plantar fasciitis

March 30, 2011 Pain Relief

How to Get Rid of Foot Cramps

What Causes Foot Cramps?

Foot cramps are painful and frustrating, and they can strike any time. Foot cramping is caused by a few simple factors that can easily be adjusted to get foot cramp relief.

Dehydration is a common cause of cramps in the legs, arms and feet. If you’ve been out in the sun, exercising more than usual or haven’t been drinking enough water, dehydration could be the source of your foot cramps.

Other foot cramp causes include muscle tension, bad shoes, electrolyte imbalance, poor circulation, low potassium, magnesium or calcium, or chemical sensitivities, such as from taking medication.

What To Do When You Get a Foot Cramp

1. Stretch the affected foot. Pull your toes upward and spread them, lengthening the muscles on the bottom of the foot. Walking – gently – on the cramping foot can also help to stretch the arch.

2. Soak your foot cramp in warm water. Add Epsom salts for extra relief. The magnesium in the Epsom salts is absorbed transdermally and causes the muscles to relax. The water should be warm enough to soothe the foot cramp but not so hot that it scalds your skin.

3. Roll your foot on a tennis ball or golf ball to alleviate tight muscles and fascia on the bottom of your foot that can cause cramping. This is best done on a regular basis to prevent future foot cramps.

4. Stretch your hips. Tight muscles in the upper thigh and hip area, particularly the adductors (muscles along the inside of the leg) can draw your foot upward, causing cramps. Increasing hip flexibility can get rid of foot cramps on a more permanent basis.

5. Never wear shoes without a strap on the back. Flip flops and other backless shoes force you to clench your feet to hold the shoe on, causing tight, rigid foot and calf muscles. These tight muscles go into spasm more easily, causing foot cramps. Shoes that have a strap along the back, however, allow your foot to move naturally and freely.

6. Drink more water – If you are prone to foot cramps, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. If you drink coffee or tea, include extra water to make up for the diuretic effect of the caffeine. To find out how many ounces of water you should be drinking each day, take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half. So, a 150 lb woman would drink 75 ounces of water a day.

7. Supplement with electrolytes – Electrolytes like calcium, potassium and magnesium help keep muscle tissue relaxed. A deficiency or imbalance in any one of these nutrients can stimulate foot cramps. Emergen-C powder is available at any health food store and is easily added to water to help you maintain healthy electrolyte balance. For athletes, a super-charged electrolyte supplement that I recommend is E-lyte.

More Resources to Get Rid of a Foot Cramp:

Video: How to Get Rid of a Foot Cramp

How to Fix Flat Feet

February 16, 2011 Pain Relief

What Every Plantar Fasciitis Sufferer Must Know

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition where the plantar fascia – a thick band of connective tissue extending from the heel to the ball of the foot – becomes inflamed due to overuse or too much tension. Plantar fasciitis causes a lot of pain to those who suffer from it, and it makes it difficult to perform normal daily activities like grocery shopping, walking and carrying purses or briefcases. Athletes who suffer from plantar fasciitis have to limit their workouts, making it difficult to stick to an effective training schedule.

You know you have plantar fasciitis if you have a sharp pain in your heel or just in front of the heel that is usually worse first thing in the morning but gradually lessens as your foot warms up throughout the day. Stretching the plantar fascia along the bottom of your foot will be painful, and increased activity may make the foot pain worse.

But what causes this painful foot condition?

There are a number of potential causes of plantar fasciitis, but in general, the inflammation and degeneration of the tissue is caused by excessive strain on the bottom of your foot. Of course, “excessive strain” can be anything from being overweight to pregnancy, high level athletics (especially running) or poor body mechanics due to old injuries or surgeries.

Those who stand and walk for long periods of time, especially on concrete, are more likely to develop pain in the bottoms of their feet. Tight calf muscles, illiotibial band tension and imbalances in the hips can all contribute to imbalanced body mechanics that place excess strain on the plantar fascia over time.

People who pronate (roll their feet inward) chronically overstretch the plantar fascia and may develop plantar fasciitis, especially if they are active in dancing, running, or other sports that put a lot of strain on the feet.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

While most practitioners recommend supportive shoes to eliminate symptoms of plantar fasciitis, I disagree. While arch supports and rigid shoes can be helpful when the symptoms are acute, the human foot is a marvel of engineering that is brilliantly designed to support the weight of your body and facilitate walking and running.

With the advent of athletic shoes, we’ve become addicted to cushion and support, believing that our feet cannot function properly without a lot of extraneous material holding us up; however, the world-record for a 26 mile marathon was set by Ethiopian Abebe Bikila who ran the entire race BAREFOOT.

When you add too much support to your feet, you inhibit their natural function, causing them to be lazy and flaccid. Here are a couple of exercises you can start to perform now to eliminate the symptoms of plantar fasciitis and prevent future foot pain:

Practice picking up objects, such as pens or marbles, with your toes.
Lay a towel on a hard surface, like a hardwood floor. With your bare foot, scrunch the towel up using your toes, then spread it out and repeat.
Roll the bottom of your foot on a tennis ball to alleviate tension in the plantar fascia.

No matter how long you’ve suffered with plantar fasciitis, you can get relief. Do these simple exercises daily and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.

December 15, 2010 Pain Relief

Arnica: The Pain Reliever No Household Should Be Without

Aches and pains happen, especially when you’re training at the gym or exerting yourself in any heavy lifting activity, like moving. And as we age, we’re prone to other painful conditions like osteoarthritis.

But you don’t have to suffer with muscle soreness and stiffness. You can get relief without risking some of the frightening side effects of NSAIDs (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) such as nausea, upset stomach, shortness of breath, heartburn or skin rashes.

There is a natural solution that I highly recommend instead: Arnica Montana. Arnica is a plant native to mountainous regions of Europe and North America that has been used for centuries as a topical pain relieving agent.

A controlled randomized study from 2007 found that daily applications of arnica gel were just as effective as ibuprofen for relieving pain from osteoarthritis.

There is a slight risk of allergic reaction to a compound called hellanin found in arnica, so test on a small bit of skin before rubbing it all over. If you do experience a slight rash, simply stop using the gel.

While arnica gels abound in health food and supplement stores, the brand that I most recommend is Traumeel. It’s widely available and extremely effective with a synergistic blend of arnica and other anti inflammatory homeopathic agents.

So, the next time you find yourself stiff, sore and achy, get yourself some arnica gel, rub it on, and breathe a sigh of relief as the pain melts away!