Spring into Walking….!
By Alison Quinn Clinical Specialist Chartered Physiotherapist
image shot at Aro Ha
But is that pain in your sole or heel taking the spring out of your step?
As Spring is almost upon us and those wonderful evenings begin to stretch, now is the time to make good on those New Year exercise resolutions. Some of you will join a walking group. Some of you will create your own groups and, some will go it alone. Regardless of whichever it is, the most important thing is to make sure you begin on the right foot (pardon the pun)!
However, is that nagging pain in your sole or heel limiting your walking?
Here we discuss a common condition that causes pain and some useful tips to guide you on your way.
Pain in the sole or heel (ever heard of Plantar fasciitis?)
Plantar fasciitis is a common complaint that we see in the clinic and can be quite painful and frustrating for patients as it often limits their walking and running ability. At worst it can be sore just walking around the house. It is something that should be addressed quickly before it gets worse as the pain can become very disabling.
What is Plantar Fasciitis ?
The plantar fascia is a long piece of connective tissue that lies beneath the skin on the bottom of your foot. It connects the heel bone to the toes. It supports your arch and helps with shock absorption when you are walking/running.
What does Plantar Fasciitis feel like ?
You usually feel sharp pain in the heel or along the sole of the foot. It tends to be aggravated when you put your foot down first thing in the morning after getting out of bed. This can ease after a few minutes but then returns when you get up after periods of sitting or after when you walk or run. Often people describe it as walking “with a pebble in my shoe”.
What causes it ?
There isn’t one easy answer to this question. But some of the factors include poor footwear and not enough support for the foot. For example, we often hear things like “I went on my holidays for 2 weeks and wore flip flops for the first time in ages and my feet started getting sore after a few days” .
Other factors might be a sudden increase in training or walking. During Covid some people really increased their amount of exercise, so it was common to hear “I went pounding the roads”. Even though it surprises people that just walking can bring on plantar fasciitis, it can. If you suddenly load up to 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 steps when you’re used to doing 5000 steps then that is a lot of extra load on the foot – if you combine that with hard ground like concrete roads the foot has to cope with higher ground forces which can make things worse again.
I hate to say it but, yes, age also brings changes in the feet as it does in the rest of the body. Sorry, anyone over 40, me included (!) but the elasticity of tissue changes and the arch can drop somewhat. Plantar fasciitis is common in the age group of 40 to 60.
Excess weight will also put extra strain on the plantar fascia.
If you have a job where you are on your feet a lot on hard surfaces (like physios!) you might be prone to it. I have had this condition myself and wear very supportive runners and insoles every day in work.
Some people get away with this because their foot anatomy can cope with it but some people have a type of foot that might predispose them to getting heel or sole pain. Having a certain foot type doesn’t mean that there is anything seriously wrong with your foot– we’re all different and there are various shades of normal. Sometimes the pain can come from a high arch, a low arch, a leg length discrepancy, or a previous injury.
What about insoles ? In our experience, most people with plantar fasciitis need some support in their shoes – even if you have good runners/shoes it may still not be enough support and you may need specific support for your foot type.
The type of insole you get depends on the severity of the symptoms, your foot type, what shoes you wear, your weight and how much activity or type of sport you play. Some people do well with stretches and a basic leather insole with some arch support. Other people need to get a more supportive sport insole. Other people need to get a custom insole which is the gold standard of insoles – the insole is made specific to the patient by using a gait scanner to show the pressure points of the foot as it walks over a scanner.
Tips to help your symptoms
Change your surface from hard ground to softer ground, exchange the pavements for the grassy park
Do shorter amounts of walking/running and stop before it gets sore
Use cold packs for pain relief
Stretch your calf
Wear supportive shoes and you may need further support from an insole
Avoid activities that aggravate it like high impact exercise that involves jumping e.g., basketball, aerobics, plyometrics
Use a roller to ease out the tight and sore plantar fascia
What to do next…
At Rehab Rooms our motto is that 70% of successful treatment is down to accurate diagnosis and assessment, this is our forte and our expertise. With this in mind…
If you are in anyway concerned about an impending or existing sore foot condition and would like to get an assessment or a treatment before embarking on your new walking regime, simply send us an email info@rehabrooms.ie or give us a call to book a session 01 430 5634. If there is a group of you even better ….we will assess you individually and give you some specific tips and exercises to help you get the best from your walking experience.
