What if we were to tell you one of the foundational aspects to health and well being, the answer to longevity and secret to living a long active life, is your feet? We are convinced that, in order to live a life fully alive and for as long as possible, you must have healthy and happy feet. Read this book and you will be convinced as well.
Plantar Fasciitis
The most common cause of heel and arch pain is a condition called plantar fasciitis. This is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs along the arch of your feet from your heel to your toes and aids in stabilization of your arch during walking and running. Symptoms involve two areas – the arch, and more commonly the bottom inside heel area.
Common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include:
- Pain in the morning when you first get out of bed.
- Pain and stiffness when you start to walk after sitting for awhile.
- Increasing pain in your heel or arch by the end of the day.
- Tired feet at the end of the day
What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?
Heel and arch pain is usually the result of faulty biomechanics (walking gait abnormalities) that place too much stress on the heel bone and the soft tissue that attach to it. This increased stress causes local inflammation and pain.
Risk factors for Plantar Fasciitis include:
- Arch Problems (both flat feet and high arches)
- Obesity
- Repetitive Activities (prolonged walking or standing on hard surfaces)
- Shoes that are poorly supportive, don’t fit or are worn out
- The natural process of aging
- In rare cases, a single injury to the footTreatment
Initial treatment usually consists of:
- Supportive/ Stable shoes
- Stretching Exercises
- OTC arch support or taping
- Icing
In resistant cases the following may be used:
- Physical Therapy
- Night Splints
- Immobilization
- Local Steroid Injections
- CUSTOM ORTHOTICS- Custom foot Orthotics are precision balanced medical devices worn in your shoes to allow the feet and lower extremities to function properly. They are designed to fit your feet and act to restore normal biomechanical function and help with pain.
Happy Feet
Feet are sometimes one of those parts of the body that often get overlooked when it comes to taking care of yourself. We go to the dentist for our teeth, the eye doctor for our eyes, but often times when our feet hurt, we let it go until the pain turns into more of a chronic issue.
Meet Nick Kolterman—owner of Fit My Feet and Board Certified Pedorthist (BOCPD).
Nick’s passion is helping people with foot pain. As a Certified Pedorthist, Nick has specialized training in the assessment of lower limb anatomy and biomechanics and the appropriate use of corrective footwear—including shoes, shoe modifications and other pedorthic devices. Nick and his staff work in reference with physicians or other licensed healthcare prescribers (including MD, DC, DPM, PT and DO) to help fabricate the correct orthotic, shoe or brace.
The staff at Fit My Feet treats their patients like family and are the EXPERTS who design, manufacture, modify and fit footwear, including custom foot and ankle orthoses, to alleviate foot problems caused by disease, overuse or injury.
It’s no surprise we’re all living longer these days which means our feet will see more miles than ever. If you want your seventies and eighties to be active years, you’re going to need healthy feet to make it happen.
If you are one of the many who experience foot pain, the right shoe or orthotic may help alleviate it. As the experts in shoe fitting and orthotics, the staff at Fit My Feet knows the right fit for your feet.
By getting to know your symptoms, foot measurements and gait, they can determine the right shoe for your feet. Nick and his staff look forward to helping you get your feet back to health!
Fit My Feet Orthotics & Shoes is located at 2105B S Minnesota Ave. in Sioux Falls. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am-6:30 pm, and Saturday, 10 am-4 pm. You may also visit them online at fitmyfeet.com.
