Massage Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis

1. Rock. 
You may find it beneficial to use a heat pack before you begin any sports massages for plantar fasciitis. Before you begin any exercises, start with a warm-up. Rocking can aid in mobilizing the area and relieving the tightness which causes pain. Place one hand below the heel, supporting the ankle, and grip the ball of the foot and toes with your other hand. While holding the heel stable, use your upper hand to rock the foot side to side and front to back, stretching the foot and promoting circulation.
2. Glide. Apply pressure to the ball of the foot, face up, and use your thumbs, knuckles, or even your elbows to glide from the base of the foot to heel several times, moving across the entire arch. Apply gentle pressure across the entire foot as you smoothly glide down the foot. This will help loosen the tendon and direct tissue towards the heel to either prevent or heal a bone spur, a condition which often goes hand in hand with plantar fasciitis.
3. Strip. Stripping and stretching is another great way to relieve plantar fasciitis with sports massage. Apply firm pressure with your upper hand against the ball of the foot and toes, stretching as far as you can without causing too much pain. Use your thumb to "strip" the plantar fascia, moving from the ball of the foot to the heel. Unlike gliding, you should use the pad of your thumb, directing firm pressure to a small area and slowly moving across the width of the foot. This may be painful but is extremely helpful.
4. Stimulate. Cross fiber friction sports massage techniques can help to release tight plantar fascia. Place your hand on the top of the foot, gently pulling it toward you to shorten the plantar fascia and use the thumb of your lower hand to apply cross-fiber friction near the heel of the foot where the fascia attaches. This technique may also be painful, however, apply as much pressure as you can tolerate.
5. Wring. Complete the sports massage by lying face down and gently lifting your leg to a 90 degree angle, bending at the knee. Have someone put one hand on the heel and the other on the ball of the foot, and twist, as if you were wringing water from a towel. Start slowly, and increase speed and intensity as the muscles loosen.
After you are done with your massage, ice for 20 minutes to reduce inflammation.
Parts of this blog post were adapted from Livestrong article written by Anna E. Dyer.
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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Bulls' Hamilton Has Torn Plantar Fascia

An MRI revealed Sunday that Chicago Bulls guard Richard "Rip" Hamilton tore his plantar fascia in his left foot. The team's official PR release stated: "Chicago Bulls guard Richard Hamilton had an MRI today that revealed he has a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. He will return to play as his symptoms permit."
Hamilton injured the foot in the third quarter of the Bulls' win over Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The injury occurred with three minutes left in the quarter and was helped off the floor by teammates Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, putting no weight on his foot. 
Hamilton said after the game, "I heard something pop." He sat out 38 games last season because of a myriad of injuries, so he was rightly upset about the tear. 
"Just the simple fact that there was nobody around. They always say the worst injuries are when nobody's around and you didn't fall down on nobody's foot or anything like that so it's just one of them things that when it happened scared me. When I felt it I didn't want to put no pressure on it, but it wasn't a whole lot of pain. That's why it was so freaky to me," said Hamilton.
Hamilton returned to the game Saturday night (we don't know how), hitting three of four free throws in clinch the 93-88 victory. "When Rip came back trainer Fred Tedeschi said we could use him if needed," said coach Tom Thibodeau. "We needed him. I have not talked to them about the injury, we wanted him out there for the free throw situation."
There is some debate as to who will start in Hamilton's place while his plantar fascia heals. It will likely be Jimmy Butler or Marco Belinelli, but Nate Robinson works well with Hinrich. 
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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Derrick Favors Suffering From Plantar Fasciitis

Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are common injuries NBA players suffer throughout the season. Most try to play through the pain, but end up doing more damage than good. Look at Washington Wizards player Nene, whom we've blogged about before. His plantar fasciitis was so bad it kept him out the end of last season, out of most of the Olympics, and out nine games this season.

Utah Jazz power forward Derrick Favors is the latest NBA player to fall victim to this debilitating foot condition. Before Saturday's game Favors predicted that he would play in Monday's game, crediting his Wolverine-like healing powers. His wolfy powers must have failed him, since Favors missed the second straight game because of his foot injury.
Favors tried playing through the pain, like so many other NBA players, telling the pain in his right foot for five straight games to go away. He played for five minutes in Friday's loss at Oklahoma City and never came back.
He underwent an MRI on Sunday, which was inconclusive, but an ultrasound done on Monday confirmed the plantar fasciitis diagnosis. Coach Tyrone Corbin was hopeful the MRI would reveal "something. You don't know. He's having some discomfort. Hopefully it's just a short-term thing and he can get back on the floor quickly."
Favors' injury was the second hit to the Jazz rotation during their three game road trip. Marvin Williams hit his head on the floor Wednesday night in New Orleans still has concussion-like symptoms and is listed as day-to-day.
During the preseason and first month of play, the Jazz had great depth in their line-up. They'll have to rearrange the line-up and allow other players to step up if they want to continue their winning streak. "We'll have to move things around. Some guys will have to play some extended minutes. We'll have to ask some guys to play different positions a little bit, but guys will get minutes on the floor. This is what they work for. You work for your opportunity. The opportunity is upon us now, so you've got to be ready to respond to it," said Corbin.
The absence of Favors and Williams will be tough on the defense, says Corbin. "It's a bigger hit on the defensive end than on the offensive. They're two guys that make their hay on the defensive end. They're two good defensive players. They not only play their man well, they help on the rotations because they do a good job of being in position of helping and recovering back to their guy."
Let's hope in the meantime Favors rests, stretches, ices, and goes to physical therapy to heal his heel.

If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Adductor Stretch

Sit on the floor with your back against a wall, keeping your back straight. Put the soles of your feet together and your hands on your knees. Push your knees down towards the floor until you feel a stretch in your inner thigh.
Hold 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times a day.
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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Does It Hurt? Cortisone Shot in the Heel

The answer to that question, is unfortunately, yes, for most people, getting a cortisone shot in the heel will hurt. However, the relief the shot provides outweighs any pain associated with the injection.
Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory medication, not a pain-killer. The injection is designed to disrupt the chemical process that leads to inflammation, the actual cause of the pain in heel pain. By reducing inflammation, pain often subsides. Cortisone injections are very safe to perform. Side effects tend to be very rare and minor. However, there are a few potential side effects of a cortisone injection that patients should know about.
Systemic side effects occur as a result of a small amount of the cortisone entering the bloodstream and affecting your entire body, not just the location where the cortisone was given. Unlike taking oral steroids, or having cortisone injected directly into the bloodstream, only a small amount of a local injection is absorbed by the body. And since the body actually produces cortisone naturally, most people do not experience systemic effects. Those who do may experience:
Elevated blood sugar
The most common systemic reaction is seen in diabetic patients. Patients with diabetes should carefully monitor their blood sugar as cortisone can cause a temporary rise in their levels. Patients taking insulin should be especially careful, checking their blood sugar often and adjusting the insulin doses, if necessary.
Facial flushing
Patients may experience flushing sensation and redness of their face. This reaction is more common in women and is seen into up to 15 percent of patients. This can begin within a few hours of the injection and may last for a few days.
Local side effects
Local side effects are those that are only experienced in one area of the body. The local side effects of a cortisone injection are also rare.
Pain
Some patients have discomfort after the injection and may experience an increase in pain 24 to 48 hours after being treated. This usually subsides quickly and can be aided with an ice pack and anti-inflammatory medication.
Infection
Whenever there is a break in the skin, like when a needle is used to administer cortisone, there is a chance of infection. Your doctor will sterilize the skin to minimize the risk of infection.
Skin pigment changes
Patients with darker skin should be aware that cortisone may cause skin around the injection site to change. This is not harmful.
Loss of fatty tissue
High doses of cortisone can have detrimental effects on some tissues in the body. When injected into fatty tissue, cortisone can lead to a problem called fat atrophy. Fat atrophy causes loss of fatty tissue, which can lead to dimpling of the skin or the thinning out of fat. Patients who get cortisone shots in the heel to treat plantar fasciitis may find walking painful as fat that cushions their steps may thin out.
Tendon rupture
Cortisone can also cause weakening of tendons. This is one reason your podiatrist will limit the number of cortisone injections administered. Cortisone can also lead to tendon rupture.
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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Jay Ratliff Still Suffering From Plantar Fasciitis, Not An Excuse

Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff is still suffering with the plantar fasciitis that plagued him in the preseason. 
He says he'll have to deal with it all year. Ratliff has also been dealing with the recovery from a high ankle sprain last season and a normal ankle sprain a few weeks ago. 
"Any time you get hurt, yes, it's frustrating, but I've been down this road before," he said last Friday at Valley Ranch. "From experience, you can't really sit here and dwell on that. All you can do is just move forward, even if the injury is fresh. It's still behind you, you just got to figure out a way to get it done and adapt. In this business, being hurt is not an excuse." 
Ratliff is 13th on the team with 17 tackles, one for loss, and has seven quarterback pressures despite playing just four games. He missed the first four healing from the worst pain of his plantar fasciitis and suffered an ankle sprain right before halftime last week but returned for the second half. He returned to practice last Friday on a limited basis.
"I've got a love for the game. I just want to do the best that I can. Even if you're hurt, there's no excuses," Ratliff said.
He talked about the effect of his injuries on his left leg. "If you hurt a part of your body, the rest of your body is going to compensate. Unfortunately, I had a few things go wrong on this leg. The plantar fasciitis, the high ankle sprain, and now just the regular ankle sprain. But that's nothing that's going to stop me."
When asked if the plantar fasciitis was completely cleared up, Ratliff replied, "It's just one of those nagging things that you have to play with through the year. So it's really nothing, you know what I mean? You really want to hear about that? I really don't want to talk about it." 
Ratliff laughed. "It's all good." Hope you're doing your stretches, icing, and keeping off it as much as you can, Jay! If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Piriformis (Trunk Twister) Stretch

Sitting on the floor, cross your left leg over the right thigh. The left foot should be on the floor outside of the right knee. Place your right elbow on the outside of the left knee. Gently stretch by pushing the elbow into the knee, keeping your back straight. Reverse legs and repeat.
Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times for each leg, 1 time per day.
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

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• Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Towel Crunches

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• Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Seated Hamstring Stretch

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• Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Seated Calf Stretch

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• Heel Pain Stretch of the Week: Standing Calf Stretch

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