Foot and Ankle Pain

The Real Source of Your Foot and Ankle Pain
What Your Health Care Professional Is Missing

In my profession, it is not uncommon for people to come to me after already being diagnosed by a physician. When dealing with repetitive stress injuries, the patient is typically given options aimed at pain relief or pain management. My goal for my patients is to move beyond relief and whenever possible work toward total recovery. As idealistic as that may seem, the road to recovery is often as simple as turning around heading in a new direction. As an exercise physiologist and biomechanist I understand that many injuries of this nature are rooted in mechanics or posture. By identifying the root cause, we are able to recommend a path based on sound physics of the human anatomy that will lead to recovery for many ailments.

Let’s take Marie for example. When she entered my office, she had been previously diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, which is essentially the inflammation of the tissue on the bottom of your foot. This type of condition is typically caused by over extension of the tissue due to activities such as running, jumping, or standing for abnormally long periods of time. Athletes as well as people who work on their feet like waitresses or some police officers can be good candidates for plantar fasciitis. As was the case with Marie, common treatments prescribed generally consist of anti-inflammatories, stretching, and wearing some type of supportive or corrective insert or wrap. Now while these are all great ways to rehabilitate, my job is to identify what the true cause is so that the patient is empowered to avoid finding themselves in the