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By Andrew Wickens, Myotherapist When approaching plantar fascia pain, I like to take a clinical approach. This means we look beyond just the sore spot in your heel. Instead of only treating the symptoms, we focus on understanding why your pain is there, which could potentially be due to tight calves, poor movement patterns, or daily habits contributing to the problem. Treatment for plantar fascia pain isn’t always just a massage to the bottom of the foot. I like to make sure the treatment is tailored to you. Different treatment techniques can include deep or superficial pressure to the tissue, needling (especially for the calves), cupping (with movement or static), exercise and strengthening prescriptions, corrective advice for daily tasks and movements, and potentially advice on supportive footwear. These treatments can help reduce pain, improve mobility, and guide you on ways to support yourself at home or work. Treatment can also help identify triggers and give you simple strategies to prevent flare-ups. Helpful actions you can take for your plantar fascia before seeking treatment include:
While leaving the pain to improve on its own can sometimes lead to a temporary “fix,” the pain often tends to creep back later, potentially leading to further injury or affecting other areas of your body. A Myotherapy treatment approach is more targeted and goal-driven. It’s about addressing the cause, improving how your body moves, and keeping your plantar fascia pain away for as long as possible. Do my feet affect my posture? here is some information on how your feet posture affects your body11/9/2025
By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist Yes, the posture of your feet can indeed affect your overall body posture. Proper foot posture is essential for maintaining good alignment and balance throughout the rest of your body.
Here's some information on how your feet's posture can impact your body: Foundation of Support: Your feet are the foundation of your body. They provide the base of support for your entire musculoskeletal system. If your feet are not properly aligned, it can affect the alignment of your entire body. Arch Support: The arches of your feet (the longitudinal and transverse arches) help distribute your body weight evenly. When these arches are not properly supported, it can lead to imbalances in your posture. Ankle Stability: The alignment of your feet also affects the stability of your ankles. If your ankles are not properly aligned, it can lead to problems further up the kinetic chain, including the knees and hips. Knee Alignment: Misalignment in the feet can affect the alignment of your knees. If your feet roll inwards (pronation) or outwards (supination) excessively, it can lead to knee problems, such as pain and overuse injuries. Hip and Pelvic Alignment: Issues with foot posture can have a ripple effect on your hips and pelvis. If your feet are not in the right position, it can cause your hips to tilt or rotate, which can lead to low back pain and postural problems. Spinal Alignment: Ultimately, the alignment of your feet can impact the alignment of your spine. Improper foot posture can contribute to conditions such as scoliosis or lordosis, which affect the curvature of your spine. Balance and Gait: Correct foot posture is essential for maintaining balance and walking or running efficiently. If your feet are not aligned properly, it can lead to balance problems and increase the risk of falls and injuries. Muscle Imbalances: When your feet are not in the correct position, it can cause certain muscles to overcompensate, leading to muscle imbalances and, eventually, pain and dysfunction in various parts of the body. To maintain proper foot posture if there is an instability/imbalances present, it is essential to wear appropriate footwear, use orthotics if necessary, and perform exercises that strengthen the muscles of the feet and lower limbs. If you are experiencing persistent pain or posture problems related to your feet, it's a good idea to consult your myotherapist to determine what the best course of action may be. This may include assessment, treatment and possibly a podiatrist, or orthopedic specialist for a thorough evaluation and orthotics that will be fitted to you. This will help correct these imbalances and improve your posture by using the appropriate tools given to you Foot and heel pain can really impact your day. It can be a hard area to avoid aggravating through use and movement, for obvious reasons! A very common cause of heel pain is a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. This is an inflammatory condition of the thick connective tissues of the heel and sole of the foot.
The sensation is usually described as a sharp, stabbing feeling directly under the heel. Its generally most painful first thing in the morning, or after resting for some time. Depending on the severity, this can last anywhere from a few moments, to being felt constantly throughout the day. It can be caused by an acute injury or strain to the plantar fascia, and can also develop over time. People who are on their feet for long hours can develop this foot pain, especially if they don't have good supportive footwear. Our bodies are pretty good at finding work arounds to keep us moving, so if you're experiencing plantar fasciitis, you may notice some compensation patterns like limping, reduced ankle mobility, taking smaller steps, or toe walking to avoid pressure to your heel. Short term, these compensation patterns are fine, but if the heel pain becomes chronic then these altered movement patterns can lead to other pains further up the body. What can be done about Plantar Fasciitis?
Do you need help with heel pain? Book in with our team so we can help you with a treatment plan. Does this sound familiar? Terrible pain in your first few steps in the morning. Pain on standing up if you’ve been sitting for a little while. Putting weight on that foot can be agony. You feel it strongest in the heel or arch of your foot. Once you get moving it seems to calm down. If you're saying yes to these symptoms, you could be dealing with a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. Its quite common, and one of the most frequent foot pains that our myotherapists help people with. Plantar Fasciitis is a very painful condition that affects your heel and the sole of your foot. Often the mornings are the worst pain, people often explain they feel like they have to hobble about for the first few minutes of their day.
Usually it affects one foot or the other - some very unfortunate people can get both feet affected at the same time. Symptoms include heel pain; arch pain; altered walking patterns; cramps or spasms in the sole of the foot. Usually the pain reduces after getting moving, but those first few steps can be uncomfortable through to excruciatingly painful. What kinds of treatments work best for Plantar Fasciitis? The techniques I've found that work the best for people with Plantar Fasciitis are:
The hands on treatment sessions are only part of the recovery plan though. Like with most pains or injuries, looking at the way you move and stretch outside of your time in the clinic is important to helping you feel better, quicker. Our therapists will show you some simple but effective movements that help you to stretch your foot and leg to reduce the pain. We can also offer you some temporary pain relief suggestions like ice bottle rolling and using spiky physio balls. Ready to look at a plan for kicking Plantar Fasciitis? Book a 60 Minute Initial Consultation with us. We'll assess your movement and muscle balance, give you a feel-good hands on treatment, and walk you step by step through your treatment plan. |
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Mel Simon (Senior Clinical Myotherapist) and Dr Sarah Varmalis (Senior Osteo) are available 7 days a week at our Boronia clinic. Archives
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