Many people suffer from heel pain. The obvious solution is to treat the heel, the plantar fascia (connective tissue that supports the bottom of the foot).
What is not obvious is the cause. Let us just say it is further afoot. When I treat clients with stubborn heel pain "that is not getting any better no matter what they do", I search for incriminating evidence such as: leg length differences, scoliosis, and a strong bias to shifting to one side.
More often then not it is that the person is unaware they have a preferred leg they like to lean toward, and alas it happens to be the foot that is hurting. So, we can feel the pain, but we can be completely oblivious to our habit, that is, unless the person is lucky enough to find a Feldenkrais Practitioner, or other suitable movement detective!
If you have heel pain that will not go away check these things:
Do you like to shift your weight to that one foot? Check to see if the affected foot is wider. It is a clue you bare more weight on it.
Do you feel more stable on that one foot? Often balance is better on the affected side.
Check your pant legs. Is one hem closer to the ground? It could be one leg is a bit shorter or one hip is a bit lower.
Is your torso shifted more to one side? Stand in front of the mirror and check if your shoulders are uneven and if one arm appears closer to your side. Often creases in your shirt will give the bias away!
What is not obvious is the cause. Let us just say it is further afoot. When I treat clients with stubborn heel pain "that is not getting any better no matter what they do", I search for incriminating evidence such as: leg length differences, scoliosis, and a strong bias to shifting to one side.
More often then not it is that the person is unaware they have a preferred leg they like to lean toward, and alas it happens to be the foot that is hurting. So, we can feel the pain, but we can be completely oblivious to our habit, that is, unless the person is lucky enough to find a Feldenkrais Practitioner, or other suitable movement detective!
If you have heel pain that will not go away check these things:
Do you like to shift your weight to that one foot? Check to see if the affected foot is wider. It is a clue you bare more weight on it.
Do you feel more stable on that one foot? Often balance is better on the affected side.
Check your pant legs. Is one hem closer to the ground? It could be one leg is a bit shorter or one hip is a bit lower.
Is your torso shifted more to one side? Stand in front of the mirror and check if your shoulders are uneven and if one arm appears closer to your side. Often creases in your shirt will give the bias away!
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