Are you experiencing heel pain? It might be plantar fasciosis (fasciitis).

What is the plantar fascia?

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Let’s start by defining the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue designed to support the arch of the foot. It connects the heel to the front of the foot. When it becomes inflamed, the condition is called plantar fasciitis. Newer research now prefers the term plantar fasciosis because this accounts for more than just inflammation. It takes into consider degeneration which is now thought to be the more prominent cause of the condition.

What causes it to break down?

There are many things that can cause this fascia to break down. Although it is designed to withstand high stresses placed on it through activities of daily life like walking, running, and playing sports, it can often experience tears when this pressure gets too high. Our body’s natural response to most injuries is inflammation and when the fascia experiences damage or tears, the possible inflammation and degeneration can result in heel pain and stiffness.

Are there risk factors?

Although plantar fasciosis (fasciitis) can develop without any identifiable cause, there are some risk factors that can increase your susceptibility such as:

• New or increased levels of activity
• Repetitive high impact activity
• Standing for extended periods of time on hard surfaces
• Having flat feet or high arches
• Tight calf muscles
• Obesity
• Age (most common in those aged 40-60 years)

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptoms include pain at the bottom on the foot near the heel. The first few steps in the morning are often most painful but the pain tends to subside with a few minutes of walking. Another symptom to look out for is increased pain after exercising as opposed to during.

What can I do?

Stretching the calf muscles and the fascia itself can be beneficial. Working on the intrinsic muscles and joints of the foot is something a chiropractor or massage therapist can help with. Orthotics are another treatment option that can help decrease the tension placed on the fascia which in turn can reduce the amount of microtrauma being experienced. To find out the cause of your heel pain and the best treatment option designed just for you, book an appointment today!

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With the start of a new year comes new resolutions. Perhaps these include working on your fitness and prioritizing your health. Sound familiar? But what does it mean to be fit? To be “healthy”? Diet and exercise come to mind and for today’s post I want to focus on what being active can look like. To start, all you need is 10 minutes!

How much do I need to move?

According to the Canadian Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, people aged 18-64 years should aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity each week. But what does this truly mean? 150 minutes can seem like a lot, but let’s break it down. This can look like exercising for 30 minutes for 5 days of the week. It is recommended to exercise for periods of 10 minutes or more at a time. With that in mind, we can break this down even further and exercise 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and another 10 minutes in the evening. Sounds a lot more manageable when we think of it like this, right?

What types of movements should I be doing?

Now that we’ve worked the timing into our schedule, let’s talk about what types of movement we should be doing. Moderate intensity aerobic exercises are those can cause us to break into a little sweat and breathe a little harder. These include brisk walking and bike riding. Vigorous intensity aerobic exercises are those that cause us to break into more of a sweat and end in us being “out of breath”. These include activities like jogging and swimming laps.

What about strength training?

Now that we’ve got our aerobic exercises covered, let’s talk about strength training. It is recommended that we incorporate activities that focus on strengthening our bones and major muscle groups at least 2 days each week. Examples of these include lifting weights, working with resistance bands, body-weight exercises like push-ups and squats and so many more!

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits of following these guidelines such as improving our overall fitness, strength, and mental health. It can also help reduce the risk of the following:

• Premature death
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Certain types of cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Overweight and obesity

As you work on your goals, don’t forget to take care of your body. Whether it be for an injury or a wellness visit, we’ve got you covered. We offer massage, chiropractic, kinesiology, and acupuncture. Book an appointment today!

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How to Improve Mobility & Extend the Benefits of Your Chiropractic or Massage Treatments 

Do you wish you were more mobile; more able to get out and move your body?  You may benefit from adding a few simple mobility exercises to your routine.

Strength, or stability, is a key component of mobility. If your body is lacking stability due to muscle weakness, you are more likely to suffer from decreased mobility, pain, and discomfort.  Thankfully, you do not have to be on an intense fitness program to improve your strength, it can be as easy as a few simple exercises a day. Improving stability will also allow you to increase the benefits of your chiropractic or massage treatment. 

Mobility and stability are intricately connected. There is an abundance of scientific research, which has shown that strengthening the muscles surrounding your joints will improve stability, and mobility, and increase the longevity of a chiropractic adjustment. 

Chiropractic and massage treatments improve the mobility of joints and surrounding tissues which allows them to function more normally. However, stability is also necessary for the body to work optimally. Exercise, particularly strength training, is a fantastic way to improve your body’s stability.  

Here are a few simple mobility exercises you can do at home to improve stability: 

1. Planking:
   Building up the core muscles is something that many people find overwhelming, especially as doing exercises like crunches can feel uncomfortable. A plank or half-plank is a beneficial, simple, and full-body exercise that can be done anywhere. The trick with a plank is not to overdo it. There is no need to hold the pose for a long time. In fact, simply doing this pose regularly for small intervals each day, will benefit your upper body and core strength. To perform a plank or half-plank, simply lie on your stomach, push up on your arms and feet, then hold. For a half plank, keep your knees lowered. Make sure your stomach is not sinking down as this will put pressure on your lower back.  

2. Lunges or Warrior Pose:
   Lunges can be a fantastic way to release tension in your hips and build strength in your knees and legs, while also giving a nice stretch in your hamstrings, quads, and groin. A lunge simply involves stepping one knee forward and the other leg back on a parallel line. To add to this pose and engage the upper body as well, simply pivot the back foot to the side, and extend the arms up, or to the sides for a Warrior Pose.  

3. Chest and Shoulder Openers: 
   There are a few ways to open up your chest and shoulders and improve both posture and mobility. One way is simply to lie on your back and stretch your arms up over your head. This will give you a great stretch in your core while opening your chest. Another exercise to open your chest is the Sphinx pose. For this one, you will need to be careful not to over-stretch when starting off, especially if your lower back is tight. But you can lie on your stomach and press your palms and elbows into the ground while lifting your head and chest up. This will create a big stretch in your stomach and chest. So again, start small and allow yourself time to ease into it. 

4. Arm and Shoulder Circles: 
   These simple exercises are beneficial to improve shoulder and arm mobility. Stand up and spread your arms out to your sides in a t-shape. With palms facing down, do several small circles then begin to form bigger circles until your shoulders are at full rotation. Do this in one direction. Then, turn your palms face up and repeat the circle movements with palms up.   

5. Hip Flexers/Circles: 
   Kneel on the floor with one knee raised. Imagine your pelvis is a bowl of water and tilt it forward. Then, raise your arm on the same side as your lowered knee and tilt to the opposite side. You will feel a stretch through your hip and side body. This is great for those of us who sit too much during the day. 

6. Pigeon Pose:
   Another great one for the hips, lower back and glutes is the pigeon stretch, start by getting onto all fours on the ground. Then cross one leg behind the other and slide back. Come down onto your elbows. You will feel the stretch in your hip and glutes. 

When it comes to improving mobility, even taking time to do a small amount of exercise regularly will benefit your overall health and quality of movement.  

Whether you’re an athlete looking to simply improve flexibility or recover from an injury, or you have never done strength training in your life, you will see the benefits. An added benefit is that you will also experience greater and longer-lasting benefits from your chiropractic and massage sessions.  

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