Use your tools This exercise is similar to the previous exercise, this time using tools for self-massage instead of your hands. For this exercise, you will need a tennis ball, a golf ball, and a frozen bottle of water. Sit with bare feet, and first use the larger ball, then the smaller one, to massage the sole of one foot, addressing all parts of the plantar fascia, for one to two minutes with each ball. Note the difference in sensation between the larger and softer ball, and the smaller, harder ball and what areas of the plantar fascia for which each works better. Next, roll the frozen water bottle under the same foot for a few minutes, holding it on any areas that Stretching The importance of stretching to relieve and prevent plantar fasciitis pain cannot be overstated, though it is an often overlooked method of home treatment. Additionally, many athletes are guilty of not taking an adequate amount of time to stretch, if they stretch at all, after a workout. However, doing simple stretches consistently can make a significant difference in reducing the duration of episodes of plantar fasciitis or warding off a recurrence. Both passive stretching, in which areas of the body are stretched while at rest, and active stretching, in which muscles are engaged during stretching, can be beneficial. Manual passive stretches would include those in which the client manually stretches the foot, ankle, and toes in both directions from a seated position, allowing the foot and ankle to be at rest while Taping In the absence of orthotics to treat plantar fascia, taping the foot can be an effective short-term measure to relieve symptoms for someone who cannot avoid spending time on their feet until the inflammation subsides. For this method, medical tape is used to create a band around the foot at the longitudinal arch to give the arch additional support and thus take some of the strain off the plantar fascia. There are many visual taping guidelines available online, using everything from basic first-aid tape to more professional kinesio and other therapy tapes. Over-the-counter braces are also available in most pharmacies that can be used in Topical analgesics At times when applying ice to the plantar fascia may either be impossible or inconvenient, topical analgesics that create a similar sensation to ice can also provide some temporary relief from symptoms. Products you may already have available at your office, like Biofreeze, Polar Ice, or Deep Blue, might do the trick until ice can be applied at a later time. For any topical products you use, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for usage and safety, and be sure that any clients who will use it at home are instructed in Conclusion As we can see from this examination of plantar fasciitis, it is often a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted approach to treatment. We may find that, often, the foot pain a client is experiencing is about more than just what is going on in the feet. It is important to have a comprehensive knowledge about what the condition is, what other parts of the body may be involved, why it happens, who may be more susceptible to it, and what we can do about it to relieve our clients’ pain. Manual therapy alone may not offer a complete solution, and it may be most beneficial when used in conjunction with other forms of treatment. As a practicing clinician, it is very likely that you will encounter
feel like they may need more time. Before using these tools on the other foot, get up and walk around the room. Do you notice a difference between the foot that was massaged and iced and the one that was not? What differences can you identify? Then, repeat the foregoing steps on the other foot, walk around the room again, and make note of how your feet feel after both have received massage and ice. Having some first-hand experience with these techniques can be useful when instructing your clients how to use them to care for their own feet. all movement is created by the hands. Active stretching includes those for the calf muscles that might be performed directly following exercise, from both seated and standing positions. Easy stretches to demonstrate to clients would be the seated calf stretch with a towel around the foot as in the foregoing “What Does Plantar Fasciitis Work Feel Like?” exercise, and standing calf stretches like dropping the heel off the bottom step of a flight of stairs or lunges near a wall. In cases of chronic plantar fasciitis, the combination of stretching both the foot and the calf muscles is ideal, as the root of the problem may not necessarily lie in the foot itself but rather in the muscles that may be inhibiting dorsiflexion, as we have examined previously in this course. place of tape. Though braces are much easier to get on and off the foot, they may not provide the same kind of specific support that taping can offer. Before recommending taping or braces to a patient, research further into how these methods are used, and if you suffer from plantar fasciitis, experiment on yourself first. If taping is done poorly, it can be ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. As with any self-treatment recommendations you may give to your clients, be very careful about staying within your scope of practice. Refer the client to a therapist for more about taping if you are unsure of the method. proper use of the product. Many of the topical analgesics are not recommended for use on broken skin, and contact with the eyes should always be avoided. Topical analgesics can also be used in combination with taping, but advise the client to let the topical products dry onto the skin before applying the tape, or the tape may not stick to the skin effectively. Using this type of over-the-counter product may provide your client with enough relief to get them through their day. cases of plantar fasciitis in the course of your career, and having a basic knowledge of what other treatments our clients may be receiving can help us function better as an integral part of the healthcare team. We may also have to take on the role of being educators for our clients in order to help them understand the full scope of the problem by providing information from our own observations, such as the shape of the feet, the tightness of their calf muscles, their posture while standing, or changes in their gait. Essentially, we must observe and treat the whole client, not just their feet.
EliteLearning.com/Physical-Therapy
Page 135
Powered by FlippingBook