Shopping
for a shoe again
Shopping for a shoe again, are you sure you
have enough feet to fill all the shoes you have. Not to worry, I still have a
very very long way to go before I am anywhere near Imelda Marcos’ collection.
Why
I need a new pair of shoes
I really need this one badly. For some
reason my improved condition of Plantar Fasciitis took a turn for the worse and
instead of having to bear with it on one foot I now have to endure the pain and
injury on both feet. I suspected that I had inadvertently pulled on my poor
‘inelastic band of worn tissue’.
Plantar
Fasciitis
What is Plantar Fasciitis? It is an
inflammation of a thick band of connective tissue on the bottom of the feet. It
supports the arch of the foot and stretches from the heel bone to the toes.
Your foot arches provide a ‘spring-type’ system to assist in motion and
absorbing your body weight when you put your feet down on any surface.
It is painful, particularly when you walk,
or stand for long periods. It usually is caused by overuse injury and that
could be attributed to :
- Over-pronation (when your feet rolls inward too much and over stretching the planta fascia)
- Feet with high arches (feet tend to be inflexible and do not absorb shock well)
- Sudden increase in physical activity
- Excessive weight bearing on the foot
- Tight calf muscles (putting a strain on the plantar fascia)
- Unsuitable shoes with poor arch support and soft
More unfortunate is planta fasciosis, which is chronic plantar fasciitis with
degeneration of tendons and ligaments, usually with very small tears but
without inflammation. This is terrible. If your condition is Plantar Fasciitis,
do rest your feet, and work diligently on strengthening your plantar fascia.
For more on plantar fasciitis kindly click
on link to : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004438/
and http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
or consult your doctor.
For exercises and tips (and to test your
knowledge) to help improve plantar fasciitis, go to
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/exercises-to-reduce-plantar-fasciitis
(click through Step 1 to 6, and further links for how to do the stretching and
strengthening exercises.
Looking
for that pair of Aladdin Shoes for my poor feet
If only it was as simple as a pair of
Aladdin shoes.
Finding
the Right Shoe
I started off looking for the shoe that is
right for my condition a few months back.
It was not an easy decision as they are so
many types of shoes in the market. My doctors and of course the shops have been
giving me some advice, but with new designs hitting the market so often and new
performance claims by shoes manufacturer, I find it a daunting task especially
when I think that price does not always give you the best selection.
Other than that I am not sure whether I
should go for running shoes, leisure wear or casual sandals with some height at
the heel and some arch support. (The rehabilitation unit at the hospital did
give me an insole with arch support, but I may need to go back for better
fitting).
So where do I find the
information to narrow down my mistakes. So it was back to the internet for some
reading.
Basically what you need for Plantar Fasciitis is
- A raised heel compared to the rest of the shoe
- Very stable arch support
- Some motion control
These three features will help to improve
your plantar fasciitis.
For conditions of plantar fasciitis,
achilles tendonitis and general arch pain, it is good to have a slight heel
height of 1 inch but not more than 1.5 inches.
Those with flat or low arches need either a stability or motion control shoe with a dual density mid-sole (mostly a firmer wedge on the medial(inner) side of the shoe, for stability and support) built on a semi-curved or flat last(shape template that the shoe is built on).
Those with flat or low arches need either a stability or motion control shoe with a dual density mid-sole (mostly a firmer wedge on the medial(inner) side of the shoe, for stability and support) built on a semi-curved or flat last(shape template that the shoe is built on).
