Fitness & Training – All About Feet
A common question often asked by our C.R.E.W members is “why are my feet sore?” To answer that question we asked physiotherapist and Women’s Fitness Adventures C.R.E.W member Cathy Conway, from Indooroopilly Physiotherapy, for some insight into one of the most common foot complaints – plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis occurs when there is acute inflammation to the plantar fascia – the thick band of connective tissue which spans from the heel bone to the bones of our toes and provides arch support, stability and control – as a result of repetitive injury damage occurring faster than our body can heal itself.
The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain. This can be intense and may spread into and across the entire plantar surface of the foot.
While it’s estimated that 10% of us could potentially develop the symptoms of plantar fasciitis at some stage of our lives it is particularly common in people aged between 40 – 60 years old.
Cathy says many factors can cause plantar fasciitis including:
- Wearing inappropriate or excessively worn shoes,
- running or walking on hard surfaces,
- sudden increases in training duration, intensity and/or frequency
- an excessively pronated foot (where the foot turns inward),
- a high arch or lack of ankle range of motion
- weakness in the calf and feet muscles as well as tightness in the hamstrings
- increased Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Stretching and strengthening tight and/or weakened muscles
- orthotic devices
- activity modification
- taping
- weight loss
- and dry needling
- begin slowly when starting or returning to an exercise regime, and then gradually increasing your distance, intensity or frequency of training.
- Ensure you have the most appropriate shoes for the activity involved.
- And when training for a hike with a pack, start with a small load and slowly increase the weight.
