Plantar Fasciitis
Foot Massage Therapy for Foot Pain
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of foot pain. Foot massage therapy can be used to treat this form of foot pain. Sometimes this condition is confused with heel spurs, but a heel spur is a different condition. A heel spur is a bony protrusion that sticks off the bottom of the heel. It occurs in people who have a history of plantar fasciitis. In most cases, the irritation of the fascia at the bottom of the foot and not the heel spur is the cause of the pain.
The plantar fascia runs from the heel to the ball of the foot and toes. It supports the arch of the foot. Normally it acts as a shock absorber. When this fascia becomes irritated it causes pain in the heel. The problem can stem from wearing improper shoes, overuse--common in joggers--bad foot mechanics, or being overweight. Arthritis and diabetes can also aggravate the condition.
When your plantar fascia becomes irritated normal activities become quite painful. The most amount of pain occurs first thing in the morning when you get out of bed. This is because at night the fascia tenses up. It can also be painful when walking, after standing for a long time or when getting up after sitting for awhile.
Massage therapy can help get rid of the heel pain. It can sometimes stop the problem all together.
My father had this problem a few years ago, and he was able to get rid of it by wearing shoes with good arch support and doing some stretches. It reoccurs sometimes, but if he resumes his stretching routine, it stops.
My husband just recently started having heel pain. He believes strongly in the power of self massage and was able to stop his pain by massaging his foot and calf regularly.
Sport massage and deep tissue massage work well to release the tension in the fascia. This is one of the cases where the massage needed to help the problem will most probably hurt. The therapist needs to work deep to help the fascia. Be sure to communicate with your therapist if you feel pain, and he/she will guide through breathing exercises to deal with it.
