In 2009, a foot doctor called Dr. Harvey Lemont, did a study with 50 of his patients with Plantar Fasciitis. He was frustrated because conventional treatment didn’t help them at all, so he decided to operate on all of them and found there was no inflammation where the pain was in any of their feet, but only dead tissue! Therefore, it should be called Plantar Fasciosis (which means dead tissue) instead of Fasciitis (which means inflammation).
THE CAUSE
The cause of this is poor blood circulation in that area because of:
a) incorrect shoes, and/or
b) uneven hips.
There is now a muscle imbalance. Muscle pulls tight against the blood supply coming in and out of the foot, so when there is no blood reaching certain tissue, it dies. It is usually accompanied by a bunion.
TREATMENT
a) Natural footwear (no toe spring; wide enough; flat)
b) Silicon Toe separator, specifically this one: https://www.emperorsnewshoes.co.uk/product/correcttoes
c) Metatarsal Pads aid and shorten plantar tissues, use temporarily.
d) Stretch the toes (pointing downwards). Note that cramps and twitching often occur as muscles build new strength and length.
e) Go to an Osteopath to re-align your hips.
f) Pilates to get hips and feet strong. See below an exercise you can do at home to strengthen your feet.
At my studio I have a Pilates Foot Corrector and a Toe corrector which are excellent for strengthening and lengthening the muscles for this and other foot conditions to speed up the process. See below video clips to see what they look like.
Everything is connected. You need proper movement exercises like Classical Pilates to make your body strong and keep your body in the correct alignment.
I would say if you tackle it from both the hips and the feet (correct footwear) then you will see rapid improvement.
Merry Christmas everyone! May you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones.
Festive regards,
Hesti