help to restore the brain’s ability to know where the joints are in space. Furthermore, strengthening the ankle & foot can help prevent a sprain in the future. Studies have shown failure to properly rehab initially can lead to chronic ankle instability, which can have long-term effects such as pain and changes in gait as your body works to compensate through this instability to keep you moving.