Jim Graham Plantar Fascia

New Orleans Saints player Jim Graham is dealing with a lot of pain right now from a partially torn plantar fascia. He is not on the injured list, but they are taking it day by day to determine how he is feeling and what his activity level can be for that day.

Plantar fascia tears are a common result of plantar fasciitis. Your plantar fascia extends from your toes to your heel bone. When the band of tissue has been constantly stretched it can end up having microtears throughout the body of tissue and these tears can cause a lot of pain and inflammation. A partially torn plantar fascia can be an issue for a patient due to some fibers still holding on that are stretching and tearing throughout the day.

So, how can we treat this condition? For plantar fasciitis, the best form of treatment is stretching. By stretching your calf and the plantar fascia, you can loosen up this band of tissue to where it is not as tight and the tissue can move with more flexibility. Another treatment option is steroid shots combined with stretching, because the steroid shot will stop the inflammation cycle and allow you to be able to do the stretches more comfortably. Orthotics are a great treatment option because they can take the stress off of the band of tissue and provide long term relief. Finally, if all other treatment options fail, surgery is the final step for treatment.

Heel pain is not something to be taken lightly, it can affect your everyday performance. If you notice you are having heel pain, it is important that you seek care from your podiatrist so that your plantar fasciitis can be treated before it becomes a chronic more difficult condition to treat.. If you live in the Reading or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835

What's With This Painful Heel?

Are you having pain at the first step out of bed in the morning? Do you have pain through the arch of your foot? Do you feel like you would rather slam your finger with a hammer that take a step and feel the pain of your foot If any of these symptoms describe you, there is a good possibility that you have a conditioned known as plantar fasciitis. This condition stems from a tightening of the band of tissue that extends from your heel to your toes.

So, if you are having this severe pain, what can you do to treat your foot? You can apply ice to the area to reduce your inflammation. You can also take ibuprofen to reduce your inflammation. The most important thing you can do for yourself is stretching. There are several different stretches you can do that is the most important part of your treatment. In order to reduce the pain you are feeling you must stretch out the tissue so that you are not so tight and you won’t cause little tears in your fascia.  There are several stretches you can try at this website http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/footstretch.htm.

If you are having the above mentioned symptoms of heel pain, then it is important that you seek help from your podiatrist. It is very important that you seek medical care to prevent further damage and pain from a chronic condition. If you live in the Dracut or Chatham, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Stabbing Pain in Your Heel

Have you been having pain in your heel that feels like someone is stabbing you? A common condition for men and women alike is plantar fasciitis. It is the inflammation of a band of tissue stretching from your inner heel out to your toes and if not stretched out properly, it can cause you pain and discomfort. If this is happening to you, there are a few quick fixes and there are some ways your podiatrist can get you relief.

Stretching. Now, you’ve heard a million times that you need to be stretching to keep yourself good and limber, but it’s not just for athletes. The most common reason that the band of tissue is causing  you so much pain is because it is tight. So, there are a couple of stretches that you can do called the figure of 4, the runner’s stretch and using a towel to stretch out the tissue. However, stretches work great if done correctly but can cause you more pain if done incorrectly, so it is always best to have a professional demonstrate these stretches to you.

Another thing that works great for this condition is orthotics. There can be an underlying cause to your pain beyond just being tight. This includes having a fallen arch which is much more common than many people think. In this instance, a pair of orthotics will help to hold up that arch and give you more support.

Finally, icing is always a good option in the case of inflammation because it helps to break the pain cycle. Taking a froze water bottle, placing it under your foot on the floor and rolling it back and forth is a great trick for massaging, icing and stretching all in one.

So, if you or someone you know has a painful heel, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the North Reading or Tewksbury, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Do You Have Heel Pain?

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that is common amongst middle aged people and runners. The most common complaints of a person with plantar fasciitis is that they have pain in the bottom of their heel that is killing them at the first step out of bed in the morning. The pain will get worse if they have been sitting down and resting and then stand back up. There are few things that relieve the pain, but pain killers and icing your heel will help.

So, what exactly is this condition? It is called plantar fasciitis and results when a band on the bottom of your foot is overstretched and becomes irritated. The constant stretching of the band makes it very sore, and can actually cause microtears in the fascia. Once this happens, you will have pain after you have been resting because your fascia had a chance to return to its regular size.

So, what can you do for this condition? Well, the icing will certainly help. But, it is really important to help your fascia heel. This can be done by giving you a steroid shot in your heel. This injection will help to relieve the inflammation surrounding your fascia. This will also help to reduce the pain so that you can do the physical therapy of your plantar fascia. You can do this by freezing a water bottle and rolling it under your heel. This will help to numb the area and take away more of your inflammation.

You can then use orthotic inserts to let your foot sit in a position to take the pressure off of the band. This will allow the plantar fascia to heal and provide you relief. You can also use a night brace while sleeping to hold your foot in a favorable position. If the plantar fasciitis is not treated and continues to get worse, it can actually cause the plantar fascia to rupture.

If you are having pain in your heel, you should go and visit your local podiatrist so that they can determine what is causing your pain. If you live in the Boston or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help determine the best treatment for your condition. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Clayton Keyshaw's Plantar Fasciitis

LA Dodgers pitcher Clayton Keyshaw has been reported to suffer from plantar fasciitis. He claims that although his foot is in a good deal of pain, it does not inhibit him from pitching, only running. As a result, fans and the coaching staff have expressed concern for  his injury, but he is pushing through and seeking the necessary treatment to continue to pursue his love for baseball.

Plantar fasciitis is an injury that occurs when the connective tissue sheath on the bottom of your foot is overstretched repeatedly, causing micro tears within the fascia. The plantar fascia connects the heel bone to the area of your foot that is right before your toes. As you walk, run, jump, or do any motion that involves flexing and relaxing your foot, you are putting a stretching motion on this tissue. For people that do a lot of running, standing on uneven surfaces (like a roof) or are just starting to age, the plantar fascia is an area of concern for injury.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that has very specific symptoms in the average presentation. You will have a great deal of pain on the inside portion of your heel when you first wake up in the morning and take your first steps or after you have been sitting down and resting throughout the day. This pain signifies that these micro tears are in the very beginning stages of healing, but then you stand up and start to move, irritating and stretching the area, and this will result in putting a strain on those inflamed areas.

So, treatment for plantar fasciitis is very dependent upon the individual case. These micro tears, if untreated for a long time, can lead to rupture of your plantar fascia. When this occurs, surgery will need to be done. But for most of us, we will not advance to that level of injury and so for many cases, there are several other options. One of these is giving a corticosteroid shot to block the inflammation to the area and reduce the pain and then immobilizing your foot so that it can heal by not having stress on the injured areas.

Another option for plantar fasciitis is a non-invasive low energy laser that will stimulate the tissue to move from a chronic injury setting to acute. What this does is it brings in all of the cells that are useful for healing the tissue and returning it to its original state.

If you or anyone you know has been suffering from heel pain in the Methuen, Tewksbury, Bradford, Westford or North Billerica, Massachusetts our office staff would be more than happy to help you schedule an appointment. Dr. Wachtel will be able to help  you determine what your underlying cause is and get you back up on your feet again.

Stretch it out! Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

If there is pain on the bottom of your foot by your heel, which radiates up your leg, it may be due to plantar fasciitis. This condition is a result of the tissue on the bottom of your foot (plantar fascia) being stretched repeatedly and sustaining micro tears occurring within the tissue. These tears start out very tiny, but they become inflamed and very painful. It is possible for the plantar fascia to tear in two if it is not treated properly. Plantar Fasciitis is a very common condition that many Americans will deal with at some point throughout their life.

There are several treatment plants for plantar fasciitis including cortisone shots, exercises, padding, laser therapy and surgery. For many people though, exercises are the best option to try initially because it is non-invasive. Listed below are some of the exercises that can be used for strengthening the fascia.

1)      While sitting in a chair take your foot in the air and flex it up towards your body and down towards the floor 12 times.

2)      While you are sitting watching a movie or reading the newspaper, you can take a tennis ball and roll in back and forth under the arch of your foot.

These exercises will help to relieve the pain of your fascia. However, it is important that you also be fitted for the appropriate orthoses. The condition is often a result of flat feet or obesity causing collapse of the foot. Orthoses will help to hold your arch in place preventing the fascia from being stretched over time. It is also important that you do not walk around barefoot because there is no structure being provided that prevents your foot from flattening out. The lack of support for your foot will allow it to flatten out even more putting increased stress on your fascia.

Through these exercises, you will be able to relieve the pain you have been experiencing and in combination with other treatments, you will be able to prevent surgery. In no time, you will be back up on your feet and ready to go!

If you are in the North Andover, Methuen, Boston, Lawrence or North Reading area, and you are dealing with this condition, or any other foot condition, please feel free to contact us and our staff will be more than happy to assist you.

Does Dwyane Wade have Plantar Fasciitis?

The Miami Heat’s point guard Dwyane Wade has sat out the past couple of games due to a foot injury that neither he nor the trainers are quite sure what it is from. In a recent press interview one of the reporters throughout the term plantar fasciitis and the Heat coaches and Dwyane Wade were not able to definitely say whether or not this is the cause. He is currently working with physicians to figure out what exactly is going on but is hoping to get back to the game quickly.

Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that results from inflammation and injury to a sheet of tissue that lies across the bottom of your foot. It extends from your heel and connects to the base of your toes. Typically an injury to this fascia results from micro-tears occurring over a long period of time due to your foot type. You will feel the pain on the bottom of  your heel and it will sometimes extend up your leg. If you have a tendency for your foot to flatten out when you are walking or you sleep on your stomach with your feet flattened out, it can cause a constant stretching and strain on this tissue. Over time, the stretching will cause these tears and result in inflammation causing a great deal of pain. Typically, it is at its worst in the morning when you wake up or after you have been resting throughout the day and then start to move around again.

There are different types of treatment for plantar fasciitis. One of them is laser treatment that can be done by your podiatrist. This is a non-invasive and non-painful treatment. It works by causing your injury to move from a chronic injury back to an acute one. The main point of this is to force your body’s cells that function in healing to start working again. They will be stimulated to move back into the affected area and begin the healing process to fix your injury. It will take some time for you to notice the effects because your body has to recover from injuries that occurred over a long period of time. In the meantime, you may be a candidate for a cortisone shot that will give you quick relief while your body is in the healing process.

So, in summary, if Dwyane Wade does indeed have Plantar Fasciitis, it may take him awhile to recover from his injury. Luckily for him, he is in great shape and his immune system should be working its hardest to get him back out on the court.

Waking Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed: Plantar Fasciitis

The beautiful fall weather is upon us.  This means colorful leaves, apple picking and cooler weather ideal for running. Runners are athletes that are prone to many different types of injuries due to the repetitive pounding of their foot against the ground throughout their stride. Some of the foot problems that occur can be a result of the individual’s foot type. One of these is known as plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that results from doing the same motion over and over pulling and stretching a band of tissue on the bottom of your foot connecting the heel to the toes and contributing to your arch. This has been known to happen in construction workers that are standing on a roof all day, soldiers spending the day marching in formation and athletes who are constantly stretching and relaxing this band. It is a condition that is very common in middle-aged people, but is all present in younger people that are on their feet a lot.

For patients that have a flat foot type, where there is a constant stretch on that band of tissue, it becomes irritated over time and causes a great deal of pain. People will notice that their heel will suddenly be really sore when they first get out of bed or after they have been sitting for a long time. This pain can range from just enough to be annoying to being severe enough to cause debilitation. The condition is a relatively straight-forward one to treat, and something that a podiatrist sees on a regular basis. Often, the pain will be temporarily treated to get you back up on your feet, but for a long lasting effect, orthoses can be designed for your specific foot type. Orthoses give you long lasting relief by correcting your foot allowing it to avoid this flat position and prevent the constant stretch of your fascia. These orthoses can be designed to fit in any good quality running shoe and will in no way hinder the athlete. It will actually help you to get back out there and enjoy the sport without the pain that has been holding you back.

A common mistake is to try and push yourself through the pain. With this condition and many others, not treating the cause will lead to a greater amount of damage and a longer recovery time. For a runner, this means more time sitting out from your sport. In extreme cases, surgery could be necessary. So, to help prevent this, it is important to seek podiatric care as soon as you start to notice that something is not right. One of the many perks of being an athlete is that you know your body well, so make sure that you treat it right!