Here’s help for your foot pain

Have you ever felt smug about meeting your daily step target? Imagine if you met your 11,000-step target every day continuously for more than a week — that’s what I did. But my feet paid a price for it.

One morning I woke up and as soon as I put my feet on the ground, I felt as if I had severely bruised my feet.

The pain was unbearable, and I knew that walking anywhere was out of the question. But I decided to power through. Turns out, that was not a smart decision.

At first the pain was at the bottom of my feet but then it travelled to the top of the feet. I kept ignoring it, and it kept getting worse. And then one day, all of the pain became concentrated in my left foot.

I bought painkillers and took them regularly, but nothing seemed to be working. I decided to visit a doctor, who diagnosed me with a condition that sounded pretty scary when she named it: plantar fasciitis. Rest was all I needed, nothing more and nothing less.

After doing some research, I found that foot pain is more common than I thought. Up to 10 per cent of the population in the United States is likely to seek treatment for heel pain over the course of their lives, and plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain at the outpatient clinic, said Adam Groth, an orthopedic surgeon at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

In most cases, plantar fasciitis develops without a specific reason, but there are factors that can make you more prone to the condition, such as tight calf muscles, high arched foot, obesity, repetitive impact activity, or new and increased activity.

Since the condition is aggravated by tight muscles in the calves or feet, stretching your calves and feet is the most effective way to relieve or prevent pain that comes with the condition.

“The best way to prevent ankle sprains and other common foot and ankle injuries is to maintain good muscle strength, balance and flexibility,” Groth said.

Most people with the condition improve within 10 months of starting simple treatment methods, such as rest, ice, soft heel pads or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

“Heel pain and most sprains are minor injuries that heal with home treatments like rest and applying ice,” Groth said. “However, if your foot or ankle is very swollen and painful to walk on — or if you are having trouble putting weight on your foot or ankle at all, you should see your doctor.”