Step Into Comfort This Spring!
You want to go for a nice evening stroll or spend an afternoon at the mall. But that pain in your foot makes prolonged walking seem like an impossibility. Now what?
Foot pain is a common problem–and one that can have a significant impact on your day-to-day life. If severe enough, it becomes a risk factor for other concerns, particularly among older people, including decreased balance, increased fall risk, and general loss of mobility.
Fortunately, physical therapy at Atlanta Human Performance Group can help you find relief. Our team of experts will dig down to identify the root cause of your pain. Then, we’ll develop a customized treatment plan to resolve the underlying injury or condition, helping to ensure lasting relief.
Don’t let foot pain hobble you completely! Give us a call to set up an appointment to uncover the source of your foot discomfort.
What Are the Common Causes of Foot Pain?
When determining the source of your foot pain, you’ll first want to pinpoint where the pain is coming from. Is it along the bottom of your foot? Is it along the top of your foot? In your heel? Could your ankle be involved?
Our Doctors of Physical Therapy will conduct a detailed evaluation to ensure we fully understand your symptoms. We’ll review your health history and recent activities and perform a physical examination that gives a complete picture of your condition. From there, we can determine the underlying injury or condition causing you pain.
While causes of foot pain vary wildly, here are some of the most common:
- Plantar Fasciitis: This is the most common cause of foot pain, occurring in about 10% of the general population. It causes pain and stiffness along the bottom of your foot and into your heel and occurs when certain tissue (the plantar fascia) becomes swollen and inflamed.
- Achilles Tendonitis: Another example of inflammation in foot tissue, Achilles tendonitis causes pain and range of motion restriction in the tendon that runs along the back of your heel (the Achilles tendon).
- Heel Spurs: This condition refers to a bony growth that develops on your heel bone due to stress and strain on the ligaments and tendons.
- Stress Fractures: Stress fractures are small cracks in the bone that generally occur due to overuse. While they can happen anywhere, your feet are particularly susceptible as they absorb much of the impact from activities like running, excessive walking, and jumping.
What Physical Therapy Can Do To Help
Once our Doctors of Physical Therapy have determined the source of your foot pain, we’ll work with you to develop a customized treatment plan that manages symptoms, improves functionality, and, in many cases, resolves the underlying condition. We customize every plan to suit your needs, pulling from various treatment options.
Here are just a few techniques we might incorporate:
• Manual Therapy: Manual therapy offers drug-free pain management and a gentle way of improving foot mobility. Techniques like myofascial release, soft tissue manipulation, and joint mobilization offer unique benefits.
• Therapeutic Exercise: We’ll provide a targeted, personalized exercise program to stretch and strengthen your foot and ankle muscles. Depending on your needs, we can also work on balance, overall mobility, and coordination.
• Modalities: Various treatment modalities, such as hot and cold therapy, electrostimulation, and ultrasound techniques, can provide additional pain relief.
• Lifestyle Modifications: Often, foot pain stems from lifestyle factors, such as wearing improper footwear or starting a new high-impact exercise regimen. We’ll help you identify these factors and suggest strategies for managing them.
During your sessions, we’ll generally begin with acute pain relief through manual therapy techniques or pain-relieving modalities. Then, we’ll move on to targeted exercises. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy will ensure you perform those exercises correctly and monitor your progress, increasing the intensity as you improve.
We’ll also suggest things you can do on your own, such as self-massage techniques, additional exercises, or footwear changes.
Schedule An Appointment Today
The first step in resolving your foot pain is correctly identifying its cause. To learn why your foot is hurting, call Atlanta Human Performance Center to schedule your initial consultation. We’ll have you on your way to an active lifestyle in no time!
Your Progress Matters To Us!
Return to Atlanta Human Performance Center and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
Slow Cooker Irish Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or to taste
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast
- 3 russet potatoes, diced
- 1 pound baby carrots
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (16 ounce) bottle stout beer
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add beef; cook until evenly browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker; top with browned beef. Pour 1/4 cup beer into the same skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of beef off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Stir in tomato paste; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour beer mixture into slow cooker. Pour beef broth, remaining beer, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper into slow cooker. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
Exercise of the Month
Seated Hamstring Stretch
Start by sitting up straight in a chair with one knee bent and the other straight. Place both hands on the straight knee and slowly bend forward at your waist like a hinge. Feel the stretch in the back of your leg.
St. Patrick’s Day Word Scramble
rlevoc
skhcomar
eenrg
ibaworn
naiedrl
idbuln
Answer Key
clover
shamrock
green
rainbow
ireland
dublin
Our Patients Get Great Results
“I walked into the Atlanta Human Performance Center bent over and in pain. After 15 sessions, I now can stand up straight and I don’t take anti-inflammatories or pain medicine anymore. The staff and management of this wonderful facility changed my life. I am very thankful and pleased for this outstanding team.”
– Eric J.
Spring Is Running Season! Are You In Your Best Shape?
Are you looking forward to starting running again after a long winter? At Atlanta Human Performance Center, our Doctors of Physical Therapy understand running injuries, and we will make sure you run pain-free this spring!
Runners are often misled into believing unproven solutions to avoiding pain and injury. Not many people know that the number-one risk factor for runners to sustain an injury is having had an injury in the last 12 months.
The other most common risk factors are:
- Running experience of 0–2 years
- Restarting running after extended rest
- Overtraining (i.e., more than 40 miles per week)
To ensure you can get back to running or increasing your mileage without pain or injury, start with an injury evaluation and a biomechanical assessment to identify any factors that could contribute to pain or injury.
Our Doctors of Physical Therapy will take a thorough history to understand your training schedule, previous injuries, and overall health status. We use this information to create an individualized program to alleviate pain and get you back to running without limits.
Request an appointment at Atlanta Human Performance Center today!
