Our senior podiatrist, Kirstine Mann says “Wearing thongs, walking barefoot or increasing the level of outdoor physical activity, such as running is often the cause of heel pain. By neglecting and ignoring one of the hardest working parts of our body, we have the ability to place greater stress on our heels, causing unnecessary heel pain, known as plantar fasciitis.”
Plantar fasciitis is an overuse injury affecting the sole (plantar) of the foot. It occurs in the ligament tissue (fascia) that connects your heel bone to the base of your toes when it becomes inflamed and pulls when you step.
“Heel pain is not something you should continue to simply ‘put up with’ as many people do. The longer you leave it, the longer it takes to repair”, says Kirstine.
Some people are more predisposed to develop plantar fasciitis than others with age (middle- aged people, between 40 and 60) and weight being two of the greatest factors.
Our podiatrists have 3 tips to help you avoid heel pain this summer:
1. Choose a more supportive summer shoe
Your heels will thank you for it! Many of our patients can avoid plantar fasciitis by wearing shoes with a 1 – 1 1⁄2 inch heel. Heel height takes pressure off the heel and aligns the knees, hips and backs for correct posture. Consider the following footwear choices over summer:
Solid soled sandals
Wedges
Orthoheel thongs
Runners – make sure your runners are still supportive and not worn out
2. Stretching
When we stretch, we increase our range of motion. This allows our limbs and joints to move further before an injury occurs. We work with our patients on a number of plantar fascia stretching techniques to aid in the recovery and decrease muscle soreness.
3. Don’t be the bull at the gate