There are complains that “When I get up every morning and step on the ground, the heel is like a needle pricking, it hurts like hell!”, “When I stand up after sitting for some time, it is like there is a needle in the heel tingling, so painful.”
Plantar fasciitis is a common condition that can cause heel pain. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes and helps support the arch of your foot. When this tissue becomes inflamed, it can cause heel pain.
How to prevent plantar fasciitis? Firstly you can reduce the pressure on your feet by losing weight if you were overweight; or soaking your feet in hot water helps increase blood flow to the foot area; Secondly it need to take time to rest, reduce standing and walk for a long time, and especially avoid stepping on hard floors and uneven ground. Thirdly choosing shoes with softer soles and better arch support can relieve pain and improve foot health. The 4 tricks of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can quickly reliev heel pain and help plantar fasciitis heal and recover within one to two weeks.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, the ligament that connects your heel to your toes. When walking, the soles of the feet must bear the weight of the whole body. The plantar fascia is like a spring, which can absorb the reaction force generated by the ground when the foot steps on the ground, and maintain the stability of the arch of the foot. If the plantar fascia takes too much impact, it can start to develop small tears, which over time tend to become inflamed, swollen, and cause plantar fasciitis.
It’s a common condition that can cause heel pain and stiffness. Symptoms include sharp pain in the heel, pain when walking, or pain after resting. It is common to have significant pain with the first step out of bed in the morning or during a period of rest and getting up to stand. Usually, the pain will dissipate within a few minutes; however, as the day progresses, especially with increased activity, the pain level can escalate.
Cause of Plantar Fasciitis
- The plantar fascia is repeatedly stressed and inflamed due to standing for a long time, walking healthy trails or running.
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes results in long-term tightness on the soles of the feet and difficulty in relaxing them.
- With age, the support of the feet become relyingmore on the plantar fascia due to the gradual degeneration of foot ligaments and tendons and the reduction of plantar fat pads.
TCM activates kidney meridian, qi and blood
From the perspective of TCM, the kidney meridian is one of the twelve meridians of the body that passes through the plantar fascia. When the kidney meridian is deficient in qi and blood, or the veins are stagnant, it lead to lack of nourishment for the muscles and bones of the foot, and then produce plantar tendons with heel pain. meningitis symptoms. Traditionally it treats with combination of herbal medicine and acupuncture.
Herbal medicine: Liuwei Dihuang Wan, which can nourish the qi and blood of the kidney meridian, is the main prescription, and other medicines such as Cyperus cyperi, Curcuma, and Caulis Spatholobus can also be added to achieve the effects of dredging the meridians, activating collaterals, reducing swelling and dissipating blood stasis.
Acupuncture: The kidney meridian and the bladder meridian are exterior and interior meridians, so Yongquan and Taixi points of the kidney meridian; Kunlun and Chengshan points of the bladder meridian are used as the main points for treating plantar fasciitis.
Rehabilitation for plantar fasciitis
- Stretching the calf muscles
Stretches that relax the calf muscles, such as lunges, can also relax the plantar fascia. With your hand on a chair or wall, arch forward with one leg, straighten the other leg back, and place your heel on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds each time and repeat 5 times.
- Stretching the plantar fascia
Stretches that directly target the plantar fascia. Sit on the edge of the bed or a chair, put the affected foot on the other leg, and stretch the five toes back with your hands until the plantar fascia feels tense. Hold for 30 seconds each time and repeat 5 times.
- Reflexology massage
Foot massage can also help relax the plantar fascia. Prepare a tennis ball, sit on the edge of the bed, step on the tennis ball with the affected foot and move it back and forth, massage the sole of the foot with the tennis ball, but avoid the protruding part of the bone. Do 30 seconds each time, repeat 3 times.
- Acupressure
Press the Chengshan and Taixi points to strengthen and relax the calf muscles and plantar fascia. Lift the heel, the Chengshan point is located in the depression of the sharp corner under the bulging muscle of the calf; the Taixi point is located on the inner side of the foot, the depression between the tip of the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon.
Sit on a chair, press the left leg with the right hand, or press the Chengshan and Taixi points of the right leg with the left hand, rub 20 times each time, repeat 3 to 5 times. TCM #acupuncture #acupuncturedubai #herbalmedicine
