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By Bend Total Body Chiropractic General Health

Chiropractic Care for Runners: Preventing Plantar Fasciitis

Do you know that sharp pain in your heel when you first step out of bed in the morning? Well, it could be plantar fasciitis. If you’ve recently started running or even just stand on your feet all day, you may already be familiar with this condition. In fact, it is the leading cause of heel pain, especially among middle-aged adults. Fortunately, chiropractic care, massage therapy, and acupuncture work together to alleviate symptoms and promote healing.

Continue reading to learn your options for treating this condition:

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the ligament that connects the heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia) has small tears. This ligament becomes inflamed, swollen, and weak, which results in sharp, stabbing pain. Discomfort is more common when you first wake up, after exercising (rather than during it), while walking upstairs, during long days of standing, and after periods of inactivity.

This condition typically results for several reasons:

  • Excessive exercise, especially for new runners, long-distance runners, and dancers
  • Obesity because of excess pressure on the plantar fascia
  • Flat feet or extremely high arches
  • Standing on your feet all day
  • Wearing shoes with poor arch support, like sandals and worn-out sneakers

Plantar fasciitis also more commonly affects those between the ages of 40 and 60 but can strike at any time.

Treatment Options for Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis can become chronic if left untreated. That’s why it’s important to seek out comprehensive treatment to help heal your condition and avoid surgery.

1. Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care in Bend is a great treatment option for plantar fasciitis. Your chiropractor in Bend will not only manually adjust your joints, but they will also offer stretches you can do at home to avoid pain.

Chiropractic care provides several benefits for those with the condition:

  • Eliminates pressure to reduce stress on the ligament
  • Minimizes secondary injuries that can occur from misalignments in the hips, low back, ankles, and knees.
  • Promotes healing by giving the feet time to rest

2. Massage Therapy

Massage therapy in Bend focuses on the muscles and other soft tissues that may contribute to plantar fasciitis. These muscles are mainly in the calf, such as the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris. Muscles and tendons in the feet also contribute to this condition.

Using myofascial release, deep tissue, and stretching techniques, your massage therapist in Bend provides relief in these ways:

  • Breaking down scar tissue in the foot
  • Improving blood flow to the affected area for quicker healing of tears
  • Relaxation of tight and restricted muscles

3. Acupuncture

Your acupuncturist in Bend will carefully place tiny needles in the foot and appropriate areas which will then:

  • Rebalance nerve signals to provide immediate pain relief
  • Release and lengthen overly tight muscles
  • Promote proper healing

How to Prevent Plantar Fasciitis

There are several steps you can take to prevent your condition from worsening:

  • Stretch your calves and feet before and after exercise
  • Buy shoes with good arch supports or use inserts
  • Opt for low impact exercises while you’re healing, like swimming
  • Rest and ice your feet each day for 10 to 15 minutes

At Total Body Chiropractic & Massage in Bend, we offer these services to address and treat plantar fasciitis in a non-invasive way. We additionally offer Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), which can desensitize nerves and break up scar tissue for further comfort and relief from this condition. We deliver the best chiropractic care in Bend that not only targets your problem areas but also improves full-body function to help you feel your best.