Many individuals who experience sciatic pain also have planter fasciitis. It's a painful condition in the heel of the foot. If you have it you know what it is.
Plantar Fascia is the connective tissue that connects the heel bone to your toes and supports the arch of your foot. There are many ways to strain this tissue and healing it can take awhile.
Fascia itself is full of free nerve endings (it's highly innervated) that's why it's so painful. And it takes awhile to heal because it does not have a rich blood supply.
To treat this the most common suggestion is to stretch the arch of your foot, and calves. But stretching is not always enough.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
- Stand in front of a mirror and look at your feet. Look at the arches of your feet. Do they drop in (pronate) or do you have flat feet?
- If so strengthen the arches of your feet and the inner line of your legs - the adductors (inner thighs) and possibly the abductors(glutes).
- There is a great video on Youtube called "Easy Exercise for Foot, Arch and Leg Pain from Fallen Arches, Flat Feet, Pronation" that will help you strengthen the arches of your feet if this is part of the problem.
Side note: A common cause of sciatica is an unstable pelvis caused by weak inner thigh muscles, glutes (outer hips and buttock) and piriformis.
- Practice exercises to strengthen the legs, buttock and hips like clams, side plank and butterfly pose performed very slowly.
- Try massaging your feet using massage balls to increase blood circulation and to loosen the tight fibers.
- Also check your footwear - make sure your shoes fit properly. Having said that, running bare feet can really help the condition and specific stretches for your toes and feet will always speed up recovery.
- Lastly, notice how you walk/run. As you step forward, the front heel comes down first (heel to toe).
For individual help consider a 1-on-1 session with Joanne@innerjourney.ca or call 705-888-9686. Online or in-person.
