Stretches, not surgery
If you or someone you know suffers with plantar fasciitis, you know how painful it can be. Fortunately, there's a new noninvasive method for treating it.
This condition occurs when the plantar fascia, the flat band of connective tissue between the heel and the toes, becomes strained. It's most common in runners, but just about anyone can have this problem. Patients describe a sharp stabbing feeling in the bottom of the foot, particularly when they first get out of bed in the morning, and general soreness throughout the day.
Until now, treatment options have been limited and less than effective. Pain killers, expensive shoe inserts, uncomfortable night splints, and even surgery have been used, none to great effect. But a new report from the University of Rochester in New York shows that a just a few minutes of stretching three times a day can make all the difference.
The exercise is simple: sit with one leg crossed over the other and pull you toes back toward you shin, stretching the arch of your foot. Hold for a count of ten, release, and repeat 10 times. That's it.
In the study, researchers found that 75 percent of patients who followed this regimen had relief from plantar fasciitis pain and did not require any further treatment.
Sometimes the simplest approach is the best.
