Inflamed Plantar Fascia, Heel/Foot Pain, and Chiropractic

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11860 Vista Del Sol, Ste. 128 Inflamed Plantar Fascia, Foot/Heel Pain, and Chiropractic — cropped shot of man sitting on bed and suffering from foot pain

One of the most likely causes of foot/heel pain is inflamed plantar fascia, which causes plantar fasciitis. It can be a painful and common injury from overuse of the ligaments in the foot. When this pain presents, it can make an individual not want to walk or place any type of pressure on the feet, as the pain worsens with pressure or impact on the foot.

Chiropractic care doesn’t just treat the spine but can help with various other musculoskeletal issues throughout the body. With chiropractic adjustments, rest, icing, and exercises, the ligaments, and tissues of the feet are worked out, massaged, and stretched back to their normal range.

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Plantar Fascia

There is a ligament called the plantar fascia. It runs along the bottom of the foot and connects the toes to the heel. The plantar fascia absorbs shock and helps support the feet when walking. However, ligament tension can begin to increase, specifically when standing for long periods. When the tension reaches its limit, small tears can begin to form along with inflammation causing pain.

The pain occurs when walking, standing, or immediately after waking up. The condition can happen to anyone but is more likely to become an issue for those who stand or walk as a regular part of their job, home activity, etc. Side effects from the foot pain often cause individuals to adjust their walking gait to avoid feeling discomfort, that stresses the rest of the body like the muscles, ligaments, joints that can lead to various types of injury/s.

Chiropractic Treatment

Individuals with an inflamed plantar fascia often experience a shooting/stabbing pain that worsens in the morning or after standing or sitting for an extended time. Repetitive impact on the feet and poor arch support from shoes cause small tears to happen over time from the continued stress. If it has just started the pain can be treated with ice and rest, but they are not for solving the root cause. Chiropractic can help bring pain relief that lasts along with recurrence prevention. Here are some a few ways a chiropractor can help:

Ankle Re-alignment

Ankle misalignment can contribute to plantar fasciitis at the plantar fascia has to work harder to move the foot without the ankle’s support. Manipulation and realignment of the ankle will improve foot function.

Massage

A chiropractor along with a physical therapy team can be utilized for soft tissue massage and trigger point therapy to release tension.

Exercises and Stretches

Various stretching and exercising techniques can be implemented to help speed up the healing process. A chiropractor will work the individual through exercises and stretches designed to relieve inflammation and stretch out the tissue. Specific exercises will also be taught to help strengthen the lower leg muscles to stabilize the heel and help prevent pain.

Posture

A chiropractor will correct any improper posture/s that has contributed to the foot pain or has become a way of being able to function as a result of the pain. This will return the individual to a normal gait when walking and running. Pressure on the feet and plantar fascia will be alleviated.

Spinal/Hip Re-alignment

Individuals learn to avoid pain by walking/moving in a different way than how the body is supposed to. This results in pain in the hips and back, as the body is being pulled in various ways. Manipulation and mobilization will be used to realign the body to its proper form.

Footwear/Orthotics

A chiropractor will make adjustments to the feet, ankles, and spine to reduce pain and relieve the pressure on the plantar fascia. Supportive footwear and orthotics could be recommended for extended/preventative care. Once diagnosed with a foot problem wearing proper shoes that support the feet is essential.
Orthotics can also help prevent injury to the back, joints, and muscles that were stretched or over-worked from an abnormal gait. When the pressure is relieved, the ligament starts to heal. This can take a few weeks. The result is a healthier heel/foot with proper function. Chiropractic can accelerate the healing process combined with home care. If pain is presenting in the heel, do not delay and focus on healing the foot.

Walking Incorrectly

Make a Difference in your Posture with *FOOT ORTHOTICS* | El Paso, Tx

Dr. Alex Jimenez’s Blog Post Disclaimer

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*

References

Goff, James D, and Robert Crawford. “Diagnosis and treatment of plantar fasciitis.” American family physician vol. 84,6 (2011): 676-82.

Chiropractic Treatment For Chronic Stress Relief

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Dr. Alex Jimenez

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11860 Vista Del Sol, Ste. 128 Chiropractic Treatment For Chronic Stress Relief — Office worker typing email on tablet computer. The woman feels stressed and nervous, holds an antistress yellow ball in her hand

Chronic stress is a continued and constant feeling of stress that negatively affects the body’s health if left untreated. It is caused by everyday pressures from work, family, or trauma, but instead of calming down and going back to a neutral demeanor, the worry and anxiety keep going. Chronic stress happens when the body experiences stressors to an intense degree, that the nervous system is not able to activate the relaxation response regularly.

Normal stress is an essential part of the body’s fight or flight response that keeps an individual safe from danger and ensures survival when something threatening occurs. If the stress becomes chronic and is not managed appropriately it can be detrimental causing or exacerbating serious health problems that include:

Mental health problems
Depression
Anxiety
Disorders
Cardiovascular disease/s
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Abnormal heart rhythms
Heart attack
Stroke

This affects almost every system in the body, directly and indirectly. The body can handle acute/short-term stress, but not chronic stress. Despite how chronic stress can damage overall health, chiropractic can bring the body back into balance and help manage the stress.

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Chronic Stress Health

There are a variety of factors that can lead to the onset of chronic stress and include:

Mental health problems related to depression, anxiety, etc
Traumatic events like natural disasters, automobile accident, injuries
Caring for a family member or elder that is sick
Continued exposure to negativity from social media, news, etc
Chronic blue light exposure from electronic devices
Unhealthy habits related to poor sleep, unhealthy diet, and lack of exercise
Chronic illness
Having no stress management techniques or unhealthy coping methods

The body is not meant to be in a constant state of stress, as it does not allow the body to repair itself and rest properly. This can lead to the breakdown of cellular processes, proper organ functions, and lead to disease. Chronic stress has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

Identification

It is not easy to recognize chronic stress. This is because of its long-lasting nature that individuals get so accustomed to, that it becomes normal. Symptoms to look for when identifying chronic stress:

Mood fluctuations and/or irritability
Always worrying about something
No time to take care of oneself or take part in enjoyable activities
Little inconveniences become too much to handle
Constantly getting colds or infections
Rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms like junk food, or alcohol to manage the stress

Management Techniques

The ability to properly manage chronic stress is crucial for achieving optimal health. Management can be simple and straightforward. Options for management include:

Chiropractic
Healthy diet
Sleep improvement
Regular physical activity
Relaxation techniques like massage and heat therapy
Time management skills improvement
Reduced screen exposure specifically at night
Less time on social media
Mindfulness practice like meditation

Spinal Alignment

The techniques listed address reducing the external cues that affect internal health brought on by the stress response. Addressing internal imbalances will help the body return to a state of homeostasis. A common underlying imbalance that contributes to chronic stress is spinal misalignment. This is a root cause that could be over-activating the stress response which limits the body’s ability to return to a relaxed state.

Chiropractic Management

Spinal misalignment/s hinders the nervous system’s ability to regulate the body’s stress response. This is due to improper nerve signaling and poor blood, and energy flow. Chiropractic is a research-oriented, science-based natural medical approach that specializes in addressing spinal issues. It gets the body’s natural healing ability to activate returning the body’s natural state of balance.