Foot doc tells how to treat Runners with Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a ligament-like band that runs from the ball of your feet to your heel.  This band pulls on your foot’s heel bone, raising the arch of your foot as it pushes off the ground.  When your foot moves improperly, due to overextending circumstances, such as strenuous exercise like running, the plantar fascia can swell and its tiny fibers can strain–causing plantar fasciitis.

A major factor that should be checked for runners with plantar fasciitis is the length of their second toes.  Dr. Burton S. Schuler, a podiatrist in Panama City, Florida who has practiced for 36 years, writes that a short first metatarsal bone–also known as Morton’s Toe–can be the cause of incorrect pronation leading to plantar fasciitis . He asserts that our bodies were not designed to take the abuse that can be caused by a Morton’s Toe when you are a runner or jogger, and prescribes a Toe Pad or Shoe Insert for runners (and non-runners) with Morton’s Toe.   By doing so, Schuler argues that you can delay such problems as shin splints, Anterior Compartment Syndrome, Overuse Syndrome, Chondromalacia (Runner’s Knee) and other problems caused by the constant abuse and pounding on the body brought on by running.

According to a recent article in Podiatry Today, it is difficult to find the correct treatment for plantar fasciitis patients, and even more difficult to treat runners who have it since they are so reluctant to take time off from their running to rest their feet (http://www.podiatrytoday.com/keys-to-treating-plantar-fasciitis-in-runners).  The good news is that runners with the condition can continue to train during treatment if they are diagnosed early enough.  For runners, the first thing to check is the shoes they are wearing.  They need stability and motion control to ensure proper pronation of the foot.  They also run less, get massages, and take corticosteroid injections.  These injections are effective yet risky, as ruptures have accompanied the injections, and injections at the same site can cause fat pad atrophy ((http://www.podiatrytoday.com/keys-to-treating-plantar-fasciitis-in-runners).

If you are a runner who endures heel pain due to plantar fasciitis then you should ensure that Morton’s Toe treatment is included in your plantar fasciitis treatment options if your first toe is shorter than your second one.

Dr. Burton S. Schuler foot doctor, foot specialist, podiatrist  of Panama City, Fl and the director of the Ambulatory Foot Clinics Podiatric Pain Management Center  and is a leading authority on the Morton’s Toe,  Long Second Toe and it associated problems. He is the author of the newly published book about The Morton’s Toe, Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In the Foot. The book is published by the La Luz Press, Inc and is disturbed national by the Cardinal Publishing Group.  Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, is the story of how one bone in your foot could be the real reason for pains thru out your whole body. It is important because it offer the public new information about why millions of people suffer everyday with aches and pains, and offers new hope to get rid of problems they believed they would have to live with forever. It literally can be the “medical missing link”