HOW TO TREAT FOOT PAIN AND PLANTAR FASCIITIS

My Foot Hurts: Plantar Fasciitis and Other Arch Pains
By Julie , LMT

You feel it coming on gradually. First your arch just doesn’t feel “right”. Then it starts to hurt, but not every time you run; and finally your foot is hurting all the time. If you’re an athlete you probably do what most athletes do when faced with pain – you ignore it. Then eventually you can’t ignore it any more, it’s like a knife being jabbed into your arch with every step.
Or, maybe you have never run a step in your life, so you don’t know the medical term for arch pain. You just know that your feet hurt and it’s uncomfortable to walk for any distance, and driving seems to make it worse.

Most people, including too many medical professionals, don’t realize that foot pain is frequently coming from outside the foot. The muscles of your lower leg actually are there to move your ankle and foot, not to move your lower leg (that comes from your upper leg).

The reason is simple. Muscles originate in one place, they merge into a tendon that crosses over a joint, and then the tendon inserts into a point on the other side of the joint. When the muscle pulls, the tendon tightens and the joint moves, but if the muscle is tight it will continue pulling on the joint even when you don’t want it to move. In the case of the lower leg muscles and the foot, the muscles are pulling your foot up from the ground, but you are keeping it down and causing the tendons to put a strain on the insertion points.

How the Muscles Get Strained

Every time you take a step you are using all of the muscles of your lower leg. If you walk a lot, or you are a runner, you are causing a repetitive strain on the muscle fibers. Also, while driving your car your foot is picked up in the front to go from the gas to the brake (tibialis anterior) and then you press down on the gas pedal (calf muscles). You do this over an over until you have strain the muscle fibers. Eventually the fibers shorten due to a phenomenon called muscle memory.

Muscle memory will hold your muscles in the shortened position even when you don’t need them contracted. This puts pressure on the insertion point, in this case, the arch.

Arch Pain

The two primary muscles that cause arch pain are the tibialis anterior and the peroneals. They originate at the top of the lower leg, merge into tendons where your ankle begins to slim, and then insert into the bottom of your foot.

The tibialis anterior goes along the outside of your shin bone, crosses over the front of your ankle and then inserts into your arch. When it contracts normally you lift up the inside of your foot so you are resting on the outside of your foot.

The peroneals originate at the top/outside of your lower leg, run down the leg and merge into a tendon that goes behind the outside of your ankle and inserts in two places; the outside of your foot, and under your arch to the inside of your foot. When it contracts normally you pull up the outside of your foot so you are resting on your big toe.

Consider the analogy of pulling your hair. If you pull it hard, your head hurts. If you pull it on both sides of your head, you’re really in pain and you aren’t turning your head in either direction. It’s the same with these muscles, when they are pulling hard and you aren’t lifting your foot in the direction they are pulling, your arch will hurt. In this case the two muscles are pulling your foot in opposite directions so you’re feeling pain coming from two different angles.

There are other muscles in the arch and they are also being strained. Plus the calf muscles can be pulling on your heel bone and causing the bones to be pulled in different directions, also causing arch pain. In the case of plantar fasciitis it is usual to have these two muscles causing the majority of the pain.

An Easy Treatment that Works

The goal with this self-treatment is to force the toxins out of the muscle fibers, drawing in blood to nourish the muscles. As the blood fills the muscle, the fibers lengthen and the strain is removed from the arch.

Begin by treating the tibialis anterior on the front of your leg.

#1. Kneel on the floor and put a ball just outside of your shin bone.

#2. Move your leg forward so the ball rolls along the outside of your shin bone.

Then treat the peroneals on the outside of your lower leg. If you are flexible, after treating the tibialis anterior you can lean over toward the outside, then balance on the ball while you draw our leg so the ball rolls down the outside of your lower leg. Or, sit on the floor or a bed and position your leg as shown in picture #3. While using either a dowel or a length of PVC pipe, slide the pipe from just above your ankle bone to just below your knee joint.

#3. Using the dowel or the piece of PVC pipe, put pressure on the outside of your leg and slide along the peroneals muscle from your knee to above your ankle bone.

The treatments will feel sore but that’s because you’re forcing lactic acid through the muscle fibers, and acid burns. But, it’s better to have the lactic acid out of the muscles and fill the fibers with blood, plus the lymphatic system will pick up the toxins and eliminate them from your body.

There are several other treatments that work to eliminate arch pain and plantar fasciitis, but these will get you started and may be all that is necessary to eliminate the problem completely.

REPEATITIVE STRAIN INJURY

What is Repetitive Strain Injury?

The term "repetitive strain injury (RSI)" and "cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) mean the same thing - a muscle that has been used so frequently, doing the same motion, that is has become injured. That is a very simple answer to a very complex muscular condition.


Muscles are the reason we can move - when a muscle pulls on a bone, the bone moves. When the bone moves, we can walk, lift our arms, turn our head, wiggle a finger or a toe, in fact it even takes a muscle to blink an eye. Our bodies have 300 pairs of muscles for a total of 600 muscles.

All muscles have similar characteristics:

1. all muscles pull - they never push
2. muscles go in a straight line, not around corners
3. muscle originate on one bone and cross over a joint
4. muscles merge into fibers called tendons
5.the muscle tendon attaches to a bone
6. when the muscle pulls the tendon, the bone moves

Muscles are made of many small fibers all lying next to each other, in some cases there are thousands of fibers, merging into the tendon. Each individual fiber works exactly the same way - it contracts and pulls on the tendon. Depending on the amount of strength needed to perform a task, a variety of the fibers will contract (shorten and pull) causing the action to occur. With this amazing system we have the strength to pick up a feather - or a heavy weight. The more fibers contracted, the greater strength expended.

There is a phenomenon called "muscle memory". When a muscle is contracted repeatedly, the brain registers it as needing to be shorter, and it changes the "set-point" of the muscle, making it shorter. Likewise, when a person stretches on a regular basis, the brain registers the change and lengthens the muscle. This lengthening releases the tension on the insertion points of the muscle, and eliminates pain that is caused by the short muscle, or its tendon, pulling on the bone.

When you do the same motion over and over, contracting the muscle continuously, several things happen:

The muscle fiber responds to "muscle memory" and permanently changes the muscle to the new shortened length. When this happens a problem occurs because the origination point and the insertion point remain the same, but the muscle is now too short to easily make the distance, so tension is placed on the muscle. While the tension can be at either end, it is more frequently felt at the insertion point at, or just over, the joint.

As the muscle fiber is contracting, but the insertion points remain the same, the fiber may tear, causing pain in the muscle itself.

The tendon may begin to tear away from the bone. When this happens the body sends bone cells to the area to hold onto the tendon. The build-up of bone cells forms a "spur". Nothing will stop the growth of the spur while the tendon is being pulled away from its insertion point. If you try to remove the spur, without first releasing the muscle's tension on the bone, it will either quickly return, or the tendon will tear. This is commonly seen when the calf muscles are putting strain onto the Achilles tendon. As the muscles tighten, the tendon is pulled away from the heel, and a spur is formed on the back of the heel.

As tension is put onto a muscle fiber tiny tears happen, causing the muscle to put out a sticky exudates. The exudates then sticks to the fibers surrounding the injured fiber in a phenomenon called "splinting". When the muscle is splinted by other fibers, it is carried by the others while it is healing. However, after the fiber heals it is still stuck to the surrounding fibers, and you lose strength because this fiber is no longer effectively pulling on the tendon.

In the case of muscles that insert onto the spine, the vertebre are pulled out of alignment, and pressure is placed on the spinal cord and nerves. While there are many muscles that cause this problem, it is clearly seen in the case of the psoas (pronounced "so-as") muscle. The psoas originates on the lumbar (low back) vertebre, goes around the inside of the hips, and inserts into the front of the thigh bone. When the muscle contracts normally, you bend over or lift your leg. However, when the muscle is shortened by muscle memory, the lumbar vertebre are pulled forward, and the spinal cord is pressed by the moving vertebre. You now have low back pain.

Muscles can also trap a nerve, causing pain far from the site of the spasm. This is clearly seen in the case of the muscles of the neck, the scalenes. When the scalenes are in spasm they trap the bundle of nerves that become the nerves of the arm and hand. While the spasm is in the neck muscle, the pain and numbness is felt in the wrist and fingers. Until the spasm is released in the neck, the pain in the hand will not go away.

Tight muscle tendons can also trap a nerve, causing the burning pain and tingling common with nerve damage. This is most clearly seen when the flexor (forearm) muscles are contracted, causing the tendons to become taut, and the nerve to the hand is trapped by the tendons. You have all the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, but all you actually are experiencing is the result of muscle tension impinging on a nerve.

When a muscle is pulling tightly on a joint, it is common for the joint to become stiff. Many people are told to strengthen the muscles that move the joint - but this is exactly the opposite of what actually needs to be done. The muscles need to be stretched, not strengthened. This is often seen in all the major joints - especially the shoulders, hips, knees and elbows. People will be told to lift weights, squeeze balls, cycle, or exercise to strengthen the muscles that move the joint. As they continue to contract the muscle even further, the joint becomes less and less mobile, and the person is told they have "arthritis", "bursitis", or they may even tear a tendon or ligament.

Repetitive Strain Injury can, and does, happen to muscles throughout the body. Every muscle spasm has its own referred pain area, frequently far from the source of the spasm. The spasms are commonly called "trigger points". BY Julie Donnely

OUR MAGNIFICENT MUSCLES- ALL YOU'LL EVER NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MUSCLES AND JOINTS

Our muscles comprise the largest part of our body.Indeed,they are the largest single organ of the body, and make up the bulk of its weight.All toghether,human have about 300 paired-muscles,totaling approximately 600 muscles.

Each muscles, or muscles group, has its unique function.Some muscles work alone, others work togheter in unison. The ammount of movements we posses, as a result of the combination of muscle fibers being utilized, are unlimited. Observe your hand and wrist, all this movement, each muscle has only one function, i.e.: to contract or relax. As one muscle group contracts (shortens), an opposing muscle group relaxes (lengthens).

It's that simple....or is it?

An absulotely perfect symphony of movements must take place for each step take. When you ate breakfast this morning, the muscles responsible for chewing had to contract, and relax, thousands upon thousands of times! In fact, to continue our example of breakfast, let's take a closer look at what was involved.

You used the muscles of your foot and toes, ankles, legs. thighs, and back to go to the table and sit down. The muscles of your eyes, neck, shoulders, chest, arms, wrists, hand, and fingers were all in motion. And lastly, of course the muscles of the face, which are responsible for chewing and swallowing, were working constantly.

And what's most amazing is we did't give it a single thought - it all "sort of" took place naturally!

The muscles of the human body are in use 24hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Despite this enormous amoount of use, most of us spend little, or no, no time caring for our muscles. Obviously, with such extensive and continueed use, we must experience "wear and tear". In medical term, this is known as Repeatitive Strain Injury (RSI).

Let's face it; we are all creatures of habit. Which mean we tend to do the same things in the same way, over and over again. The way I brushed my teeth this morning was exactly the same way i brushed them before bedtime. That geos for yeaterday, the day before, and probably the last 10-20 years. The way we sit, stand, walk, drive, read a book, exercise, work at computer - and any other movement - are all-important elements to the condition of our muslces.

Whether you are a home maker or a construction worker...a typist or an interstate trucker... a musician or an electrician...the stress and strain placed on your muscles, each and everyday, is enormous!

My Career

Hi,
My name Sahar.I work as Physiotherapy since 7 years ago.Graduated from Mara University of Technology.I love my work.Deal with people who has a physical problem.I'm realise that a lot of problems and diseases were come from ourself.What we eat,what we do everyday,how we talk,how we sleep,sit,stand walk etc...

The important thing i will share with you and this article also is from somebody that treat himself by observing and do some study about our daily life..he suffer from lumbar slip disc.He is not in the medical line but he can come out with such good think about how our daily live effect our body condition..