Flat Feet/Plantar Fasciitis

What is Plantar fasciitis?

By the age of 20, almost 80% of us have a foot problem, and by age forty nearly all of us do. The New York City lifestyle of walking everywhere compounds the problem.  Dr. Kulla of Synergy Wellness near union square in Manhattan has experience with foot pain while training for the NYC U.S. championship Ironman Triathlon in 2012.  Therefore, having cutting-edge diagnosis and treatments for athletes is at the top of our list.

What Causes Foot Pain?

Your feet assume three crucial functions: they support your body whenever you stand, walk, or run; they assist you in achieving movement from one place to another, and they help protect your bones and soft tissues from damaging shock stress as you move. Below are less common causes of foot pain are:

• Being overweight, having minor structural defects in the feet, or injuries; all of these factors can contribute to additional foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back stress.
• An overuse injury like running or walking in high heels. Runners and triathletes suffer from this problem all too often coupled with Achilles tendonitis and a lightweight sneaker with a low heel to toe ratio only ads to the issue of plantar fasciitis.
• Nerves in the lower back run down your leg and control the sensation in the toes, feet, ankles, and legs. Usually, this accompanies back pain or leg pain as well as foot pain, but in some cases, it can present as only foot pain and mimic the symptoms of plantar fasciitis.  Any neurological condition should be addressed by a chiropractic physician as soon as possible.
• Pronation or flat feet is the most common cause of foot pain or problems. Pronation causes some of the bones in the foot to drop and be less stable when the medial, lateral and transverse foot arches are too weak to keep them in proper alignment. The arches themselves may be unnaturally stretched (“flat feet”), and stress on the foot increases. Plantar fasciitis,  stress’ irritation of the plantar sheath which is an elastic tissue running the length of the foot. If not treated, the problem can lead to more severe knee, hip and lower back issues as well as arthritis in those joints. Feet can become “tired and achy” or experience burning pain,  or tightness. Chronic foot pain means that you should make an appointment to see your healthcare professional at Synergy Wellness in New York City right away for a three arch gait analysis assessment.

How do I know if I have pronated or flat feet?

Synergy wellness has a team of healthcare professionals best qualified to make that determination; but fundamentally speaking, pronated feet usually flare outward when standing or moving; your kneecaps and Achilles’ tendons may be rotated inward creating uneven heel wear on the outside of the sole of your shoe. Synergy Wellness at 409 East 14th Street, Suite C in New York City has Cutting edge foot levelers 3D laser technology that scans your feet to cut the perfect pair of orthotics or your money back.

Since my feet don’t hurt, I don’t have any real problem with them, right?

Wrong. Even if your feet don’t hurt, the fact that your foundation has been weakened or imbalanced can have a potentially severe impact to the rest of your body and joints. If you currently have low back, neck pain, hip, knee or ankle pain the reason may be due to your feet not supporting the bones, joints or soft tissues above the ankle properly. This lack of support has contributed to increased stress and sometimes pain in other parts of the body. If you’re having pain in any of the areas mentioned above, Contact us as soon as possible for your 3D laser footscan at our new york city location.

What can Synergy Wellness do about my foot problems?

Depending upon your condition, one of our healthcare team members can provide you with a conservative non-surgical treatment program that can help you function better. However, before such a program begins, he or she may want to perform a complete examination, which might include checking for tenderness in the foot, analyzing your posture, taking x-rays, watching how you walk, a 3D laser scan of your three arches and looking over your shoes for signs of improper wear. Based on the findings from our 3D laser foot scanner, we may develop a program containing all or some of the following treatments:

Joint mobilization of the foot to stabilize your postural foundation and to help relieve related stress/pain to the rest of your body.

Use of Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers Orthotics to help the foot maintain its structural and functional balance as you stand, walk, or run. Your healthcare professional will select the orthotics best suited for you based on a variety of factors (lifestyle, health, age, weight, sex, etc.). Moreover, because most people wear at least two styles of shoes each day, your healthcare professional may determine that an orthotics Combo (two pairs) would be best for your condition.

Exercise will help build foot strength and joint stability.

Synergy Wellness’ Chiropractic and physical therapy team may also want to advise you on lifestyle changes, such as weight reduction, proper shoe style selection, custom foot orthotic and changing your physical activity.