Many people suffer heel pain. And it doesn’t sound so bad – until you have it!

Pronation of Ankles

It’s not pleasant to have intense pain first thing in the morning when your foot hits the floor, to feel as if you are walking on nails, or with a pebble in the shoe that won’t come out. But these are just some of the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, a condition that is related to inflammation of the ligament/tendon structure on the sole of the foot.

As a chiropractor I see many cases of plantar fasciitis. Taking a big picture view of this specific condition, I can’t help but notice that people who suffer from heel pain often have rounded shoulders, tight calf muscles, forward head carriage, inward turned hands and are generally unable to touch their toes easily.

The reasons behind this are complex, but to explain it simply: when our brain is not performing at its best, it selectively tightens muscles in the back of our legs and the front of our chest and arms, on the same side.  This can also occur when there is poor sensory feedback from our joints and muscles on the opposite side of the body (commonly from injury or general lack of movement).

The muscle imbalances can be helped dramatically by exercising our brains to help improve balance between the functioning of the left brain and right brain. Following assessment, various adjustments and exercises from Shirley Rd Chiropractic can help to address these issues.

More specialised care from a podiatrist that works exclusively with heel pain, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis may also be recommended. To read more about this, go to http://www.northshoresportspodiatry.com.au/conditions-we-treat/plantar-fasciitis/ and http://www.northshoresportspodiatry.com.au/plantar-fasciitis/