My feet hurt! Getting to the root of plantar fasciitis and other foot pain disorders
- By Elena Gournelos
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- 01 Sep, 2016
Your foot pain may not actually be coming from your feet ... how fascial restrictions in the legs, hips and even cranium may be causing your symptoms
You don’t have to be a dancer or security guard, on your feet all day, to have foot pain. In fact, the root of your foot pain may not even be in your foot … it could be in your hips, spine, or even your cranium.
Imagine you are holding a two foot rope in your hand, with your arms stretched so that the rope is taut. Now twist one end of the rope. What do you feel at the other end? Do you feel the increased tension on the other side of the rope?
That is exactly what happens in our bodies. Our skeleton, and especially our spine, is like the rope. If one end gets twisted, or even if it gets twisted in the middle, the tension is bound to be transferred down the line through our connective tissue and fascia. This is a natural phenomenon called biotensegrity.
So often, it is this dynamic that is at play in plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, and other types of foot pain. Your skeleton is the rope … one end is your feet and the other end is your cranium. If tension is exerted on the cranium (possibly from the neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles that are involved in poor posture), that tension will have a tendency to spread out all along the skeleton via the fascia. It will continue until it has nowhere else to go … in other words, it will send the tension all the way down to your feet!
The pelvis also plays an essential role in the structure and tension of our bodies. It is the foundation of our axial skeleton, and just like a house, our foundation has to be strong and level to support the structures above. When the pelvis becomes twisted or rotated due to injury, poor posture, or fascial restrictions, it sends the tension in both directions … down to our feet and up to our heads … and can result in chronic pain conditions such as headaches, back pain, and plantar fasciitis. Often, the feet have to work overtime to compensate for the weakness of the pelvis and core, causing a lot of extra strain just to stay upright.
Unfortunately, modern life requires us to spend a lot of time sitting, whether it’s at work, in the car, or at home, and our pelvis pays the price. Most of us have fascial restrictions in the pelvis/hips that over time, will contribute to a chronic pain condition.
Myofascial release and cranial work are extremely effective ways to untwist the rope and relieve the extra tension. Just like untwisting the rope, untwisting and releasing fascial restrictions in the connective tissue of our bodies produces positive effects that can be felt from head to foot. In this way, myofascial release and cranial work effectively kill many birds with one stone, creating a feeling of openness and relaxation in the body that eliminates pain and restores ease of motion.
Don't despair! Myofascial release often succeeds where other therapies fail. And you don't have to abandon your current doctor, therapist or chiropractor to reap the benefits.
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Why is the myofascial release approach so important? Myofascial release, especially when combined with cranial work, acts on a cellular level to release restrictions in the body that other therapies aren't able to address. Fascia is a matrix of connective tissue that is present everywhere in your body, surrounding and connecting every cell. It does not appear in X-rays, MRIs, or any other standard medical test. However, when fascia gets restricted, it can wreak havoc inside your body.
Fascial restrictions have a tensile strength of 2000 lbs per square inch, and they can exert a lot of force on surrounding muscles, joints, and even internal organs, causing severe pain and dysfunction. Releasing these restrictions releases the pressure safely and naturally,returning your entire body to a fluid and responsive state. The result? Less pain, better functioning, and a healthier body.
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So do you really need surgery? Maybe, maybe not. Myofascial release may be able to alleviate your symptoms and spare you the significant risk, expense, and inconvenience of surgery. And if you do decide to go under the knife, myofascial release can be used both before and after surgery to promote healing. Addressing restrictions in the connective tissue before the procedure may make your surgeon's job easier and decrease the risk of complications. Myofascial release after surgery may decrease the amount a scar tissue formed and speed up recovery time.
In fact, myofascial release can even act synergistically to enhance the effects of other therapies. Because it never works in opposition to the body, combining myofascial release with chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, or physical therapy can be a powerful approach to healing. When the fascia has been released, chiropractic adjustments hold longer, energy flows more easily through the body, yoga becomes easier, and physical therapy becomes more effective.
So whether you choose to use myofascial release alone or in combination with surgery or other therapies, the benefits are immense, both for your body and your spirit. The sooner you are able to get back to living fully the better!
Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their contributions, especially those of you who have shared your personal stories in the form of testimonials. Your healing experiences help to inspire others as they take their own steps toward health and wholeness.
