Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Plantar Fasciitis With Older Women

Hello one and all,

It's been a whirlwind last few months. I've recently started a new adventure called "8 Weeks to Wellness", and am serving as the wellness/fitness coach with a team of other health professionals at the best chiropractic clinic in the Madison area (my humble opinion):

http://www.allaboutchiropractic.com/

The goal of this program is to help people think better, move better, and eat better through chiropractic care and rehab therapies, fitness coaching, nutritional consultation, massage therapy, and meditation/prayer.



Therein, I have come across a certain issue that is way more common that I had anticipated...


Plantar fasciitis in older women.

I've come across two cases recently, and it turns out that the individuals walked habitually with their toes pulled upwards, thereby chronically strengthening and tightening the anterior tibia/front of shin, and top of foot region.

Not really typical... and not so obvious to the untrained eye.

Just as well, each person seemed to have a 'stress tick' that went to their feet, whereas many people might tense up their neck/shoulders or clench their teeth.

This in turn throws other body parts off, including the knees, hips and lower back.

Our bodies have connective tissue running throughout, and as with everything, one thing affects everything else.

 Unfortunately, the collective help the each individual recieved was at best, temporary. Podiatrist, massage therapist, yoga instructor - all offered temporary solutions, but none went deeper to address the cause.

The effect is that there is pain and inflammation in each person's feet, and their mobility is limited.

The cause: Chronically moving incorrectly! I'm sure there are other contributing factors, but it's my job to tackle this one.

You just can't walk on your heels and stress out your feet and get away with it. Your body will slap you.

And it did.


A little Yin-flow yoga, good massage and self-myofascial release with "The Stick" and/or a foam roller, and some PNF stretching goes a long way. But ultimately, these people are going to have to learn to walk, stand, and maneuver properly.

Thing is, these two ladies are not so unique in the sense of their chronic condition. As a trainer, I've had to teach people how to walk, run, sit down, stand up, lunge, squat, bend and breathe properly.
-It's not like they teach this stuff in school, and it's more complex and detail oriented to correct bad movement patterns than you'd think

But, once it's second nature, it ain't not thing but a Taco Bell (To quote some random skit from "In Living Color")

To all the readers - remember, every problem has a solution. Your body is amazing, and will heal, build muscle and burn fat up until the day you die...albeit at different rates as you age and change your lifestyle and habits.

In regards to the window of how much time you have left on this earth, it's not unreasonable to take the next year or two to address a chronic condition so you can move and feel better. It's help you think better, too.

The alternative? It gets worse.

Now, go learn how to take care of yourself, your issues- and your tissues

Strength, honor and mobility,

JG