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Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

podiatry BOSIC

Do you wake up in the morning with a sharp pain in the heels of your feet? Does this pain subside after you’ve taken a few steps? You’re probably suffering from Plantar Fasciitis. 

So, where exactly is your plantar fascia? Take hold of your foot and pull your toes back. Now run your fingers along the arch of your foot. The rope-like connective tissue that pops out is your plantar fascia. It’s the strongest and longest ligament in your body, stabilising your foot’s arch when you walk.

When the plantar fascia degenerates, it leads to chronic heel pain that we call plantar fasciitis. Doing more activity than normal, exercising when injured, wearing new shoes and even standing for long periods can all cause micro-tearing of the plantar fascia, leading to inflammation and scar tissue formation. More often than not, this will heal if you are off your feet to rest for a while. But if your feet do not get a chance to rest, the tissue will be damaged again as soon as you stand on the feet. That’s why most people feel the strain the first thing in the morning when they wake up. 

 

heel pain

Here are some of the ways our podiatrists treat patients with heel pain:   

  • Do an x-ray and/or ultrasound scan of the foot to find out what’s wrong
  • Help you find the right shoes to wear and advise on activity/ exercise changes to alleviate symptoms
  • Show you how to do specific plantar fasciitis exercises and foot mobilisation for your feet
  • Make custom-made orthotics at our in-house laboratory for your shoes to offload the painful area 
  • Assist with taping and plantar fasciitis strapping techniques – to support the injured area
  • Use the Fasciitis Fighter to do strength training exercises on the fascia
  • Do shock wave therapy for chronic heel pain 

 

Our podiatrists will take measures to speed up the healing process and ensure your heel pain doesn’t return. They will also recommend strength training exercises once your plantar fasciitis issues are resolved. If you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, give our clinics a call on the numbers below.

Barangaroo: 8599 9811
Bondi Junction: 9386 5400
St Ives: 9440 4600
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Rotator Cuff Muscle and Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator cuff muscle

The rotator cuff muscle is actually not one muscle but four muscles that all act together to help stabilize our shoulder. The shoulder(glenohumeral joint) is a multi axial joint meaning it can move in multiple directions with stabilization provided by our ligaments, shoulder capsule, and the rotator cuff muscles. Here are the four muscles and the actions they provide:

1. Supraspinatus – shoulder abduction (eg. raising your arm at your side)

2. & 3. Infraspinatus and teres minor – shoulder external rotation (eg. rotating shoulder back when you throw a ball)

4. Subscapularis – shoulder internal rotation (eg. placing hand on belly)

Diagram of the four shoulder muscles that make up the rotator cuff

Shoulder Injury

You can have an overuse (tendinopathy) injury to one of your shoulder muscle(s) or most commonly a muscle tear (strain). The risk of injury increases with age from 9.7% those <20 years to 62% in 80+ year olds. Both tendinopathies and strains can be diagnosed by your physiotherapist. Usually if there is a suspected strain (tear) the physio may send you in for a scan to see how big the tear is. Tears are classified by the National Health Service in England as:

-Small (less than 1cm)

-Medium (1-3cm)

-Large (3-5cm)

-Massive (over 5cm)

Once the physio gets the report they may send you for a consultation with a surgeon if the tear is 3cm or greater to get further guidance for better prognosis. If you have had already had a surgery or are waiting on one, a physio can help you regain functionality during post-op recovery under the guidance of your surgeon.

If you have any concerns about your shoulders, have a shoulder injury, or just want a bit more help finding out how to strengthen your shoulders our physios would be happy to help. Book an appointment HERE. 

 

By Physiotherapist, Paulina Backiel

 

 
 
References
1.May T, Garmel GM. Rotator Cuff Injury. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing, Treasure Island (FL); 2020. https://europepmc.org/article/nbk/nbk547664#free-full-text
2.Scott-Dempster, Claire. “Outpatient Post-Operative Physiotherapy guidelines.” NHS Foundation Trust, August 2019. https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/shoulderandelbow/information/documents/rotator-cuff-repair.pdf
3. Photo retrieved from https://bodyharmonics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Rotator-Cuff-Muscles.jpg

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Carpal Tunnel Symptoms

Where is my carpal tunnel?

Your carpal tunnel is a shallow and narrow passage in the palmar side of your wrist. It is surrounded by the bones of your wrist, many tendons that run through it and your median nerve. Your median nerve controls the sensation in your thumb, index, middle and half of your ring finger. Carpal tunnel symptoms can occur for a few different reasons.  

Because so many structures pass through this narrow structure, if there is any swelling, the median nerve gets compressed which results in carpal tunnel syndrome. 

What are the symptoms? 

  • Pins and needles into the fingers 
  • Numbness in the first 3 fingers
  • Sharp pain in the wrist 
  • Weakness of the hand 
  • Increased pain in gripping and putting pressure on your palm

 

 

Common causes of carpal tunnel syndrome

There are no real causes of carpal tunnel syndrome but here are a few factors that can increase the your risk: 

  • Pregnancy: due to fluid retention and the compression of the median nerve. 

  • Overuse injuries: where the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel can get inflamed. 

  • Arthritis: such as rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause swelling and inflammation.

If you have any tingly fingers or wrist pain that you think may be carpal tunnel symptoms, come on in and get it checked out! Give us a call at 8599 9811 or book in here to see one of our physiotherapists today. 

 

 

By Physiotherapist, Vanessa Boon