feet exercises

Pain in the Bottom of My Foot

You have a band of fascia that might be causing pain in the bottom of your foot. It’s known as your plantar fascia (usually it is the only type of fascia that anyone has heard about). When it is inflamed and you experience pain that is known as plantar fasciitis (PLANTAR FASCIITIS ). The good news is, at least in my experience, this is not a permanent state of pain.

Though you might have to do some maintenance to keep the pain away, most people with PLANTAR FASCIITIS are able to return to a normal life without pain at every step.

So What Can You Do?

The key to relieving plantar fascia pain is to stretch all the related muscles. This includes both calf muscles and the hamstrings. That’s right, tight hamstrings are strongly linked to plantar fasciitis.
Also, you can do self message on the foot or roll the foot on a soft ball. You don’t have to combat pain with agony, so if a tennis ball hurts, there is no need to use an object that firm.

Stretch What?

There are three muscles to focus on stretching when you have PLANTAR FASCIITIS .

Stretch the Calf

When […]

Pain in the Bottom of My FootMaggie Downie2019-03-15T13:25:03-04:00

Foot Pain Probably Plantar Fasciitis

Love Your Feet!

If you have foot pain in the sole of your foot it’s a likely culprit is plantar fasciitis. Most people have never heard of fascia, but most have heard of plantar fasciitis—a painful inflammation of the fascia in your foot. Fascia is connective tissue that runs through your whole body. At the sole of your foot it is a fibrous material that connects to your Achilles’ tendon. And when it hurts it hurts. Most people find it especially hurts first thing in the morning. And that is because fascia responds to movement and hydration. After sleeping, we haven’t drinking in eight hours and we’ve barely moved. The fascia stiffens.

Here are some tips to help your fascia feel better. Some of these are beneficial for the fascia throughout your body. All are specific to the fascia in your foot causing pain:

Drink Water
Ice—you can toss and ice pack under your foot whenever you are sitting down or freeze a water bottle and roll it back and forth under your foot.
At night use this time as a little R&R and rub some lotion […]

Foot Pain Probably Plantar FasciitisMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:18:08-05:00

Client Corner: Katy Hall on Feet & Firewalking

Meet Katy

“My cousin and I were always rubbing each other’s feet when we were younger,” Katy Hall reminisces.

Many years later, Katy found herself treating her clients to a foot rub after their facials and she soon realized what a great addition it was to the services she offered. Katy was officially bit by the reflexology bug.

Reflexology uses therapeutic essential oils while applying pressure to the feet through a variety of techniques. These techniques claim to dissipate energy blocks within organs and systems and breakdown crystalline structures within the body. Stimulating the circulatory lymphatic systems, electro chemical energy, and the body’s natural immune system helps encourage the release of toxins and enables the body to heal itself.

While there are mixed reviews as to whether or not the claims reflexology makes are true, and some studies may be flawed, the University of Minnesota, compiled a list of studies that do seem to show there may be benefits to organs and the rest of the body. Studies have shown an impact on organs, a decrease in pain, blood pressure and other symptoms, and an increase in relaxation. Ultimately, no matter what […]

Client Corner: Katy Hall on Feet & FirewalkingMaggie Downie2017-12-29T21:04:59-05:00

Orthotics Are A Neck Brace

I would never tell a client not to wear their orthotics. I’m not a doctor and if a doctor or PT prescribes something for you, I’m not going to go against that. But I do try to give my clients all the information I can, and I feel okay doing that because I actually know a lot about feet. So what I tell clients is if they have orthotics or if they are going to go down the orthotics route, then doing exercises specific to the feet are even more important. We should all do feet exercises, but if you wear orthotics you need them even more.

I have a tendency to question everything, even my own knowledge, so recently I asked my sports medicine doctor what he thought about orthotics (which he does suggest for people). He said something brilliant. He said that no doctor would ever put a patient in a neck brace and then tell the patient that they were all set for life. […]

Orthotics Are A Neck BraceMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:32-04:00

Wiggle Those Toes: A Good Foot Fetish

I’m sure I’ve said it on this blog before, but my main interests when it comes to the body lately are feet and fascia. Perhaps strange fetishes, but it’s not my fault; they are fascinating. I’ve been working on some great feet exercises and the nice thing is I see improvement. And working on them brings all this sensation (although not always pleasant sensation) to my feet.

I’ve been working on lifting all ten toes and then tapping just the big toe up and down. Then tapping just the pinkie up and down (much harder for me). Then I tap the big one then the pinkie and go back and forth between each.

It reminds me of when I was younger and I wanted to be able to do something with my body and I would practice until I could perfect it. When […]

Wiggle Those Toes: A Good Foot FetishMaggie Downie2018-02-14T15:58:28-05:00