There are many reasons why your feet can be sore. It could be from walking long distances, standing for a long period, and heavy exercises. Foot pains can also be a result of muscle pains, sprains, stress, and bone disorders such as arthritis. Another culprit for the pain could also be previous bone injuries in the lower body – pain can still occur from these injuries even though the bones have healed. Lastly, old age could also be responsible for the pain because of the increasing rate in which the body’s nutrients are being diminished.
Out of the common causes of soreness in the foot, there exists one disorder that’s been blamed by athletes and doctors alike. This disorder is called “Plantar Fasciitis,” the injury of the plantar fascia. One of its common symptoms is feeling waves of throbbing pain on the foot when the patient wakes up.
The plantar fascia is a thin band of tissue – a ligament – that stretches across your foot from heel to toe. This ligament is fragile and can be injured by in a bad posture.
For a moment, take a moment to recall – how do you walk? When a normal person walks, he puts one foot in front of the other, and the center (or the back center) of the heel usually touches the ground first. This way, the weight is exerted first on the heel, then smoothly towards the ball of the foot. However, there are some people who exercise bad posture when walking. When the foot lands – let’s say the left foot for instance – the weight is exerted on the left side of the heel (of the left foot). This way, weight is improperly distributed to the left side of the left foot, causing it to bend inwards. This habit is called “Overpronation” and is one of the most effective causes of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis can be prominent in athletes who travel long distances on foot, such as runners, football players, and rugby players. But interestingly, it is also known to be equally prominent in non-athletes – common people such as office workers and businessmen. One may ask, “Why is that?” Well, the difference between an athlete and a common man is that an athlete is actually thought the proper way to run or walk. Habits of bad posture and overpronation are eliminated one by one through training. However, to a common man, habits of overpronation could have already been practiced since childhood, and the disorder Plantar fasciitis could not have been made aware. This way, a common man may be only a few steps away from plantar fasciitis, and he is completely oblivious to it.
Plantar fasciitis, as we know now, is caused by the habit of improper walking called overpronation. But other causes of the disorder can also include other factors such as obesity and lack of fitness. Birth factors include being born with tight calf muscles, and a completely different factor includes wearing the wrong footwear or shoes.
Being a disorder centered on the foot, footwear plays a very important role in causing, preventing, and curing plantar fasciitis. First of all, it is never recommended to wear very tight shoes on any occasion. They are not only uncomfortable to walk in, but they can damage your plantar fascia if you keep wearing them, due to lack of space and breathability in the foot. It is also not recommended to wear loose shoes, as it would make your walking posture look awkward, and your feet would need to be bent in an unnatural way to carry the footwear.
The question might be raised “What’s the best shoes for curing plantar fasciitis?” Well, that comes with an easy answer. The best shoes for curing plantar fasciitis are also the best shoes for curing it. For preventing and curing plantar fasciitis, the only best shoes are those that you are comfortable with – nothing more than that. The shoes have to be the right size for the foot, the foot must be able to move comfortable inside the shoe, and the soles have to be even so to promote the proper way of walking.
There also exist running shoes that are designed to help with plantar fasciitis. Most products of this design help to eliminate the habits of overpronation to reduce further damage to the plantar fascia. These shoes also take account in the comfort of their users by focusing on the interior design. The insides are made more flexible to allow room for the feet to move, and the surface of the shoe is cushioned to reduce the pressure exerted on the owner’s heel when standing. Most shoe brands have products designed to help with plantar fasciitis, so make sure to research on their products.
Leave a Reply