Our feet and ankles support us anytime we are weightbearing, so if we are having pain, it can make our days extremely challenging to function.

Brian Horner PT, owner/director of Fast Track Physical Therapy joined us today to discuss some of the most common causes of foot and ankle pain and how his team approaches treating these conditions. Here’s more from him:

Plantar Fasciitis

• The Fascia is a tough, fibrous band on the bottom of the foot. The fascia will can become inflamed often from overuse, poor arch support, and doing an activity that you are not used to doing…sporting activity, walking/running on the beach, different shoes, new job that requires more standing, etc.
• Symptoms: Most of the time the dominate area of pain is located to the heel on the bottom of the foot and at times into the arch of the foot or sides of the heel. Pain will usually be worse when first getting out of bed in the morning or when you stand up after you have been sitting. If you must stand and walk a lot your pain will also be a lot worse as the day progresses.

Achilles Tendon Pain/Injury

• The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body, and it attaches the calf muscles to the back of the heel.  Just like any other tendon in the body it can become inflamed from overuse, strained, or even torn.
• Symptoms: Pain from tendonitis / tendinosis will usually be located at the tendon or where the tendon attaches onto the heel (Calcaneus). Pain will be worse with extended amounts of walking / standing, and usually worse when you stand up to walk after you have been sitting.

Other Ankle and Foot Conditions

• Peroneal tendonitis (outside of ankle), Posterior tibialis tendonitis (inside of ankle), Shin Splints (front of lower leg),Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (similar to Carpal tunnel syndrome), Metatarsalgia (pain across the ball of the foot), Morton’s Neuroma (pain usually between the 2 & 3 or 3 & 4metatarsal heads), Hallux limitus /rigidus or arthritis (pain at the great toe).

How do we treat these conditions?

• With all conditions we have found that we achieve the best and quickest results when we treat with a multifaceted approach. So, exercise will be given to restore ROM / movement and strength, but exercise alone won’t usually take care of the issue. We always provide manual / hands on treatment with a patient that may consist of Dry Needling, cupping, and instrument / hands-on soft tissue work. Modalities will be provided when needed to reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to assist with healing. And we will assess the foot and ankle to see if either OTS (off the self) or custom orthotics are indicated. Both types of orthotics are relatively affordable for most people compared to orthotics can be purchased at other places. Our OTS orthotics are $45 and customs are $185.00. For our custom orthotics I still cast patient’s feet to make the mold. This takes much longer, but I still believe I can achieve the best foot mold while maintaining the foot and ankle in the correct position during to molding process.

For more information visit: fast-tracktherapy.com 

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY FAST-TRACK PHYSICAL THERAPY.

Severe headaches or migraines can be debilitating, and when they become chronic and frequent, they can affect our quality of life. There are a lot of causes or contributing factors to chronic headaches, and Brian Horner, owner/director of Fast Track Physical Therapy joined us today to explain a few of them. Here’s more from him:

• Genetics: 1 or both parents have chronic headaches.
• Weather Changes: Air (barometric) pressure, temperature, and seasonal changes. I also see an increase in Vertigo during seasonal changes.
• Rebound headaches: From taking pain meds, including over the counter (OTC) pain meds too frequently.
• Food/drink/alcohol: Most of foods or drinks aren’t bad for you, but your body they may be the trigger for your headache. Keep a journal of foods/drinks that you have had just before a headache. Caffeine withdrawl.

The headaches that our Fast-Track clinics treat very successfully are:

• Tension/stress headaches: These are headaches that are referred from muscle tension / spasms and trigger points. When muscles are in spasm they can cause pain in various areas of the head, base of the head, face, neck, and upper back. We utilize many techniques to get the muscles to release and relax, but we have found that Dry Needling usually will provide the quickest and most lasting benefit for tension headaches. We have had many patients come to our clinics that have dealt with daily headaches for years and have been able to almost resolve them completely.

• Cervicogenic: Headaches that are because of abnormal mechanics of the upper cervical spine. Often nerves located in the upper cervical spine may be irritated reproducing head and face pain. This may occur with or without neck pain. Our therapists utilize many manual (hands-on) techniques to restore proper mechanical function of the cervical spine and reduce muscle spasm.

• Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD): Headaches can also come from TMJ/Jaw dysfunction. When the mechanics of the jaw aren’t working correctly, muscles of the face are in spasm or there is inflammation in the jaw this can lead to headaches. TMD can also cause pain with eating, yawning, even talking. Our therapists are experienced and have additional training in TMJ disorders.

So, if your experiencing any of the many things that I’ve discussed we would be glad to assess your condition and see if we can help you. If you have had physical therapy in the past, medication or other medical care and didn’t get relief, I would give us a try. We have been able to help many people even when medicine or other medical practitioners couldn’t.

For more information visit, fast-tracktherapy.com.

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY FAST TRACK PHYSICAL THERAPY.